Prefered method formatting SDXC card (64GB)


ZenphiR

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After reading through the forum I suspect common used methods to format 64GB(+) SDXC-cards are:


-using command line interface on Pandora


-using (Panasonic) SDFormatter utility on computer


-using Gparted on Pandora


What method & filesystem are prefered?
 
It's the space left by official SD formatters.


As one card of mine also had a space at the end, i now do the same.
 
It's the space left by official SD formatters.


As one card of mine also had a space at the end, i now do the same.

I mean, mine 8 GB SD has been formatted with 4 MB unallocated before, and 2,47 MB after the partition.


8 GB = 4 MB + 2,47 MB


64 GB = 32 MB + 32 MB (?)


So seems it is like GB/2 = x MB ? (at least for the free space before the partition)
 
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(Panasonic) SDFormatter utility only formats allocated space to exFat (unallocated space=16 Mb).


Used Gparted on Pandora to format exFat to ntfs.


Used Pandora-Repo on computer + cardreader to put .PND files on SD-card.


These appear in Xfce/Minimenu but most fail to load/execute (screen flashes for a second then back to Xfce/Minimenu).


Other 64 Gb. SD-card or filesystem Fat32 have same result: programs show in Xfce/Minimenu but most fail to execute.


The same programs on smaller SD-cards (1 & 2 Gb. Sandisk: filesystem/flag identical): load/execute just fine... :wacko:


I have tried to format the large SD-cards in command line interface but get specific mounting & priviliges errors.


Ie. "sudo: unmount: command not found"


Maybe I will try this again later, but these specific commands and errors are a bit above my head for now...


FAT32 Formatter sees exFat as ntfs, error when format <not allocated> to Fat32: "Failed to determine the drive!!"


Edit: Norton PartitionMagic 8.0 doesn't see SDXC-card(reader).


I have read a lot of threads regarding formatting (large) SD-cards on this forum. To be honest I think there is so much information that it is difficult to make a distinction between (ir)relevant info and procedures/methods. PandoraWiki & important (before-you-start) threads seem not specific enough about this subject however if SDXC cards don't run out-of-the-box.


Conditions: 2 new Pretec 64 Gb. SDXC card using WinXP with SDXC driver, Sitecom Cardreader on USB 2.0 motherboard.


Pandora1Ghz: SuperZaxxon 1.51 / kernel 3.2
 
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Today I reflashed my new Pandora & re-installed the Codecpack.


Still my computer & Pandora keep having problems reading and/or writing to both my new SDXC cards.


Both cards fail to load .PND files that 4 other small cards (1+2 Gb. Sandisk, 4Gb. Transcend+takeMS) have no problem with.


Programs like PND-store only see smaller SD-cards and nand, not my new large SDXC cards.


They do show up on Pandora-desktop however and I am able to browse all directories and files in Xfce/Minimenu.


What is a fail-safe method+filesystem to format my large SD-cards so all PND-files execute just like on smaller SD-cards?


Getting pretty desperate & would appreciate some assistance! :(
 
Probably not a good idea to format SDXC-cards with a combination of SD-formatter utility on computer & Gparted on Pandora. I also have second thoughts about my cardreader becausse I have a backup-computer that produces exactly the same errors. In the end I used Gparted again and now the results look very promising! Both cards appear in store/manager save-location now & .pnd-files that didn't load/execute from both SDXC-cards work just fine now :D
 
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Avoid gparted on pandora, some ppl reported that it doesn't work as expected, that's why i linked to the x86 bootable .iso.


Glad you could make it.
 
Well, to be honest I have used Gparted on my Pandora... I have burned the .iso to a CD but it doesn't autostart and there doesn't seem to be an executable for windows inside? I did some more testing and I am not quite there yet. The .pnd's that didn't work from my new SDXC-cards transfered with the new cardreader also don't work from my small SD-cards transfered with my old cardreader(!). It looks like filetransfer is just fine, but most .pnd's don't load. Before I installed the exFat driver required for WinXP everything worked flawless from my small SD-cards + old cardreader. The troubles started after installing exFat driver for SDXC support. On my other WinXP computer I get exactly the same results. Preliminary conclusion: avoid combination of WinXP/exFat-driver & large SDXC-cards!


Becausse WinXP format/filetransfer to SDXC is totaly unreliable at this moment I also cannot use the Gparted version for windows if I get it to start from CD (it would still use the os+driver combination that I don't trust anymore). Since a few days I got reliable WiFi working on my Pandora, so best is to install .pnd's directly from store/manager. I would like to have reliable SDXC-cards however, so maybe you can talk me through the process of formatting both cards with Pandora-terminal? Or maybe I should try if a friend with a newer version of windows gives me more succes / use someone's (android)tablet?
 
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Oops, the implication "Live CD" wasn't quite obvious to me... :unsure:


Finally I got both cards formatted using Gparted(live!), thank you all very much for the assistance!! ;)
 
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