Format Beyond 32GB with FAT32

Here’s a quick tip for tonight.

Sometimes, you need to format a hard drive to FAT32 so it will be read on devices that can’t read the superior NTFS format such as the PS3. However, under Windows XP and later, you can’t format a drive beyond 32GB with FAT32 due to artificial limitation put in place by Microsoft.

There is a simple way around it though.

All you need is a copy of FAT32 Format – it’s fairly straightforward to use. Simply select the drive you want to format, the unit size (the default should be fine unless otherwise advised), volume label and whether or not you want to “quick format” (which simply puts in place the file system without zeroing out the rest of the drive).

Just be really careful about which drive you select as if you select the wrong drive then you’re going to have problems!

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