[PATCH] liveusb script doesn't work with big (eg. 8GB) USB drives - mkfs.vfat: Attempting to create a too large file system

[Mantas Kriaučiūnas]

It seems liveusb python script shouldn't use FAT16 when formating USB drive - because of using -F16 parameter with mkfs.vfat it doesn't work with big (eg. 8GB) USB drives - I get these errors when runing liveusb in terminal:

root@baltix:/home/ubuntu# liveusb
Disabled GNOME automount
Starting to work
index 0
Do you want to install Ubuntu on
SanDisk Cruzer Contour (/dev/sdb)?

It currently currently contains 1 partition(s)
which will be deleted.
 -
Are you sure you want to erase
SanDisk Cruzer Contour (/dev/sdb)?
Starting work on SanDisk Cruzer Contour (/dev/sdb) 7815 MB
Dependency check to be implemented (FIXME)
[dbus.String(u'/media/disk-3')]
Unmounted all partitions on /dev/sdb
Partitioned/dev/sdb
[dbus.String(u'')]
mkfs.vfat 2.11 (12 Mar 2005)
WARNING: Not enough clusters for a 16 bit FAT! The filesystem will be
misinterpreted as having a 12 bit FAT without mount option "fat=16".
mkfs.vfat: Attempting to create a too large file system
Could not format /dev/sdb1

I've fixed this problem simply by replacing 'command = ["/sbin/mkfs.vfat", "-F", "16", .....' with 'command = ["/sbin/mkfs.vfat", "-F", "32",..."......' in file usbdevice.py

I'm attaching a patch, which fixes this problem.

[jimmy smith (timmy-lea)]

I can confirm this -- great application but useless with most modern keysticks over 2GB (?)

The error message I get is:

WARNING: Not enough clusters for a 16 bit FAT! The filesystem will be misinterpreted as having a 12 bit FAT without mount option "fat=16".
mkfs.vfat: Attempting to create a too large file system
Could not format /dev/sdb1

[jimmy smith (timmy-lea)]

I should point out that my USB key stick is a 8Gbit model.

[Hugh Parker (hcp)]

Thanks, Mantas. That fix worked for me, too.

[probono (probono)]

Should be fixed in 0.0.9

[S. Christoffer Eliesen (sce)]

Bug still exists in 0.0.9 ( http://ppa.launchpad.net/probono/ubuntu/pool/main/l/liveusb/liveusb_0.0.9_all.deb ), patch fixes it for me (8gb kingston datatravler).