Does anyone know if I can format my 5TB elements portable hard drive to FAT32 using Linux? I’m trying to store 5TB of wave files and my 2021 Forester will only read FAT32. Windows will only format FAT32 on 2TB or less. Subaru hasn’t been much help other than to say if my USB device is formatted to FAT32 it should work. Any help is much appreciated.
2 Likes
I know you can format a 5TB hard drive to FAT32 using Windows (in theory FAT32 can support up to 17.6TB according to the Wiki)
Even if you could format the 5TB to FAT32 using Linux … the next problem you most very likely face is the issue of Partition Style.
If your Subaru Forester is limited to the old FAT32 file system, it’s also most likely limited to the old MBR (Master Boot Record) Partition Table … which has a 2TB Max Capacity limitation.
Your 5TB Element is using GPT (GUID Partition Table) to overcome the 2TB limitation to be able use the full capacity.
1 Like
Thanks for the feedback JoeySmyth. I am currently using a 1TB hard drive that is GPT/FAT32 and the Forester reads that just fine. Can you provide any info or links showing how to format the 5TB using Windows?
I’ve already tried to format the 5TB into 3 partitions (2TB + 2TB + 1TB) and the Forester doesn’t recognize it. I just want 1 partition with FAT32. So far, no luck.
Ok, cool
you’ll need to find out is what’s the largest capacity or single partition size the Forester supports .
pretty much any 3rd party Partition/Format windows can do it. I used a old one 10 years ago called Swissknife. Software made by AOMEI, EaseUS etc will also do the job.
heck , if their support is so clueless i’d be willing to try formatting the hard drive exFAT as a test.
If that works, that would solve of your problems … worth a try, nothing to lose.
Formatting to exFAT was the first thing I tried. No luck. You’re right, it sure would have made my life easier had it worked. I probably pissed off the person I am working with at Subaru with my snarky comment “why are Subaru building cars in 2021 using 40 year old technology?” as my calls/emails are going unanswered. Perhaps they’re not getting back to me because of the weather in NJ. I’m going to keep on Subaru until I can get some answers. For now, I guess I’m just SOL trying to use a 5TB USB hard drive. If I can find a work around I will post it here as I’m sure there are others who are experiencing this same problem. Thanks again for your suggestions.
Mr. JoeySmyth, I’ve switched my 5TB portable elements drive to MBR (Unallocated 4657.5GB). Is there a way to make this usable? Everything I’m reading says that MBR is limited to 2TB but I have another WD 5TB external drive and it is MBR and I can use to whole 4657.5GB. I’m using MiniTool Partition Wizard Free 12.3 but it’ll only create a 2TB partition rendering the rest useless. How can one drive be MBR and I’m able to use all the space but cannot format the portable drive. Thanks again for any help.
because some drives use 512 byte emulation.
I also have a few 3TB and 4TB External drives which are MBR utilizing the entire drive capacity using 512 byte emulation.
I solved the problem. I used WD Quick Formatter, checked the XP Compatibility box which allows 4096 byte I believe, then proceeded with MiniTool Partition Wizard to format at FAT32. I now have a 5TB hard drive with FAT32 and the Forester recognizes it. I now have the undaunting task of editing the ID tags of some 130,000 plus files so that they will play in order of the track listing per album. Subaru only reads the files in alphabetical order. Not a big deal unless listening to live albums or the likes of Pink Floyd’s The Wall in which sequential order is a must. Thanks again for your input JoeySmyth.
1 Like
If you want to edit the ID tags and/or file names for mp3s or other audio files, I highly recommend the free software called mp3tag. Freeware for Windows, free trial for Mac. I’ve been using it for years. It’s very cool.
https://www.mp3tag.de/en/
Hello, I’m trying to also get my 5TB easystore in FAT32. when I try to use WD quick formatter, I get the error:
“The version of firmware on your drive does not support changing the block size of your WD external drive.”
Any advice on getting passed this error? or is it not possible…
Greetings,
We have reached out to you via direct message, so we request you kindly check and reply to your DMs so that we can assist you further.
Hi Chris.M
I got a WD Elements 5TB external harddrive (WDBU6Y0050BBK-XD) and have the same issue like scornil:
“The version of firmware on your drive does not support changing the block size of your WD external drive.”
Is there a fix for this please.
If no: is it possible with WDBPKJ0050BBK-WESN
Now I can still switch if I don’t take to long ;).
Thanks
Never mind, just use the “WD Quick Formatter” tool on “My Pasport 5TB” (WDBPKJ0050BBK-WESN) and it worked.
After that I used this and now got 5TB FAT32 drive:
Link to free version of EaseUS Partition Master:
Don’t touch WD I had a 5GB drive bought in January this 2024 for my Macbook. I converted it into FAT and it was more than 4 GB full and all of the sudden it stopped working. FAT and name is gone and it cannot be read by my Macbook anymore. When I look it up with WD the article has been discontinued and there is no more support. Very bad Company. Totally disappointed
Windows has limitations on formatting large drives to FAT32, but Linux doesn’t have that restriction. You can use the mkfs command to format your drive. Here’s how:
Step 1: Connect your hard drive to your Linux machine. Open a terminal.
Step 2: Type the lsblk command. This will list all connected drives and make sure you identify your 5TB hard disk (e.g., /dev/sdb).
Step 3: Type the sudo umount /dev/sdX1 command if the drive is mounted. (Replace sdX1 with your drive’s identifier.)
Step 4: Type the sudo mkfs.vfat -I /dev/sdX command to format your disk. (Replace sdX with your drive’s identifier.)
Step 5: Finally, type the sudo eject /dev/sdX command.
On the other hand, if you want to format your 5TB portable drive to FAT32 in Windows, consider using a third-party tool. Here is a guide on how to format USB to FAT32. Hope it helps.
Yes, you can format your 5TB drive to FAT32 using Linux, but it requires a tool that bypasses the usual 2TB limit. Some options include using GParted or fat32format to create a FAT32 partition. However, keep in mind that FAT32 has a 4GB file size limit, so if your WAV files are larger, this could be a problem. If possible, check if your Subaru supports exFAT, as that would be a better option for high-capacity drives. Here’s a good place to start if you need more guidance on formatting options.
