Windows 10: How do I reformat the 64GB USB stick used by media creation tool ?

My usb sticks were either 8GB of less, and 64GB, so when using the media creation tool to upgrade Windows 10.240 to the November update which failed, I had used my 64GB disk.



However, I cannot use it for anything else. Worse, it is now 32GB.

If I 'open as Portable Device' it shows only 32GB, but with 21.1 GB free of 31.9GB.



No where have I read of any issues or suggestions that Media creation tool does this, or of people encountering problems.

In case someone asks whether I am sure it is 64GB



Please can anyone explain how to get my 64GB back?

:)

 

Windows 10 - USB installtion extra space

I checked and the Media Creation must have reformatted the stick to a FAT32. So if I copy the files off the USB stick and reformat the stick to the exFAT file system, I can copy the files back to the stick?

Thanks for your quick reply.

 

What version is on my install stick

I have used the media creation tool to down load the latest win 10 to a usb stick. How can I find what version I have on the stick?

 

hi

if you are sure its a 64GB flashdrive, and the media creation tool only partitioned it for 32GB it may be that Microsoft thinks that computers might have trouble booting from such a big drive. idk its their program.

However, if you want to resize the partition to its fullest size possible. you could use the Disk management built-in to windows.
To open it, right-click on the desktop icon of "my computer" and click manage in the context menu.

this should appear:



or you could use Minitool's Partition Wizard Free MiniTool Partition Wizard | Best partition magic alternative for Windows PC and Server

 

windows only allows a maximum size partition of 32GB for a fat32 install, and mct creates a fat32 drive.


Open a command prompt with admin rights and type

diskpart

list disk

select disk n (where n is disk number of usb drive from above command)

list disk (check asterisk by usb disk to show you have selected right drive)

clean (warning wipes drive completely hence must be sure right drive)

create partition primary

select partition 1

format fs=ntfs quick

assign

exit

exit

You will now see all 64GB.

 

i think you're right Cereberus i hadn't considered that.

however, to asnwer Fellwalker, just use a 8Gb drive, windows will have plenty of room and you can add drivers after its done writing the files to the drive.

as for the speed of installs, it may vary, perso whether it takes 7 minutes with a 64gb faster drive than say 9 minutes with a slower 8gb drive, meh its just a longuer break with a cup of coffee right ? *Wink

 

Sorry - I guessed that your first question would arise, so updated my post, only to find that you'd already asked it.

I'm now annoyed with myself becasue before I posted I pressed WINDOWS KEY and typed disk management - and the description was manage HARD DISKS in your computer. That is what I had used it for. I thought - oh, bother, as a usb stick is not a hard drive. BUT of course now I find that for this purpose it is.

Anyway, no matter. It does not work.

The menu option that I need of "Extend Volume..." is greyed out

What I did find is that when attempting to format, it shows a 32 kilobyte Allocation unit size

, so I am first trying to format the partition using the Default allocation size which I am hoping from reading the Microsoft support page is 512 bytes, which requires a full rather than Quick format. That will take a long time (3/4 done after well over an hour), but might allow other options. Otherwise I'll reformat as NTFS
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/140365
Default cluster sizes for FAT32

The following table describes the default cluster sizes for FAT32.Volume size Windows NT 3.51 Windows NT 4.0 Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, Windows 2000 7 MB–16MB Not supported Not supported Not supported 16 MB–32 MB 512 bytes 512 bytes Not supported 32 MB–64 MB 512 bytes 512 bytes 512 bytes

BTW, I don't have a desktop icon for My Computer. Can't remember one on this laptop ever. Maybe year's ago I deleted it becasue I had never used it and it duplicated My Computer on the Windows 7 Start Menu. I long ago found the windows key and typing a few things was quicker than right clicking on the start menu. One of life's mysteries.

 

Thanks. I couldn't see further replies as I responding to smitty. If my attempt ever finishes but cannot proceed using Disk Manager I will try command prompt but that is easier to type a leter or space wrongly.Or did I mean letter?

