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--- cs:usb_stick_format [2019/05/03 14:56]
paolo_bolzoni Add note about the protective MBR
+++ cs:usb_stick_format [2019/10/20 12:13] (current)
paolo_bolzoni Windows wants a Microsoft reserved partition?
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ======= Format disk =======
-Windows and MacOS are very fastidious about the kind of disk they can open and it is //really// annoying when you have to copy a file to a colleague and the system refuse to open the disk.
+Windows and MacOS are very fastidious about the kind of disks they can open and it is //really// annoying when you have to copy a file to a colleague and the system refuses to open the disk.
-[[https://matthew.komputerwiz.net/2015/12/13/formatting-universal-drive.html|Matthew analyzed the situation]].
+[[https://matthew.komputerwiz.net/2015/12/13/formatting-universal-drive.html|Matthew analyzed the situation]]. But in my experience, what he wrote does not work as-is.
-Here is a recap; to have a disk that can easily be open by Windows, MacOS, and Linux use:
+Windows creates an extra partition [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Reserved_Partition|Microsoft Reserved Partition (MSR)]], and it refuses to open few disks without it.
-  * a GPT partition table with protective MBR including a partition of type ''0700'' (//Microsoft basic data//)
+So a disk that can easily be open by Windows, MacOS, and Linux needs:
-  * the exFAT filesystem
+  * a GPT partition table
+  * the first partition to be the MSR: size 16MB, type ''0C01'' (//Microsoft reserved//)
+  * the second partition that contains the real data, it uses the other space and it has type ''0700'' (//Microsoft basic data//)
+    * the first partition needs no formatting
+    * the second partition has to be formatted with the exFAT filesystem (NTFS can be an alternative, but MacOS might not like it)
+Before starting clear up the disk using ''wipefs''. Then create the partition table with ''gdisk''. To format use ''mkfs.exfat''. Finally to be sure, clear up the MSR partition.
+Example, let us prepare ''/dev/sdZ'':
+  # wipefs -a /dev/sdZ[1-9]*
+  # wipefs -a /dev/sdZ
+  # gdisk /dev/sdZ
+    . create a partition of size 16MB with code 0C01
+    . create a partition with code 0700
+    . write and quit
+  # wipefs --force -a /dev/sdZ1
+  # mkfs.exfat -n LABEL /dev/sdZ2
+    OR
+  # mkfs.ntfs -QT -L LABEL /dev/sdZ2
-Before starting clear up the disk using ''wipefs -a /dev/sdZ''. Then the partition table can be made with ''gdisk'' (option ''o'' for protective MBR) and one can format with ''mkfs.exfat''.

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