How do I format a pen drive using Mandriva?

i am able to format it in Windows but I cannot find any help about Mandriva

Hi and Welcome !

You can use mkfs command to format partition(s) of any drive. Check manual of mkfs command

Code:

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man mkfs

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I would suggest you to be careful while executing that command.

Code:

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mkfs.vfat /dev/<disk>

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Above code will format it in FAT32 filesystem.
Replace disk with device name assigned to Pen Drive.

Or

Use GParted Partition Manager. Its available in LiveCDs of most of distros.

There is a slight error in Caspers command. It should be

Code:

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mkfs.vfat /dev/<disk>

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If you don't like the command line stuff, install gparted using the Mandriva package manager and use that to format your usb stick.

I don't run Mandriva. But I make sure I have some versiion of Gparted installed on any operating system Iam using just for what you are trying to do. Just unmount USB from the Menu (left click) . Then left click again and create new, Pick a file system from button, Hit appy and you are off to the races.

Welcome to the forums! :)

I'll second Casper's suggestion above to use gparted on a liveCD. It couldn't get much easier to handle partitioning chores than that. The Parted Magic LiveCD is a good option should you wish to try it.

You don't need gparted, Mandriva's got an excellent partitioning tool built into Mandriva Control Center.
Configure Your Computer -> Local disk -> Manage disk partitions
Click on the tab for the disk, select the partition & there should be a big Format button on the right.