Dazzle Universal 3 in 1 Reader/Writer User’s Guide • Using the Reader/Writer • Page 27
Formatting a Card on a PC
Sometimes you may need to format a digital media card in the 3 in 1 Reader/Writer rather
than in your digital device (camera, MP3 player, cell phone, etc.). In some cases, your
device may not have a format option, or you may be required or prompted to format a card.
Caution:
Formatting a CompactFlash, Smar tMedia, or Memor y Stick card completely
erases any data stored on the card. If there are impor tant images or files you want to safe-
guard for later use, save a backup copy on your hard drive, CD-R drive, or other type of
removable media
before formatting a card.
Formatting a Card Using the Dazzle Formatting Utilities
To format a digital media card in the 3 in 1 Reader/Writer using the Dazzle Formatting
Utilities, follow the steps below. Before you can use the Dazzle Formatting Utilities, you
must per form the software installation,
as explained earlier in this guide.
You can also format your cards using the Windows formatting utility for your Operating
System, as described on
page 30
. Formatting your media using a Windows formatting
utility conforms only to Windows specifications. The Dazzle Formatting Utilities
automatically per form additional operations, such as deleting an existing par tition and
creating a new par tition and checking for and restoring bad data blocks. In addition, each
formatting utility has its own unique features.
The screens below may var y slightly from those on your computer.
1.
Click
Start
>
Programs
, and then click
3 In 1 Reader-Writer
.
A pop-up menu displays the Dazzle formatting
utilities (CFPREP for CompactFlash,
SMPREP for Smar tMedia, and MSPREP for Memor y Stick).
Following is a description of each formatting utility:
CFPREP
- Formats CompactFlash cards, providing one format option, which creates a
single formatted par tition on your card.
SMPREP
- Formats SmartMedia cards, providing two format options. In most cases,
select
Quick
(default option) to format your cards. If you experience problems with your
SmartMedia card, you may want to select the
Full
option to completely erase and scan
your SmartMedia card for any bad data blocks.
MSPREP -
Formats Memor y Stick cards, providing two format options. In most cases,
select
Quick
(default option) to format your cards. If you experience problems with your
Memor y Stick you may want to select the
Full
option to completely erase and scan
your Memor y Stick for bad data blocks.