What better praise for a utility than to be able to demonstrate how it's solved a problem? Having transferred a 32 Mb CF from my trusty Psion 5 to my iPAQ, I found myself with an apparently empty folder that wouldn't allow itself to be deleted. It probably wasn't taking up any space, but the fact that I couldn't get rid of it by any means achievable via the PC or PDA was annoying me.

A quick internet search on the keywords 'CF' and 'format' introduced me to CNetX's FlashFormat utility (http://www.cnetx.com/format/), and the annoying folder was removed and my CF returned to pristine condition in seconds. The program loads easily, does its job with no fuss and is there when needed...what more can one usefully say about a utility?

Well, the program runs from the Start, Settings sub menu. If you downloaded the trial version, you have 14 days before the program turns back into a pumpkin and refuses to play. Registration and activation is via the CNetX home page.

I could waste my time and yours rehashing everything that CNetX says about its product, but you'd be better going direct to their site for the full specs, and seeing just how flexible a tool FlashFormat is for cleaning up CFs and microdrives, permanently erasing sensitive data and recovering wasted space. But FlashFormat will also take care of all ATA compliant and SD compliant storage cards including Secure Digital (SD) cards, Multimedia Cards (MMC) , SmartMedia cards, memory sticks and PCMCIA memory cards.

With the advent of higher capacity microdrives and now even compact flash devices up to 3 Gb coming on-stream (US$ 2,499..I'll have one for Christmas please), utilities like FlashFormat become a 'must have' tool.

Useful features include the automatic detection of card insertion and removal and an AutoRun feature which allows you to select files to run automatically on insertion of the card. The program will also detect and repairs allocation errors. or the more adventurous or advanced user FlashFormat offers formatting options including selection of file system and clusters size. Reporting includes detailed information on storage and file statistics and verification of card integrity.

For users of digital cameras who also carry a PDA, FlashFormat could also prove useful in re-formatting storage cards 'on the hoof' without draining the camera's batteries. I still use that nice old fashioned 35mm film, and I'll probably only ever use the most basic of FlashFormat's capabilities, but it's a very good program to have around when needed.

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