How to format removable devices

[bodhi.zazen]

How to format removable devices

Introduction

This script is for: CujoQuarrel and tedrogers

1. This is a bash script that will unmount, format, and re-mount a removable device.
2. You can add a menu item/desktop icon/launcher if you like.
3. Although this is a bash script IT RUNS AS A GUI.
4. Dependency : The only absolute dependency is zenity which is installed with a default Ubuntu (gnome) installation.

Not to state the obvious, but,

Caution: If you format a device/partition you will lose all the data in that partition. You have been warned....

How to install this script

1. Download the attached file (Ubuntu_format.txt).
2. Save it to /usr/bin as /usr/bin/format (you must sudo to do this).
3. Alternately, as suggested by sebastjanp, you may save the script to your scripts directory.
4. Make it executable.

   sudo chmod a+x /usr/bin/format

How to use this script

1. IMO this script is best run in a terminal:

   gksudo format

2. Start the script with your device attached and mounted in /media
3. You can also manually add a menu item, desktop icon, or launcher.
   
   command: gksudo /usr/bin/format
4. At the end of the script your newly formatted device will be mounted, rw, at /media/new_format
5. You should be able to umount as a user (from the desktop -> eject or in a terminal with pumount pumount /media/new_format/), but if you have problems,

   sudo pumount /media/new_format

   Or, if all else fails:

   sudo umount /media/new_format
   sudo rm -r /media/new_format

Enjoy

bodhi.zazen

[tedrogers]

Great Howto bodhi.zazen. And thanks for adding my name!

Worked great for me.

[sebastjanp]

Great job bodhi.zazen. I have inputed your script into scripts folder and now when I right click on anything I get a menu which includes format option. And I have tested it and it works.
Just for a record I have Acer Travelmate 2423 with Edgy on it.

P.S. Ofcourse I had to make it executable.

[Mithrilhall]

Everything seemed to work for me except....it gets mounted with read-only permissions. I can't write anything to it.

[zagu]

Well, THAT was helpful. =D> Thanks, Bodhi.zazen, for that very useful script! Totally worked for me.

[Mithrilhall]

It worked fine for me on an external hard drive.

The USB memory stick I was having problems with is some junk Microsoft model that has a locking mechanism that will not let me format it with anything other than Fat or NTFS.

BTW...great script.

[james23ryco]

Thank bodhi.zazen it work well for me

[gytis]

Thanks - that is exactly what I was looking for! Great job.

[bharadwaj]

don't we have any graphical interface for formating USB devices?

[bodhi.zazen]

Thanks - that is exactly what I was looking for! Great job.

This is an old thread and I had all but forgotten about it.

I am glad the script worked for you, you are most welcome.

don't we have any graphical interface for formating USB devices?

But my script is a graphical