How to Format a Flash Drive From Windows for Linux
Unlike conventional hard drives, flash drives have no moving parts -- they store data on memory chips. That allows for very dense memory configurations, in which gigabytes of persistent storage fit into less than two cubic inches, making flash drives useful for transporting data from one machine or location to another. A flash drive needs to be formatted before it can be used to store data. You can format a flash drive on your Windows computer to enable Linux computers to access the data on the drive.
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Instructions
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Connect the flash drive to the Windows computer; typically through a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port.
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Click on "Start," then "My Computer." Windows displays a list of connected storage devices.
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Right-click on the list entry corresponding to the flash drive -- which will be listed as a "Removable disk" -- and select "Format."
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Select "FAT32" from the "File system" drop-down list. Click "Start," then wait until the format completes. When it finishes, the drive will be accessible from Windows and Linux computers; both types will automatically recognize the drive.
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