Formatting SD card for Boox on Mac OS X

pietvo · 03-16-2010, 01:44 PM

I tried to format an SD card for FAT32 this morning on my MacBook while the card was in my Boox and the Boox was connected to the MacBook by USB. I could copy files to it, but when I disconnected the Boox it wouldn't show the files. I had bought 2 SD cards so I tried with the other one without formatting. They were default formatted as FAT16, but I prefer FAT32 because it has fewer restrictions. With the FAT16 card it was OK. The Boox could see the files, and I also used it to install new firmware.

I then tried to reformat the first card to FAT16. You can only do this with the command line interface in Mac OS X. However it didn't help. Apparently something in Mac's formatting is incompatible with the Boox. Does anybody know what? I have seen posts about people that did use FAT32 cards in the Boox. But then formatted on Windows.

Eventually I made a disk image from the original card (the second one) with the command line program dd, and copied that to the first card, so that it also became a working FAT16 card again. But I would like to know how to get a properly working FAT32 card.

keng2000 · 03-16-2010, 02:45 PM

Using this command
newfs_msdos -v FAT_VOLUME_NAME -F 32 </dev/rdisk2s2>

</dev/rdisk2s2> is your raw disk.

Duiker · 03-16-2010, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pietvo

I tried to format an SD card for FAT32 this morning on my MacBook while the card was in my Boox and the Boox was connected to the MacBook by USB. I could copy files to it, but when I disconnected the Boox it wouldn't show the files. I had bought 2 SD cards so I tried with the other one without formatting. They were default formatted as FAT16, but I prefer FAT32 because it has fewer restrictions. With the FAT16 card it was OK. The Boox could see the files, and I also used it to install new firmware.

I then tried to reformat the first card to FAT16. You can only do this with the command line interface in Mac OS X. However it didn't help. Apparently something in Mac's formatting is incompatible with the Boox. Does anybody know what? I have seen posts about people that did use FAT32 cards in the Boox. But then formatted on Windows.

Eventually I made a disk image from the original card (the second one) with the command line program dd, and copied that to the first card, so that it also became a working FAT16 card again. But I would like to know how to get a properly working FAT32 card.

Any other mac issues? I have a mac at home and plan to buy a Boox soon.

pietvo · 03-16-2010, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keng2000

Using this command
newfs_msdos -v FAT_VOLUME_NAME -F 32 </dev/rdisk2s2>

</dev/rdisk2s2> is your raw disk.

That's essentially what I did. However, I used /dev/disk... not the raw disk. Would that be the problem? Anyway I am going to try it with raw.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duiker

Any other mac issues? I have a mac at home and plan to buy a Boox soon.

I haven't had any other problems with the Mac/Boox.

I have one non-Mac problem with the newest firmware. It will not connect to my WPA2 encrypted Wifi. The previous firmware had no problems with that.

Duiker · 03-16-2010, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pietvo

That's essentially what I did. However, I used /dev/disk... not the raw disk. Would that be the problem? Anyway I am going to try it with raw.

I haven't had any other problems with the Mac/Boox.

I have one non-Mac problem with the newest firmware. It will not connect to my WPA2 encrypted Wifi. The previous firmware had no problems with that.

Have you e-mailed Onyx to let them know? Seems like an important issue as many people use WPA2.

pietvo · 03-16-2010, 07:20 PM

The issue has been discussed on the Booxusers forum.

pietvo · 03-16-2010, 08:45 PM

The command
newfs_msdos -v FAT_VOLUME_NAME -F 32 /dev/rdiskxxx
worked. Thanks, keng2000.

pietvo · 03-16-2010, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duiker

Have you e-mailed Onyx to let them know? Seems like an important issue as many people use WPA2.

I solved my Wifi problem.
I discovered something: My Zyxel has a setting 'WPA compatible' which I had overlooked. It means that it supports WPA and WPA2 at the same time. When I switched this off the Boox did connect.

Duiker · 03-17-2010, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pietvo

I solved my Wifi problem.
I discovered something: My Zyxel has a setting 'WPA compatible' which I had overlooked. It means that it supports WPA and WPA2 at the same time. When I switched this off the Boox did connect.

Good to hear. Thanks for sharing.

03-16-2010, 01:44 PM	#1
pietvo Reader Posts: 520 Karma: 24612 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Utrecht, NL Device: Kobo Aura 2, iPhone, iPad	Formatting SD card for Boox on Mac OS X I tried to format an SD card for FAT32 this morning on my MacBook while the card was in my Boox and the Boox was connected to the MacBook by USB. I could copy files to it, but when I disconnected the Boox it wouldn't show the files. I had bought 2 SD cards so I tried with the other one without formatting. They were default formatted as FAT16, but I prefer FAT32 because it has fewer restrictions. With the FAT16 card it was OK. The Boox could see the files, and I also used it to install new firmware. I then tried to reformat the first card to FAT16. You can only do this with the command line interface in Mac OS X. However it didn't help. Apparently something in Mac's formatting is incompatible with the Boox. Does anybody know what? I have seen posts about people that did use FAT32 cards in the Boox. But then formatted on Windows. Eventually I made a disk image from the original card (the second one) with the command line program dd, and copied that to the first card, so that it also became a working FAT16 card again. But I would like to know how to get a properly working FAT32 card.

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03-16-2010, 02:45 PM	#2
keng2000 Researcher and Consultant Posts: 210 Karma: 364 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Bangkok, THAILAND Device: MACBOOKPRO17" HP2400TX SONYUX27	Using this command newfs_msdos -v FAT_VOLUME_NAME -F 32 </dev/rdisk2s2> </dev/rdisk2s2> is your raw disk.

03-16-2010, 07:20 PM	#6
pietvo Reader Posts: 520 Karma: 24612 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Utrecht, NL Device: Kobo Aura 2, iPhone, iPad	The issue has been discussed on the Booxusers forum.

03-16-2010, 08:45 PM	#7
pietvo Reader Posts: 520 Karma: 24612 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Utrecht, NL Device: Kobo Aura 2, iPhone, iPad	The command newfs_msdos -v FAT_VOLUME_NAME -F 32 /dev/rdiskxxx worked. Thanks, keng2000.

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