RT Disk Utility Create PC USB Disk Utility will not recognize USB device

[Taylor.Kendall]

When I use the utility the error "Unable to detect USB drives" appears even though a FAT 32 (and late simple FAT) mass storage device is detected.  This is with the latest 8.6 software and I need the USB this is the only format which supports 8.6 RT software. 

[Yevoc42]

If you completely circumvent MAX with its magnificently upgraded blindness and directly use the non-NI utility to format the USB drive, it will work.

Take the "mbrfat.bin" and "makebootfat.exe" files from the "C:\Program Files\National Instruments\RT Images\Utilities\PXI_Disk\8.6\usbfiles\makebootfat" directory and copy them into the "C:\Program Files\National Instruments\RT Images\Utilities\PXI_Disk\8.6\usbfiles" directory.

From the "C:\Program Files\National Instruments\RT Images\Utilities\PXI_Disk\8.6\usbfiles" directory, run the following command with your USB drive inserted:

makebootfat -o usb -2 fat16lba.bin -3 fat32lba.bin -m mbrfat.bin -F image

If for some reason this doesn't work for you, you can still format the RT with 8.5 and then install 8.6 over it if you have an ethernet connection to the RT.

[Taylor.Kendall]

Thank you very much those both worked

[Riconquistiamola]

Hello everyone,

This was reported to R&D (# 120979) for further investigation. A possible workaround is to use the command line executable, as described above.

Cheers.

[Riconquistiamola]

I should expand on the workaround described above, which I have read in more depth.

You should not move "mbrfat.bin" and "makebootfat.exe" files to any other directory nor call them from the command line

The workaround suggested by NI is to run the command [NI DIR]\RT Images\Utilities\PXI_Disk\X.x\usbformat.exe usb from the command line, where X.x is your LabVIEW version. This will format and install the Utility USB Drive on the first available USB drive.

Sorry for the confusion.

Cheers

[Yevoc42]

Unfortunately, I had already tried that approach, and the RT hangs and won't ever install software properly.  At this point, I'm just doing whatever is possible to get my assembly line of RT creation up and running again.

Our hopes and dreams go out to R&D.

Message Edited by Yevoc42 on 08-15-2008 10:42 AM

[grahamwebb]

Has this been resolved? I've tried both methods (with 8.5.1) and it's not doing anything.

[grahamwebb2000]

more specifically "Error 21 getting disk extents for volume \\?\storage#removablemedia#6&db9e1c5&0& .. etc .. rm#<53f .. etc .. >."

[Taylor.Kendall · Accepted solution]

We have solved this problem by creating the usb device at the command prompt.  

At the command prompt navigate to C:\Program Files\National Instruments\RT Images\Utilities\PXI_Disk\8.5.1. Easy way to do this is to use the string nce there insert the USB drive you wish to format and type “usbformat usb”.  This should format the USB device, returning to the command prompt after it is finished. 

Do not do this with your ipod attached to the computer it will crash the computer.  Other than that everything seems to be working fine 

 

[grahamwebb]

Yep, I tried that and got the above error.