Re: [gentoo-user] [SOLVED] fsck.fat 4.1 - File system couldn't be fixed [SOLVED]

[Wols Lists <antlists@youngman.org.uk>]

On 14/12/20 05:41, Thomas Mueller wrote:
> Excerpt from Michael:
> 
>> Right, on UEFI MoBos the ESP partition used by the UEFI firmware to locate and 
>> run *.EFI executables must be FAT32.  Such .EFI executables stored on the ESP 
>> may be OS boot managers/loaders, or other UEFI compatible applications.  The 
>> boot manager loaded by UEFI is then left to its own mechanisms (boot loader 
>> and fs drivers) to load whatever fs the kernel image resides on.
> 
> Is it necessary for the ESP to be FAT32, as opposed to FAT16 or FAT12?
> 
> What happens if the ESP is formatted FAT12 or FAT16?
> 
I think the spec actually says it must comply with a specific version of
the FAT definition. Not sure which version, but that does specify all
three FAT layouts, so all three are acceptable. Look at mjg's blog for
more detail, I guess.

That protects against updates to the spec making incompatible changes,
but doesn't protect against clueless manufacturers not following the
spec - "works with Windows" is so often the de-facto spec.

Cheers,
Wol