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Author Topic: MT: How do you format your CF cards?  (Read 3618 times)

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Offline raddygast

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MT: How do you format your CF cards?
« on: March 27, 2006, 11:47:41 AM »
Just a survey here. Many have noted that certain weird problems seem to go away (although we don't have statistically significant analyses to prove it) when you FORMAT your CF card before each use, rather than simply deleting files.

There were longtime issues with certain CF cards not formatting properly by the MT's firmware itself. These may have been solved -- I don't know, I haven't tested it. To be honest, I have been formatting my card through Windows ever since I had my first and only problem.

What I'd like to know is what formatting method do you guys use? The options are:

1) Format within the MT itself, through the system menu. This may be fine nowadays with 1.3.3 but used to suck with 1.2.3 and previous.
2) Format from Windows XP/Mac (without the Quick Format option checked) with the CF card physically loaded into the MT in USB connect mode, by right-clicking the drive and selecting Format and using default FAT32 settings.
3) Format from Windows XP/Mac with the CF card loaded into an external card reader.

I just bought a card reader, and it seems to transfer files off the card to my computer at least twice as fast as the MT itself. But I'm wondering if it's safe to format within the card reader, because frankly doing a format in the card reader is REALLY FAST, whereas when I format from XP with the CF card in the MT itself, it takes at least a minute for a 1GB card.  All the format options are the same so I really don't understand why such a huge time difference.

Maybe the MT firmware intercepts all formatting operations and forces them into slow/thorough mode? I made sure not to check QuickFormat when formatting in the card reader, but it still went blindingly quick (like 3 or 4 seconds).

Anyone have any thoughts?

Offline rodeen

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Re: MT: How do you format your CF cards?
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2006, 11:54:51 AM »
I have a 2GB CF card and I've formatted mine two different ways.

1.  Let the MT format it.  No issues and I've done it with all versions of the firmware except the original.
2.  I let Windows format the CF card in my card reader.  Again, never any problems and it works fine in the
     MT.

I did run into a case a couple of weeks ago I was running Dallman's MT also and his 5GB Seagate microdrive
wouldn't format in the MT directly.  But formated and worked fine after formatting in my card reader hooked up
to Windows XP.

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Offline Brian Skalinder

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Re: MT: How do you format your CF cards?
« Reply #2 on: March 27, 2006, 11:55:35 AM »
Always formated via the MT itself, never had trouble with firmware 1.1.5 or 1.2.3.
(Haven't ugraded to 1.3.3 since I'm stable on 1.2.3 and 1.3.3 doesn't include any features I find worthwhile.)
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Offline sparkjockey

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Re: MT: How do you format your CF cards?
« Reply #3 on: March 27, 2006, 11:35:28 PM »
Always formated via the MT itself, never had trouble with firmware 1.1.5 or 1.2.3.
(Haven't ugraded to 1.3.3 since I'm stable on 1.2.3 and 1.3.3 doesn't include any features I find worthwhile.)

Same here

 

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