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Thread hijack: FAT16/FAT32 on a thumbdrive
Wednesday, May 23, 2007 at 8:57 am
Windows 98 Annoyances Discussion Forum
Posted by gewg_ (3489 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.




Written in response to:
re: 3.5 floppy will not format disks -- Complete crap from Ed (DNA: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 at 6:48 pm)

Responses to this message:
*Why FAT16?!?!? (DNA: Wednesday, May 23, 2007 at 4:14 pm)

All messages in this thread [show all]
-3.5 floppy will not format disks (Bobbie: Mon, May 21, 2007, 2:08 pm)
-re: 3.5 floppy will not format disks (gewg_: Mon, May 21, 2007, 3:58 pm)
*re: 3.5 floppy will not format disks (Bobbie: Tue, May 22, 2007, 7:02 pm)
-re: 3.5 floppy will not format disks (Keith Stanier: Tue, May 22, 2007, 4:09 am)
-re: 3.5 floppy will not format disks (Bobbie: Tue, May 22, 2007, 6:38 am)
*re: 3.5 floppy will not format disks (gewg_: Tue, May 22, 2007, 8:20 am)
-re: 3.5 floppy will not format disks (Ed: Tue, May 22, 2007, 4:06 pm)
-re: 3.5 floppy will not format disks -- Complete crap from Ed (gewg_: Tue, May 22, 2007, 4:46 pm)
-re: 3.5 floppy will not format disks -- Complete crap from Ed (DNA: Tue, May 22, 2007, 6:48 pm)
-Thread hijack: FAT16/FAT32 on a thumbdrive (gewg_: Wed, May 23, 2007, 8:57 am)
-Why FAT16?!?!? (DNA: Wed, May 23, 2007, 4:14 pm)
*re: Why FAT16?!?!? (gewg_: Wed, May 23, 2007, 5:35 pm)
-re: 3.5 floppy will not format disks (Bobbie: Tue, May 22, 2007, 7:04 pm)
-re: 3.5 floppy will not format disks (dhm: Tue, May 22, 2007, 7:39 pm)
*re: 3.5 floppy will not format disks (Bobbie: Tue, May 22, 2007, 8:44 pm)
-re: 3.5 floppy will not format disks (Don: Wed, May 23, 2007, 3:06 am)
-re: 3.5 floppy will not format disks (Bobbie: Wed, May 23, 2007, 6:56 am)
*re: 3.5 floppy will not format disks (Bobbie: Wed, May 23, 2007, 3:16 pm)
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