While Formatting SD Card, error "Device partition expected ..."

[beason4251]

I'm trying to format an SD card to use with an Arduino Ethernet. I've been trying to follow the instructions on the site: http://arduino.cc/en/Reference/SDCardNotes, but have run into a problem.

When I enter df, the SD card does not show up. However, if I enter cat /proc/scsi/scsi, I can clearly see the SD card listed. If I enter sudo /sbin/fdisk -l, I can see the SD card in /dev/sdb, so I know where it is.

However, when I try to enter sudo mkdosfs -F 16 /dev/sdb, I get the following error:

mkdosfs 3.0.12 (29 Oct 2011)
mkdosfs: Device partition expected, not making filesystem on entire device '/dev/sdb' (use -I to override)


I'm pretty new to Fedora, so I'm not sure what mkdosfs is trying to tell me. Is it okay for me to override, or will that not do what I want it to?

Thanks!

[tomkoskz]

Are you using a graphical installation of fedora? if you are try using the disk utility tool instead to format the card.

[PabloTwo]

It's trying to tell you that you didn't specify which partition on /dev/sdb to format to vfat16. If there is only one non-hidden partition on /dev/sdb, they you would specify /dev/sdb1.

[george_toolan]

You don't usually have to format memory cards, because they are already formatted ;-)

Please read the instructions carefully, because you forgot the "1" like Pablo suggested. Check

fdisk -l /dev/sdb

to see if there really is a /dev/sdb1 partition. Some weird devices only have /dev/sdf4 instead.

If you use sdb instead of sdb1 you would format the card as superfloppy and thereby deleting the partition table. This is rather uncommon, but some MP3 players use this format. Hence the warning.

[beason4251]

Huh, when I input

sudo /sbin/fdisk -l

The lines that show the SD card are:

Disk /dev/sdb: 3965 MB, 3965190144 bytes
49 heads, 48 sectors/track, 3292 cylinders, total 7744512 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

However, I went ahead and added the 1 and it formatted correctly.

Thanks!