Unable to Format a Removable Storage Device Larger Than 2GB as FAT in My Computer

Under My Computer, when you attempt to format a removable storage device that is larger than 2 gigabytes (GB) to use the file allocation table (FAT) file system, FAT is not an option in the File system box. Only FAT32 and the NTFS file system are available.

This behavior occurs because Windows XP does not support this functionality under My Computer.

To work around this behavior, format the device at a command prompt:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.
3. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER
   format drive: /FS:FAT /V:label
   where drive is the drive letter for the removable storage device and label is the label for the device.
   
   
4. Follow the instructions on the screen to format the device.

This behavior is by design.