Fat32 larger than 32GB??

[Frenkieboy]

Hi everyone,

I've already read a lot of your threads looking for a way to create a fat32 partition containing WindowsXP that is about 56 GB. I know that under the normal bootcamp installation procedure it is not possible. But I'm wondering if there is a workaround or program like iPartition that can do the job. I'd rather not make three partitions.

Can anyone help me, please.

[kirreip]

hello

I have an idea but I don't know if it will work. You will have to test it... so be sure to back up your data before messing arround :-)

Ok, so let's start: (you might want to get a coffee...)

Plan A:

Do not use bootcamp for partitoning your HD. Use diskutil instead using the terminal. Just use bootcamp to burn the drivers and after this is done, cancel it.

Open up a terminal window and type: diskutil list
It should look something like this: (or similar, depending on your HD size...)

/dev/disk0
#: type name size identifier
0: GUID_partition_scheme *100 GB disk0
1: EFI 200.0 MB disk0s1
2: Apple_HFS Macintosh HD 98 GB disk0s2

type: sudo diskutil resizeVolume disk0s2 42G "MS-DOS FAT32" Windows 56G

(note: the size of the partitions is your choice. and only type disk0s2 if it is your case)
insert xp sp2 and boot from cd

after that you will have to test if windows lets you install it on this fat32 partition. (see the last step of plan B) if your only option is to reformat it NTFS, then cancel the installation.

Plan B:

-download the file (.zip)
-extract the .zip file
-burn the .iso file to a cd using nero, alcohol, clonecd or what application ever is able to burn .iso files (burn image to disk)
-boot from cd
-type: cd fdisk (to chang directory)
-type: fisk (to run the application)

with this handy tool, you can format a partition to FAT32 no matter what size it has. make sure to format the right partition... right?

-after this is done, boot the computer off of the XP CD
-proceed to install windows
-when setup asks you what partition to install, choose the disk you just formatted. it will give you several option dealing with NTFS. Don't make any changes and choose the last option, which is to install the OS to the current drive without making any changes. setup will proceed to install normally and you will (hopefully) have Windows XP installed to a fully functional FAT32 partition larger than 32GB.

if you have any questions, feel free to ask. because I never tested that way, I would appreciate a short feedback whether it worked or not.

[Frenkieboy]

Yo Kerreip,

unfortunately your advice did not do the Job. It's not difficult to make a second partition (already did that once before) but I run into the following problems. I cannot see the second partition under OSX, nor can I install Xp on the fat32 partition. I even cannot see the fat32 partition when the Windows CD comes to the partition screen. I guess because bootcamp als adjusts the MacOSx partition table (sorry, I'm not that technical to know all ins and outs, but I read about it somewhere else in this forum). I was wondering if iPartition can do the job, after installing XP under bootcamp on a Fat32 partition no bigger than 32GB. Only, I need 1.5 for that and that's only available to registered users.

Why do I go through all this trouble, you might ask ? Iuse BMP studio, lots of MP3s and Xare. They all don't run under OSX and I'd like to alter the MP3s and webpages from OSX.

Anyone who used iPartition on this one maybe ??

[kirreip]

have you tried to use ptedit?
read this thread which handles the problem of an invisible FAT32 partition:

http://forum.onmac.net/showthread.php?t=1275&page=2

read post #13 and then try:
-boot from this cd.
-type: cd ptedit (to change the directory to your "ptedit" folder)
-then type: ptedit (to run the .exe file)

-change the FAT32 partition (the one with "OB") to "0B" (zero-B) not "OB"(as I believe it is on your computer)
exit.

[Frenkieboy]

Yo Kirreip,

did everything you described above, but nothing worked. I found out that I need partitioning software that supports MBR as well as GUID partitioning tables, and so far no software that I found can handle both.

However, I did find out I can reinstall Macosx without removing or destroying my WindowsXp partition (I made that one under bootcamp, all the other alternatives didn't work).

All together I think it is not yet possible to enlarge the FAT32 partition right now. I know that windows expects certain files to be at the beginning of the system partition. When enlarging the fat32 partition these files would have to be moved as well.

In the future iPartition 2.0 will support resizing these partitions, but they're only up to 1.5 beta so far. So that should take a while. Maybe the only thing I can do now is wait........:mad:

Thnx for your advice anyway.

[Sarkazein]

AFAIK Fat32 doesn't go higher than that. It's an inherent limitation in the filesystem. You'll have to use NTFS and leave some room for ANOTHER partition, perhaps, formatted with Fat32 for interchangeability.

Currently I use a USB memory stick to transfer things.

[OptimismPrime]

i know for a fact that i had an 80 GB Harddrive with some 70-odd GB space formated as FAT32.

In fact FAT32 Volumes could theoreticaly be up to 2 TERRABYTES big (look it up, it's even in Wikipedia if you don't believe me).

The 2 main reasons why MS favors NTFS is that:
a) FAT32 comes with absolutely no type of permission or encryption options, so every user can read, write and delete everything, regardless of the accounts rights.
b) FAT32 has a filesize limitation of 4 GB, so even single layer DVD images are impossible to store in a single file, leave alone doublelayer images or large movie capture files.

The reason why Windows 2000 and upwards won't let you format anything above 32 GB in FAT32 isn't a matter of "can't do" but a matter of "MS just doesn't allow you to", to force you into using NTFS.

When i needed larger FAT32 partitions (don't remember why i actualy needed them) i could always use either Windows 98 or a Windows 98 Bootdisk and use its format dialogue, or the format.exe at the prompt respectivly, to format all my Drives as single FAT32 Volumes.

Even Windows XP will accept that you have large FAT32 Volumes, will use, format, defrag them correctly and well. The only thing it doesn't allow you to do is actualy create them - but past that step, it's all good.

Seeing as a Win98 Bootdisk or BootCD are not an option here, i'd say: Proceed with the normal Bootcamp Procedure, but when it comes to the step where you need to put in the Windows CD, use either a Linux Live CD or maybe even ReactOS LiveCD (http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/reactos/reactos0.3.0-RC1-live.zip?download) or ReactOS InstallCD (http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/reactos/reactos0.3.0-RC1-iso.zip?download)

The ReactOS CDs are 15-16 MB in size - so no biggy.

ReactOS for those who don't know - is a 100% OpenSource - Cleanroom Reverse-Engineered Windows Clone. When it is done it aims at being 100% Software and Driver compatible to MS Windows.
So theoreticaly every single Windows App and Driver would work on a fully free, open source, non-MS Windows.

ReactOS has a long way to go (although it already runs MS Office, Unreal Tournament and DeusEX amongst other things)

So....coming back to the topic - use your Bootable "x86 OS CD of choice" - format the blank partition you'Ve created via Bootcamp with FAT32 - THEN use your WinXP CD and tell it to use that partition WITHOUT CHANGING THE FILESYSTEM....and you are good to go :D