 

Sorry I don't understand. How would 8GB work? The ESD_USB created only has 21.1GB free out of 31.9GB. The difference is over 10GB.

I will look at this tomorrow after I am rested. I keep forgetting most response come from US, but here in UK it is midnight.

 

I assumed you wanted only windows 7, the win 7 iso is only 3.8 gigs. It fits fine on a 4gb but 8gb gives you more room for drivers. not all network cards will be working after installing windows. you may need these drivers to install windows updates and such.

if you use something else than the win7 iso then you should buy the key the size you need. Use what you think is best.

btw Cereberus is right about the fat32 thing, it can only go up to 32GB on a drive.

 

For seeing the flash drive cleaned off entirely to be made usable again you would simply right click on the volume while in the Disk Management tool to select "delete" which would then leave the drive raw. You then simply create the new larger 64gb partition you see formatted to NTFS.

As for the Threashold 2 Update which has been updated even more since that would require an 8gb size flash drive unless you have an odd sized one like a 5gb, 6gb, or 7gb since the size on disk is about 5.48gb! The TH2 Update rolls up both the Home and Pro editions in both 32bit and 64bit flavors explaining the larger size suited to update all 10 installs by auto detection of what you are running. The Tech Bench download page there sees the dual edition 32bit and other dual edition 64bit ISO downloads there. Windows 10 ISO Download - Windows 10 Forums

 

Doesn't work. delete is greyed out.




I am now going to try cerberus's Command promt method.

 

If that doesn't work, install and use MiniTool Partition Wizard free:
Best Free Partition Manager for Windows | MiniTool Partition Free

 

Firstly - thank you cerberus for your information and instructions. No asterisk anywhere. Have I some settings I should have enabled?

That seems to work well. I now have an empty USB disk - Disk Management shows it as 58.61GB unallocated

FAIL.
Code: DISKPART> list disk Disk ### Status Size Free Dyn Gpt -------- ------------- ------- ------- --- --- Disk 0 Online 476 GB 2048 KB Disk 1 Online 931 GB 0 B Disk 2 Online 1863 GB 0 B Disk 3 Online 58 GB 0 B Disk 4 Online 15 GB 5120 KB DISKPART> select disk 3 Disk 3 is now the selected disk. DISKPART> clean DiskPart succeeded in cleaning the disk. DISKPART> create primary partition Microsoft DiskPart version 10.0.10240 PARTITION - Create a partition. VOLUME - Create a volume. VDISK - Creates a virtual disk file. DISKPART> select partition 1 The specified partition is not valid. Please select a valid partition. There is no partition selected. DISKPART>[/quote] Now I am stuck as to what to do. I have also found from creating an Ubuntu bootable USB that I have the same issue on a micro sd card which is in it's original USB holder. You can see disk 3 is the subect of this post, disk 4 is the micro SD card in a USB caddy.



What can I do now?

 

The second partition you are trying to create on the flash drive there as well as any other usb media will not be available in Windows. I know that only too well from having made up Live Data Recovery sticks with Linux on the first of two as well as the second where Windows will only see the first Fat or NTFS volume created. Funny how the other can plainly see every volume!

A right click on the first volume there wouldn't have seen the "Delete volume" option greyed out either. Nuke that and create the new 64gb choosing the format option after for NTFS. I have a pair of 125gb drives here with a 10gb Linux volume as second made the Mount point "" for Grub where I can pull data onto the first 104.5gb data partition for transfer or recovery purposes when booted live from the stick.





You can see the fast reference there to the DM being the only place that will appear with the Delete volume option .





For seeing full access to the 64gb drive there you would need to grow the partition only after reformatting it to NTFS or nuking the drive and once a single NTFS volume is made bootable extract a 10 iso's contents onto the new volume. The 8gb size flash drive however is quite adequate for 10 media however. On a 32gb flash drive for the "4 in 1" project outlined in one thread last fall before the Threshold 2 update arrived I believe we had the 10576 build at the time just out and available at the MS Tech Bench Program download page to extract the contents of both Dual edition ISOs into the 32bit and 64bit folders you would clear out first from the MC tool download.