How can I format a USB drive for FAT?

Some very old TVs will only read USB sticks that are formatted for FAT (not FAT32, exFAT or NTFS). Generally these very old TVs will not run videos, but their slideshows can display JPGs.  FAT is the same as FAT16

To further complicate this problem, Windows 10 and later versions will not format USB sticks for FAT in the file manager.

How to format for FAT in Windows 10 and later

• The maximum size of the USB is 4GB. Anything larger will fail when formatting for FAT.
• Enter CMD  and tap ENTER in the box at the bottom of your Windows screen. This takes you to the Command prompt.
• Type format [drive letter]: /fs:FAT and tap ENTER   MAKE SURE YOU CHOOSE THE CORRECT DRIVE LETTER SO THAT YOU DO NOT ERASE YOUR HARD DRIVE.
• EXAMPLE:  format F: /fs:FAT

Adding Files to a FAT drive

The maximum number of files we could add to a FAT root directory is 64. If you add all 64 files, you cannot create sub-directories. 

To create sub-directory

• Add only 63 files to the root directory
• In CMD, type MD [drive:]path [[drive:]path...]
• Example:  Change to USB drive:  F: [ENTER key]    then type  MD MORE   where MD is "Make Directory" and MORE is the name of the new directory.