Creating FAT32-Partition larger than 32GB (using a third party tool)

Lightyear · December 2022

Hi again,

in addition to the thread "Shrink volume of a SD card to 32GB (needed for FAT32)", here's the opposite:

Creating a FAT32-Partition larger than 32GB (using a third party tool).

For this walk-through we'll use the tool "H2format", provided by the heise group.
Short digression: One of the largest German IT magazines.

Here's the Wikipedia-article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_Heise

Link to the tool: https://www.heise.de/download/product/h2format-40825
Click onto the green button "Zum Download" and than again "Download".

I will add the read-me (translated with deepl.com)
In advance: They do not take any responsibility! I won't do as well.

Pre-Preparation: Application

Right-click onto your downloaded zip-file within the Download-folder.
Unzip it and move/copy the file "h2format.exe" into the path "C:\Windows\system32" (this is not a necessity, but I'd like to stick heise's screenshot.)

Pre-Preparation done.

Preparation: SD card

Connect the SD Card to your computer.
Open a command line by using the search function within the start menu. Just type "cmd". It will be presented to you.
Within the command line type "diskpart". With this you'll startup the windows default partitioning-tool in another window.
Within diskpart, excecute the steps shown in the following:

type "list disk" (lists all hard drives, plugged-in USB devices, etc.) [PRESS ENTER]
type "select disk x" (where size refers to your SD card) [PRESS ENTER]
type "clean" [PRESS ENTER]
type "create partition primary" [PRESS ENTER]
type "exit" [PRESS ENTER]

Preparation complete.
Now the SD card has been clean and a new empty partition (of full size) has been created.
It should be mounted a being assigend a letter. Remember the letter.

Using the tool "H2format":

Note: For this purpose I used another 64GB SD card.

Use the remaining commandline window for this purpose. In case you accidentally closed all the windows, repeat the first two steps of the preparation-tasks (for the SD card).
Move to the system32-folder, using the command "cd C:\windows\system32" [PRESS ENTER]
Type "h2format.exe" (to startup the application h2format) [PRESS ENTER]
Short note: The word "Clustergröße" (last vocable) refers to "cluster size".
You may use 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 (I picked the latter).
Type "h2format [assigned letter of SD card + ":" afterwards] [cluster size you'd like]" [PRESS ENTER]
Remember to keep spaces between the parameters.
It should just take a few seconds.

That's it!

Kind regards!
Have a good one!

------------------------------------------------------------------

Translation of the read-me:

Version 1.6, Copyright (C) 2003 Heise Zeitschriften Verlag GmbH & Co. KG

ATTENTION: The program H2format is a free additional offer to the
article "Großformat" in c't 2/03, p. 170ff. DESPITE CAREFUL TESTING
THE HEISE-PUBLISHER CANNOT ASSUME ANY LIABILITY FOR THE CORRECT FUNCTIONING
OF THIS SOFTWARE. FORMATTING A HARD DISK IS A
PROCESS THAT NATURALLY INVOLVES LOSS OF DATA -- USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
AT YOUR OWN RISK.

H2format is a program for the command line of Windows 2000 and
XP. It formats an unformatted partition with the
FAT32 file system, where the cluster size can be set manually if desired.
manually if desired.

For security reasons, H2format formats only unformatted partitions
unformatted partitions (more precisely: partitions where the last bytes of the
boot sector are not 55 AA). Such partitions can be easily created in the
disk management by selecting "Unformatted partition" on the page with the
page asking for the desired file system, select "Do not format partition".
format partition".

When creating the partition, you must assign a drive letter
and remember it, for example "X:". To format
simply enter the following on the command line

H2format X:

H2format normally sets the cluster size automatically
(for disks larger than 32 GByte to 32 KByte = 64 sectors per cluster).
You can specify the desired number of sectors per cluster as the second
argument on the command line, permissible values are 1, 2, 4,
8, 16, 32, or 64 sectors. For example, the command formats

H2format X: 32

formats the specified drive with 32 sectors per cluster, i.e. one
cluster size of 16 Kbytes.

CAUTION: Too small a cluster size will result in a large number of
clusters and thus a larger FAT. If you overdo this with large disks
this can have all kinds of side effects, from partially not working
not working (Scandisk under Windows XP) up to crashing operating systems (Mac
crashing operating systems (Mac OS X).

The formatting by H2format is basically a
"fast formatting", i.e. only boot sector(s), FATs and root directory are
root directory are written. A surface analysis does not take place
because it can be assumed that today's hard disks are protected by their integrated
completely error-free due to their integrated defect management.
appear to be. Should you nevertheless have the time and inclination to
complete surface analysis, you can do this after formatting with Scandisk.
the formatting with Scandisk.

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding H2format, please send them in German or
English language by e-mail to hwb@heise.de (Harald Bögeholz).

Known limitations:

H2format supports only media with 512 bytes per sector. With
other sector sizes it was not even tested, no idea,
what happens when you try it. I advise against trying it.
H2format requires a drive letter; partitions that are mounted to NTFS via a
partitions mounted to NTFS via a mount point are not supported.
H2format only formats partitions with an invalid boot sector.
No, there is actually no secret option to work around this.
If you want to do this, you have to use a disk editor to delete the last two bytes of the boot sector.
the last two bytes of the boot sector.
H2format has so far only been tested with FireWire disks up to 200 GByte and
and mainly under Windows XP, but it should also work with larger
larger disks as well as with USB or fixed drives.
as well as under Windows 2000.