A large number of old devices, be they mp3 players, car radios, recorders, cameras, etc., "understand" only the FAT16 file system, while FAT32, exFAT and NTFS are not available for them. Therefore, you must first format the USB flash drive into a suitable system.
Basic limitations
Quite often, in already old devices, flash drives that were included in the kit stop working. This is because the number of flash rewriting cycles is limited. Or more available space becomes necessary for use.
But the FAT16 file system can address a maximum of 4 GB of disk space. This means that it is impossible to format a disk partition with a size of, for example, 8 GB in FAT16. Therefore, the maximum size of a flash drive for such a device will be 4 GB. Although it is worth noting that 4 GB is the unofficial maximum capacity, only 2 GB is fully standardized, but using a cluster size of 64 KB, the maximum size can be doubled. Most devices read overclocking without problems.
New flash drives are supplied already formatted, usually in FAT32, which is not suitable. But if the flash drive fits into the maximum volume (4 GB or less), then it will not be difficult to reformat it.
Formatting
If the size of the flash drive is 2 GB or less, then you need to use the standard formatting tool in Windows. To do this, open "My Computer" and right-click on the disk corresponding to the flash drive. Then click on "Format …" in the menu that appears. In the formatting program that opens, select the FAT file system (this is FAT16).
If the flash drive is more than 2 GB (for example, 4 GB), then the standard formatting program will not have the FAT file system. To format it all the same, you will have to use the command line. To do this, go to the "Start" menu, then find the "Standard" group, and in it - the command line.
In the command line, type the command format x: / fs: fat, where instead of x is the letter of the flash drive (as it appears in "My Computer"), and press enter (Enter). The program will display a warning about possible incompatibility and ask whether to perform formatting. Answer Y (in English keyboard layout). Then, if prompted, enter a volume label and press Enter. Now the flash drive is formatted in FAT16 and can be used in legacy devices.
What if the flash drive is more than 4 GB
If you have a flash drive larger than 4 GB, you will not be able to format it to FAT16 without reducing the size. It can be reduced by specialized programs by changing the size of the main section. But the compatibility with the equipment of this approach is questionable, in addition there is a risk of disabling the device (depending on the type of controller used in it). Therefore, the easiest way is to purchase a 4 GB flash drive.
