360 reads flash drive but not external hard drive? wtf?

[Riki Darnell]

I've used my flash drive many times to watch movies off my 360. I recently got in the mood to watch some tv shows and because of how much it was I put it on the hard drive to make it easier than by having a season at a time on the flash drive. I plugged it in and it didn't register it. So I tried the other USB slot and nothing. Restarted xbox and still nothing. I went online and found a bunch of people who had the same issue but the only thing I found was something like "if it's not from microsoft it won't work". Which doesn't make any sense because my flash drive works fine. Has anyone else had this issue or know how to fix it?

 

[Hoplon]

Check the file format, sounds odd I know if there is a difference that could be the cause since I have no idea if there is a lot support for even other Microsoft file systems on the Xbox.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Did you make sure the harddrive was set for using the FAT32 file system? Neither 360s or PS3s can use external harddrives unless they set (at time of format) to use FAT32.

 

[kurupt87]

Mine too, it's like it isn't there.

But...

Did you make sure the harddrive was set for using the FAT32 file system? Neither 360s or PS3s can use external harddrives unless they set (at time of format) to use FAT32.

Ah, that'll be it; mine's on NTSC.

 

[Riki Darnell]

Did you make sure the harddrive was set for using the FAT32 file system? Neither 360s or PS3s can use external harddrives unless they set (at time of format) to use FAT32.

oh, how do I change to FAT32?

 

[MrTub]

Did you make sure the harddrive was set for using the FAT32 file system? Neither 360s or PS3s can use external harddrives unless they set (at time of format) to use FAT32.

oh, how do I change to FAT32?

Go to my Computer and right click on it and choose format and then file system FAT32, quick format and then start.

 

[Dark Sup3rn0va]

Did you make sure the harddrive was set for using the FAT32 file system? Neither 360s or PS3s can use external harddrives unless they set (at time of format) to use FAT32.

oh, how do I change to FAT32?

Go to my Computer and right click on it and choose format and then file system FAT32, quick format and then start.

But you will lose all of your files on the HDD! Just making sure you know that.

 

[Riki Darnell]

Did you make sure the harddrive was set for using the FAT32 file system? Neither 360s or PS3s can use external harddrives unless they set (at time of format) to use FAT32.

oh, how do I change to FAT32?

Go to my Computer and right click on it and choose format and then file system FAT32, quick format and then start.

But you will lose all of your files on the HDD! Just making sure you know that.

oh snap I'm glad I read this first lol. Hmmmmm I'll prob just go buy a new one then and format it b4 hand cause I don't have anywhere to keep whats on my other HDD :/

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Mine too, it's like it isn't there.

But...

Did you make sure the harddrive was set for using the FAT32 file system? Neither 360s or PS3s can use external harddrives unless they set (at time of format) to use FAT32.

Ah, that'll be it; mine's on NTSC.

Yeah, it's a pain in the cock.

The other thing to keep in mind is that FAT32 has a maximum file size of 1 byte less than 4GB...

Had to find all this shit out so I could hook an external HDD up to my nephew's PS3.

Also, if I remember correctly, consoles can't accept HDDs bigger than 2TB because of the limitations of the hardware.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Some drives work on 360, some don't. There should be a compatibility list around (google works y'know...). I have a few external drives and only 1 out of them works on 360 in FAT32.

 

[MrTub]

Did you make sure the harddrive was set for using the FAT32 file system? Neither 360s or PS3s can use external harddrives unless they set (at time of format) to use FAT32.

oh, how do I change to FAT32?

Go to my Computer and right click on it and choose format and then file system FAT32, quick format and then start.

Won't work if his external HDD is larger than 32GB, which is most probably the case.

Did you make sure the harddrive was set for using the FAT32 file system? Neither 360s or PS3s can use external harddrives unless they set (at time of format) to use FAT32.

oh, how do I change to FAT32?

Go to my Computer and right click on it and choose format and then file system FAT32, quick format and then start.

But you will lose all of your files on the HDD! Just making sure you know that.

oh snap I'm glad I read this first lol. Hmmmmm I'll prob just go buy a new one then and format it b4 hand cause I don't have anywhere to keep whats on my other HDD :/

The formatting utility in Windows itself will refuse to format a disk or partition larger than 32GB, which I assume your external HDD is/will be; You'll need to use third-party software for that. Any partitioning software will do, but since you might not want to go to the trouble of acquiring that, I recommend this very simple little tool [http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?fat32format.htm], created for this express purpose. (Look on the left for the Windows GUI version)

You are correct, forgot about the limit.

But Im quite certain that you can go in the cmd and write

Diskpart

List disk

Select Disk 3 (If that is your external hdd)

Format FS=FAT32

But you can also use a program if you want.

 

[MrTub]

You are correct, forgot about the limit.

But Im quite certain that you can go in the cmd and write

Diskpart

List disk

Select Disk 3 (If that is your external hdd)

Format FS=FAT32

But you can also use a program if you want.

I'm pretty sure that the artificial 32GB partition size limit is still enforced even if you format through the command line. I'm not 100% sure, but I think I tried it a while ago (for reasons similar to the OP) and it will still fail, without telling you in advance, when it reaches 32GB, saying "The volume is too big for FAT32".
(Not that I have anything against the cmd; I just recently discovered the SSD saviour that is

mklink

.)

Of course, you could always just fill the HDD with as many 32GB partitions as it takes to use the whole drive, but that's quite roundabout when you can use a small, simple, fast and free GUI utility and be done before you know it.

I personally don't have that problem anymore since I've acquired a partitioning utility that makes all of this a cinch, but I couldn't recommend that the OP pay for/pirate such a utility just to format something to FAT32.

Should work with cmd, did a quick google and it shows some tutorials where people have done it but it also seems that it sometimes fails. So a free program would be this: http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/diskdirector/


It got a free trial that should work.

I just want to point out that I have personally never used this program but it was recommended in a guide
http://geekdrop.com/content/how-to-format-hard-drive-to-fat32-in-windows-7-or-vista-or-in-general