HForm oddity

I’ve come across an oddity when trying to format a few SD cards (notably all have been 2GB, Transcend brand). If I use a USB card reader (plugged into a powered USB hub), HForm reads the geometry as:

17 Heads
4183 Cylinders
54 Sectors per track

and then errors after “Creating map” with “PROGRAM ERROR 3”.

If I put the SD card into the SD slot on the Pi and run HForm, it reads the geometry differently as:

250 Heads
256 Cylinders
60 Sectors per track

and successfully formats the card.

If I try to reformat in a USB card reader using the above geometry, I still get “PROGRAM ERROR 3”. I’ve tried a couple of different USB Card Readers, all give the same effect.

Andrew