Fat32Format

Fat32Format solves one problem: Windows will not format a partition larger than 32 GB as FAT32 through its own dialog, even though the file system supports volumes up to 2 TB. Game consoles, car stereos, cameras and many TVs read only FAT32, so a 64 GB or 128 GB card often needs exactly this tool.

The zip contains a single file, fat32format.exe, dated 2013. It is a console program with no window of its own. Open a Command Prompt as administrator, change to the folder you extracted it into and run "fat32format F:" with your drive letter. It asks for confirmation, then formats. A 128 GB card takes a few seconds because the tool only writes the file system structures, not every sector. A graphical version called guiformat.exe exists on the developer's site as a separate download.

Cluster size is the one option worth knowing. Add "-c64" for 64 KB clusters, which speeds up sequential writes of big video files, or "-c8" for 4 KB clusters, which wastes less space on thousands of tiny files. The default (32 KB on most large drives) is right for cameras and consoles.

The program is freeware from Ridgecrop Consultants Ltd. in the UK, version 1.0, and has not needed an update in years. It is portable, so nothing is written to the registry and there is nothing to uninstall. Formatting erases the drive, so copy anything you need off it first. FAT32 still caps single files at 4 GB; for larger files use exFAT instead.