ubuntu - Attribute “partition” not found - error with mkfs.vfat

I have a USB flash drive that's become unrecognisable in Windows 7, as detailed in my question on SuperUser here. I was advised to try using Ubuntu, and was able to see the flash drive using it, although using Disks to zero-wipe, format it and create a new partition still didn't make it visible in Windows 7.

After using dd to zero-write the drive, and then using Disks to create a "FAT" partition, I started following this answer here, and did the command:

sudo mkfs.vfat -I /dev/sdc

I got the error:

Attribute "partition" not found

...and the command stopped running.

I tried again, this time formatting the drive in Disks and then using Gparted to create a "fat32" partition table, followed by a partition that I formatted as fat32, but still got the same error.

It seems to me that the error has something to do with the -I switch, but I'd rather not omit it because I feel like it may be a necessary step to getting my USB successfully recognised again. I've checked in Disks, and it does report the drive as having a (single, FAT) partition.

What exactly does the Attribute "partition" not found error mean, and how can I get rid of it?