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My pendrive has become read only. I want to format it using Linux - how do I do that?

If I run mkfs.vfat \dev\sdc1, it doesn't work.

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Well first of all linux uses the forward slash / and not the backward slash. Secondly, "it doesn't work" isn't good enough. Please say precisely how it's failing (errors given, etc). Third (and most importantly) this is the wrong site for this question. This site is for programming questions. – Chris Aug 3 '11 at 6:07
Hi coder. As this question is not related to programming, you are more likely to get an answer on Super User or unix.stackexchange.com – Crippledsmurf Aug 3 '11 at 6:08
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migrated from stackoverflow.com Aug 3 '11 at 10:21

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2 Answers

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mkfs.vfat maybe the incorrect way to invoke the tool. I would think mkfs -t vfat /dev/sdc1 would be the correct way to go about it. Make sure of the following before you do this:

  1. Backup all data.
  2. Make sure from /etc/fstab that /dev/sdc1 points to the usb drive.
  3. That you do not need root permissions for this.

Do check the man pages for mkfs for additional options.

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FYI mkfs -t vfat will call mkfs.vfat. Makes no difference, really. – Chris Aug 3 '11 at 6:10
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up vote 0 down vote

Make sure sdc1 is your USB drive.

Here are instructions on the process: http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/formatting-usb-pen-in-linux/

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