Formatting problem

[MarkM]

I have an internal USB media card reader and it works (other media already tested) BUT I have a microdrive disk I am trying to format and I can't seem to get the drive to see the disk, it is entirely possible that the microdrive is done for but what are the procedures to attempt a scan disk, format etc. It is a long time since I added a drive to the PC so I can't remember how I got the PC to "see" the 2nd drive, once I can do this I can attempt a formt/scan disk. The main reason for asking is that when I added the 2nd HD intially it wouldn't see this drive and I had to do something and I really can't remember what that something was.
Win XP pro installed so whatever the steps are from this OS please.

[Muzikman]

There is a good chance that the card reader can't read the Micro Drive.

[neppo1345]

Format it with a hammer. Gaurenteeeeeed to erase all data.

[MarkM]

There is a good chance that the card reader can't read the Micro Drive.

Not that I specifically bought one that read Microdrives as well as the other flavour cards.

neppo1345...not impressed, mess one of my threads up and you will not be happy

[neppo1345]

Simply joking not trying to mess up the thread...did you at least crack a smile?

Now to contribute:

Did you check the male pins to make sure they're all intanct and not bent?

or clean off the contact surfaces with a q-tip and some rubbing alcohol?...

[MarkM]

Simply joking not trying to mess up the thread...did you at least crack a smile?

Now to contribute:

Did you check the male pins to make sure they're all intanct and not bent?

or clean off the contact surfaces with a q-tip and some rubbing alcohol?...

Nope, but then I am pretty humourless when a PC issue is such that I can't solve it simply

Contacts etc, Already been down that route, the reader is fine as are all the contacts,
Even with a CFII disk being used the drive indicates that no media is present, despite the auto loading of the windows picture wizard, so this indicates that all is well with THAT disk but I don't want to even attempt to format that one as it is ok.

There must be a way of forcing windows to look inside (electrically) the card reader and in so doing an option of formatting will become apparent. Just that if I was to add a 3rd HD to my PC I would be in the same situation as I cannot remember what steps you had to do to get windows to begin the format process. I do recall it has nothing to do with safe modes or using F8 or even F1 it can all be done under Disk Management but where it is I don't know as I am stumped.

This is the unit I have...though my box says 7 in 1 but they are counting the Floppy drive as well

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=42863&criteria=a88bu&doy=9m3

I just tried the real basic way of formatting through Explorer (file manager that was) and it says no disk present but then I expected that, the drive bay lights up and does indeed "read" that there is a disk there but I am still missing something.

[Tunaman]

Mark. What bus is the micro drive on?

[Hexis]

It should just appear as a removable mass storage device like any CF card/microdrive. I would try a different reader to see if it's some strange imcompatability and to eliminate options. Whenever I use any of the CF cards (or the one microdrive that's in the house) on either the PC of Mac they simply appear as a drive. That's on a Firewire CF reader (since I only have CF devices, I went for speed over a USB multi reader).

[MarkM]

Mark. What bus is the micro drive on?

Bus? It is usb port two direct off of the header on the motherboard. It comes up as Removable Disk G, the other side which reads Smart media and SD cards is Removable Disk H. I have already checked for conflicts there are none but as I said it reads a formatted CFII card fine. This card was formatted in my camera, which I have discovered (a while ago) that if you allow Windows to delete the pictures after you have transferred them to the PC it will strip out some or all of the formatting and then you have to reformat the card...in the Camera that is. I don't want currently to risk doing this to the CFII card and then attempt to reformat through the card reader.
I can't format the Microdrive in my camera in any case as it (the camera) only supports Fat32 and up to 1gig Microdrives, this Microdrive I have the problem with is a 4 gig.

Hexis,
The reader appears as a drive so that part is fine (see above) it is just when I try to read the Microdrive it says after having a think and look that no disk is inserted which says to me one of two things
A: Disk is toast
B: Disk needs to be formatted

Hence the thread.

[MantisMag]

C. driver or firmware issue

i had a dvd-rom drive suddenly stop working and resolved it by flashing the firmware. so you may want to investigate that possibility.

[MarkM]

C. driver or firmware issue

i had a dvd-rom drive suddenly stop working and resolved it by flashing the firmware. so you may want to investigate that possibility.

Tried that (firmware) Windows installed the card reader correctly, the issue is simply with the Microdrive itself, the other option would be to fit a PCMCIA slot for which the Microdrive would be used as an addtional drive, but due to the plans for this Microdrive this isn't an option, the card reader was a possible "get out of jail free" idea and cheap enough with future use a financially viable option.

[Hexis]

Does the drive show up in Disk Manager?

If you don't have data on the drive you care about (which seams a safe bet since you want to format it) frankly it's not worth much effort. Flash has been dropping in price. You can get a 4g SanDisk Extreme 3 carf for under $250 these days. No moving parts to go bad on you in there.

[MarkM]

Does the drive show up in Disk Manager?

If you don't have data on the drive you care about (which seams a safe bet since you want to format it) frankly it's not worth much effort. Flash has been dropping in price. You can get a 4g SanDisk Extreme 3 carf for under $250 these days. No moving parts to go bad on you in there.

It won't show up in file manager, but then I expected this since it a balnk drive much the same way as a blank Cd/DVD will not show up, put data (of formatting) on the disk and then it will. The cost is neither here nor there, (you really wouldn't want to know how little this card owes me ) the disk has other uses for me BUT it has to be formatted. I have borrowed another multicard reader which I will try with over the weekend but I expect to be still at the same point.

If I was asking "how to format a HD" within XP the answer would be? This is what I have as the problem as until you do the "something I can't remember" new HD's do not show up in file manager either, so in effect the Microdrive is a HD to all intents and purposes...heck I used to have a PC that had a 1.7gig HD and that was a BIG drive in those days, at the time I thought I would never fill it up.

[Hexis]

I'm still running win2k, but on here if you are admin, right click "My Computer" and select Manage. In there you will see a Disk Manager option. Under that you will have the option to format, partition and what not. You want to format it as fat32 (or fat16 if it's less than 2g). If you go with NTFS the computer will be able to read it, but cameras and other devices will not (they only understand fat16/32).

[MarkM]

XP is the same I ended up where I had started to look before I made this thread. I still can't get the disk to be recognised, so I will have to try the other card reader I have got hold of. Only problem with that right now is I have a 5 bank usb hub that was plugged into the usb port at the back of the pc but I had to disable part of it by way of unplugging one of the two ports to get this internal card reader to be installed and now I can't get the usb port to read anything..I may have simply switched the internal cable the wrong way around and the fly lead is plugged into the now dead socket but I will have to have the case side off the check this...a job for tommorow afternoon, not the morning as the Bahrain Grand Prix is on at 10.30 am my time and as it is a bit late now I will be struggling to wake up and then afterwards I will be too tired to sensibly trace the wiring. So maybe monday. If of course the new card reader isn't any use I guess I will just have to cut my losses and junk the Microdrive which is certainly looking favourite right now