Thread hijack: FAT16/FAT32 on a thumbdrive
Wednesday, May 23, 2007 at 8:57 am
Windows 98 Annoyances Discussion Forum
Posted by gewg_
(3925 messages posted)
(was: 3.5 floppy will not format disks -- Complete crap from Ed)
|I buy cheap 2 GB pocket USB flash drives
|that for some reason come formatted in FAT16 instead of FAT32,
|so I re-format them in FAT32 before I use them.
| DNA
The big reason I like a thumbdrive
8-) is for backing up my Favorites[1].
ISO 9660 truncates really long filenames, so I am happy to not use CDs for this.[2]
cache
of http://bmrc.berkeley.edu/people/chaffee/jolspec.html
++64.unicode.characters++up.to.128.bytes
[1] Does everyone know that putting a *space* in a filename
adds 3 characters to the filename NOT just 1?
A *space* is actually stored as %20.
(You've probably seen this when some goof tries to put a space in a URL.)
Other non-DOS stuff (like periods and commas) each take 3 characters as well.
[2] I use a Gecko browser--but instead of the Mozilla (nee Netscape) method
of putting ALL Internet Shortcuts in ONE file (Bookmarks.html),
I prefer Internet Exploder's way of saving each shortcut as an individual file,
so I save mine manually using that Favorites paradigm.[3]
In terms of disk space it's horribly inefficient (especially on FAT32; see below)
and you have to use a file manager to access them (not from within my chosen browser),
but searching them with the Find utility is far more powerful[4]
using combinations of keywords in EITHER/BOTH the filename AND/OR the file contents.
I also find editing/rearranging Favorites MUCH easier.
I also like having a timestamp on a Favorite
(I generally set that to the date the page was last updated
--NOT the day I saved it).
As the minimum file size (allocation) of FAT32 is 8kB
and a Favorite is typically 100 bytes or less,
I find that FAT16 on a thumbdrive serves me better for these.
[3] IMO, IE's method of caching content is nicer as well
--but as it was only useful to me for the rare screwup, I don't really miss it much.
(I did read something that said it had negative security implications.)
[4] I have previously admitted that I have a Bookmark addiction.
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 |  | | |  | Thread hijack: FAT16/FAT32 on a thumbdrive (gewg_: Wed, May 23, 2007, 8:57 am) |
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