Skip to main content

FORMAT

The FORMAT  command prepares a new disk for use by organizing the disk into magnetic tracks and sectors that are readable by DOS. when a disk is formatted, any files on that disk are usually lost. because of the plethora of disk types and capacities, new parameters were added to the FORMAT command in DOS  version 4.01. MS-DOS 5.00 introduction a safe FORMAT command and the ability to UNFORMAT unintentially formatted disks. These parameters and others are presented in the following paragraph and table.

FORMAT Command Form:  There are a number of FORMAT command forms. These are described in the following list.

CAUTION
 BE aware that the FORMAT command erases all files from the disk being formatted.
    Many computer users  have accidentally formatted the wrong disk. If you have programs or  
 document files  you wish to keep, do not format the disk! (DOS 5.00 lets you UNFORMAT
    disk, but even with this version of DOS, there are no guarantees that all data will be restored. 

All DOS Versions:
FORMAT- Format the disk in the default drive.

FORMAT-B:- Format the disk B.

FORMAT /S- Format the disk in the default  drive and transfer the DOS to it.(this places system files
including COMMAND.COM, BIO.COM, and DOS.COM on the disk.) If you plan to use the
disk for data only, avoid using /S. The DOS files occupy valuable space.                                 

FORMAT B:/S- Format the disk in drive B and transfer the DOS to it.

FORMAT /1-Format the disk as single sided.

FORMAT B-Format the disk and reserve space for DOS files BIO.COM and DOS.COM. However, the DOS is not transferred until the SYS command is used. The /B option creates a 320KB, eight-sector diskette rather than a 360KB, nine-sector diskette.

FORMAT B:/1/S-Format the disk in drive B as single sided and transfer the DOS to it.

DOS Versions 2.00 and later:

FORMAT /B-Format the disk with eight sectors (for compatibility with DOS versions prior to 2.00).

FORMAT /V-Display a prompt that asks for a 1 - to 11- character disk volume name.  (The/V parameter cannot be used with the /8 parameter.)

FORMAT /S/V-Format the disk, prompt for a volume name, and transfer the DOS to it.

FORMAT /3-Some DOS versions used with laptop computers or those with 3 1/2-inch disk drive use this form of the FORMAT command.

DOS Version 3.00:

FORMAT /4-Format a 360k or 180k capacity disk in a high capacity (1.2 megabyte) drive. This commands is typically used with drive A ob the IBM PC-AT.

DOS Version 3.30:

FORMAT /N:9 /T:80-Computers that use the 1.44MB 3 1/2-inch double-sided diskettes can use and format 729KB diskettes. Use this command to format a 720KB diskette in a 1.44MB drive. Tge /N:9 parameter specifies nine sectors per track. (A 1.44MB diskette has 18 sectors per track (/N:18).)  The /T:80 specifies eighty tracks.

DOS Verison 5.00:

FORMAT /U-Specifies unconditional format, which destroys all data on the target disk to prevent subsequent unformatting with the UNFORMAT command.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Filenames

It is important to understand DOS file naming conventions and their use. Here, filenames and some special filename "tools" called wild cards and literals are described. What is a File name?   Every program and data file is given a name to differentiate it from other programs and data files. A program is one or more computer instructions collected into a file. A data file is normally a collection of characters (or data) that make up a document, like a letter, or a database, like a collection of accounting transactions or customer records. Descriptive filenames are normally used. For example, if you create and save a letter to Mom, you might give it the filename MOM.LTR. A letter to Dad could be called DAD.LTR. A word processing program file might have the filename WP.COM. Examine these filenames a little closer. First, notice that each filename is meaningful. This is important if you want to know what is in a file by looking at its name. Obscure filenames are of little u...
Post a Comment
Read more

Path

The PATH command is used to provide access to files located in other directories or on other disks. The PATH command is usually entered as a line in an AUTOEXEC.BAT (or batch) file, which most often contains one or more DOS commands. The AUTOEXEC.BAT file is automatically executed upon system turn-on to run one or more desired programs without the need for user intervention. Other batch  files are executed upon command. When an AUTOEXEC.CAT file is used, each command contained in the file executes as it is encountered. The creation and use of batch files is described in Section 8. To illustrate the PATH command, assume you have a program named GATOR.COM that is located in a sub directory. You are not sure if it is cn disk C or disk A, so you want to search both disks and execute the command when found. To complicate matters, you are not sure if the program is in the SWAMP sub directory or the MUD sub directory. Here is where the PATH command comes to your rescue. To set up a search...
Post a Comment
Read more