<html> <head> <style></style> </head> <body class='hmmessage'> Hi... Thanks for all the suggestions. I took the easy way out... Mac Disk Utility worked beautifully!  It actually went like this: Disk Utility--->(choose the usb stick)---->Erase VolumeFormat: MS-DOS(fat) Name:UNTITLED Security Options: (pick one!.. I used zero out) Erase---->Erase This took 6 minutes to erase.  There were other options, including a very quick one that leaves some data behind, up to a super-secure one offering 35 times as many passes!  That would have taken 3-1/2 hours! Zeroing out once should be enough for making SoaS. Now, since no one has answered my concerns about using a direct download from Fedora's Live USB creator for windows using my cute little mauve colored eeePC I'm going to give it a try anyway. If it crashes and "burns" I guess I can use the restore disk (after I buy an optical drive for it). I'll let you know what happens.... Caryl > Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:14:42 +0200 > From: andrea.mangiatordi@gmail.com > To: cbigenho@hotmail.com > CC: soas@lists.sugarlabs.org; iaep@lists.sugarlabs.org; support-gang@laptop.org > Subject: Re: [SoaS] [IAEP] Reformat USB stick, How? > > Caryl Bigenho wrote: > > Hi All, > > > > In my experiments trying to create usable SoaS sticks, I have had a few > > flops. Unfortunately these USB sticks now have a severe "identity > > crisis." They believe they are actually CDs. You can't write to them. > > You can't rename them (at least not in a way a mere mortal like me knows > > how to do). Do I have to just junk them (like throwing away money... > > not good). Or, is there an easy way to reformat them and start all > > over? Maybe even a hard way? > > Hi, > you should be able to reformat them by using different tools: > - on MacOS: disk utility -> reinitialize disk to FAT32 format > - on linux: gparted -> you can delete partitions, shrink them, copy them > on a per byte basis... > - on Windows: you should be allowed to "format" them from the right > click menu which opens on them in Explorer > > hope this helps, > > Andrea > -- > Andrea Mangiatordi > > http://www.farfalla-project.org/ > http://bglug.linux.it/ > > _______________________________________________ > SoaS mailing list > SoaS@lists.sugarlabs.org > http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/soas </body> </html>