Formatting USB stick back to its full size after installing LE

1st Official Post

    Hello,
    I was struggle with this before with OpenELEC, but this is the same thing.
    What are possible solutions when USB stick refuses to return to its previous working state?
    I mean formatting USB stick back to its full size after installing LE.

    Shortly, my previous Pretec REX100 usb3.0 stick was passed out, after I write install image of OpenELEC to it. And nothing can restore it back into its full size again. I tried various ways, apps, even SDFormatter mentioned here on forums.

    Now, after install of LE, I was afraid of my second USB stick (sandisk ultra fit 16GB, usb3.0) will behave the same, as the process of making usb install stick is nearly identical. LE just use its own image write utility.
    On usb stick, there was three partitions:
    - 512MB with installer
    - 32MB system
    - 13.8GB unallocated free space
    ...only that 32MB system partition was manageable in windows disk management and I can delete it.
    Other ones have all option greyed out. Why?

    As I found here on forum, there is possibility with SDFormatter to restore one big partition back on usb stick.
    With my Sandisk stick, it works, and I have it back. That is good.

    But what with other usb sticks? How to tell if they are compatible, or they will work? I read also that some can and some can't work....I dont wanna to stupidly buy usb sticks in the future because of this. Or, can be the install image somehow modified to create partitions on usb sticks, that are manageable and I can delete them freely even through windows disk management? Idk why they are not manageable there. It will be much better without the use of any special tools like SDFormatter = even more risk, because nobody knows what that utility is doing in background, how exactly it works. Why to use them, if it can be done from windows disk management if possible?

    Open Command Prompt, then type

    Code
    diskpart
list disk
select disk X
clean
exit


    Where X is the USB stick you wish to resize. Be very careful to select the correct disk. Now the partition table is wiped and the disk can be formatted in Windows GUI.

    Quote from vpeter


    Yes, be very, very careful with using diskpart - easy to trash the disk. Safer solution was proposed by me.

    The risk with diskpart is that you select the wrong disk (in the case where you have multiple disks). Then of course you will wipe the wrong disk.

    The same risk exists with your solution. If you write image to wrong disk...then you wipe the wrong disk. Same risk.

    The reason I give alternative solution is that OP specifically asked for solution that does not involve third party tools.

    Quote from trent


    The risk with diskpart is that you select the wrong disk (in the case where you have multiple disks). Then of course you will wipe the wrong disk.

    The same risk exists with your solution. If you write image to wrong disk...then you wipe the wrong disk. Same risk.


    Not true: usb creator app writes only to removable drives and you can't overwrite system disk.

    Quote from 9800pro


    Run Rufus but without selecting any image, just press start. It worked for me numerous times.

    sent from my G2

    Will try
    [hr]
    SD format didn't work Rufus also failed to work. also did the diskpart & sadly it wont. i got 2 micro sd cards both brand new from Sandisk. both are "dead"

    Edited once, last by Cow (December 13, 2016 at 2:31 PM).