Formatting an SD card/Linux: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:04, 9 April 2023

This is an add-on section for formatting an SD card to FAT32.

This page is for Linux users only. If you are not on Linux, check out the Windows or Mac pages.

Instructions

Before beginning these steps, copy all of your SD card's contents to a folder on your computer.

The commands in this guide are case-sensitive. Enter them exactly as written, or there may be unintended consequences.

Make sure your SD card is not inserted
Launch the Linux Terminal
Open a terminal window and type watch lsblk.
Insert the SD card and watch for a new device appearing in lsblk.

Observe the output for the new device. It should match something like this:

NAME        MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
mmcblk0     179:0    0   3,8G  0 disk
└─mmcblk0p1 179:1    0   3,7G  0 part /run/media/user/FFFF-FFFF

Take note of the name of the device that now appears. In our example above, it was mmcblk0p1
- If RO is set to 1, make sure the lock switch is not slid down
Hit CTRL + C to exit the menu
Type sudo fdisk /dev/<device name>
Enter t and then enter 0c
Enter a and then p - observe the output, and make sure the device is now formatted correctly.
If there are no issues, enter w - this will save changes and exit the fdisk prompt.
Type sudo mkfs.vfat /dev/<device name> -s 64 to reformat the new partition.
- If the SD card is over 32GB in size, change 64 to 128
Type sudo eject /dev/<device name>, then remove and reinsert the SD card.
Copy your data back onto the SD card.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Page WIP|notes=
-*This page needs to actually do repartitioning properly, or else on certain SD cards that come with exFAT, the partition table won't be updated to reflect this. Maybe use fdisk for this?
-*GUI options for people who can use that such as GNOME Disks or GParted (which can be installed with most package managers).
-}}
 This is an add-on section for formatting an SD card to FAT32.
@@ Line 9: / Line 4: @@
 == Instructions ==
+{{warning|Before beginning these steps, copy all of your SD card's contents to a folder on your computer.}}
+{{warning|The commands in this guide are case-sensitive. Enter them exactly as written, or there may be unintended consequences.}}
 # Make sure your SD card is '''not''' inserted
 # Launch the Linux Terminal
-# Type <code>watch "lsblk"</code>
+# Open a terminal window and type <code>watch lsblk</code>.
-# Insert your SD card into your PC
+# Insert the SD card and watch for a new device appearing in lsblk.
-# Observe the output. It should match something like this: {{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
+# Observe the output for the new device. It should match something like this: {{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
 NAME        MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
 mmcblk0     179:0    0   3,8G  0 disk
 └─mmcblk0p1 179:1    0   3,7G  0 part /run/media/user/FFFF-FFFF
 |lang=text}}
-# Take note of the device name. In our example above, it was <code>mmcblk0p1</code>
+# Take note of the name of the device that now appears. In our example above, it was <code>mmcblk0p1</code>
 #* If <code>RO</code> is set to 1, make sure the lock switch is not slid down
 # Hit CTRL + C to exit the menu
-# Type in the following for your SD card:
+# Type <code>sudo fdisk /dev/<device name></code>
-#* 2GB or lower: <code>sudo mkfs.fat /dev/(device name from above) -s 64 -F 16</code>
+# Enter <code>t</code> and then enter <code>0c</code>
-#** This creates a single FAT16 partition with 32 KB cluster size on the SD card
+# Enter <code>a</code> and then <code>p</code> - observe the output, and make sure the device is now formatted correctly.
-#* 4GB - 128GB: <code>sudo mkfs.fat /dev/(device name from above) -s 64 -F 32</code>
+# If there are no issues, enter <code>w</code> - this will save changes and exit the fdisk prompt.
-#** This creates a single FAT32 partition with 32 KB cluster size on the SD card
+# Type <code>sudo mkfs.vfat /dev/<device name> -s 64</code> to reformat the new partition.
-#* 128GB or higher: <code>sudo mkfs.fat /dev/(device name from above) -s 128 -F 32</code>
+#* If the SD card is over 32GB in size, change </code>64</code> to <code>128</code>
-#** This creates a single FAT32 partition with 64 KB cluster size on the SD card
+# Type <code>sudo eject /dev/<device name></code>, then remove and reinsert the SD card.
+# Copy your data back onto the SD card.
 {{hg imported|Guide_3DS}}
 [[Category:General guides]]