FORMAT + Formatting DisksPrepares a disk by rearranging random magnetic impulses into
a series of tracks and sectors so that it is addressable by DOS.
VERSION
PC-DOS 2.0+ (revised from 1.0)
MS-DOS equivalent: FORMAT (2.0+)
TYPE
External
SYNTAX
[d:][path] FORMAT
fd:[1][V][4][/N:xx][/T:yy][/H]
OPTIONS
[d:][path] Specifies the drive letter and path that
contain the FORMAT command file.
fd: Specifies the disk to be formatted.
/S Transfers DOS files to the disk being
formatted.
/1 Formats only one side of a double-sided
disk.
/8 Formats eight sectors per track instead
of nine (not for hard disks).
/V Writes a volume label on the disk.
Cannot be used with the /8 option.
/B Creates an eight sector per track disk
and reserves space for DOS without
transferring it.
/4 Formats a single- or double-sided disk
in a 1.2-megabyte high-capacity drive.
/N:xx Allows you to specify the number of
sectors per track to format.
/T:yy Allows you to specify the number of
tracks to format.
/H an undocumented switch that removes the "Insert new
diskette for drive x:" prompt. Be certain the correct
disk is in the drive before useing this switch as
formatting begins immediatly.
EXAMPLES
FORMAT B:
formats the disk in drive B.
FORMAT B:/S
places the DOS files on the disk in drive B as it formats it,
which makes the disk a system disk. To make the disk bootable as
well, copy COMMAND.COM onto it.
FORMAT B:/V
writes a volume label on the disk being formatted. You will be
prompted to enter a label. You can enter up to 11 characters.
FORMAT B:/1
formats the disk in drive B as a single-sided disk. For example,
you may be using a double-sided floppy drive but want to format a
disk so that it can be read by a single-sided drive.
FORMAT A:8
formats the disk in drive A as a single-sided disk, eight sectors
per track. This makes the disk readable by a single-sided drive
using version 1 of DOS.
FORMAT A:/B
formats the disk in drive A without actually transferring DOS to
the disk but leaving room for it. You must use the SYS command to
write the system files on a disk formatted with the /B option.
MESSAGES
Attempted write protect violation
The disk you are trying to format is write-protected. Remove the
write-protection or insert a new disk.
Bad Partition Table
The hard disk does not have a DOS partition, or the partition
table is invalid. Use FDISK to set up a new DOS partition and
then retry FORMAT.
Cannot find system files
The hidden files IBMBIO.COM and IBMDOS.COM could not be located
on the hard disk. Change to a drive that contains the system
files and try again.
Cannot FORMAT a Network drive
You cannot use the FORMAT command to format a network drive or a
drive on a computer that is being shared on a network. If your
computer is being shared, have the server pause and then issue
the FORMAT command.
Cannot format an ASSIGNed or SUBSTed drive
You cannot format a drive after an ASSIGN or SUBST command has
been used to reassign its designation. Issue the ASSIGN command
to restore the original drive assignments; then reissue the
FORMAT command.
Disk not compatible
The drive you specified is not supported by the IBM device
interfaces required by the FORMAT command. Use a different disk
drive.
Disk unsuitable for system disk
There is a defective track in the area that contains the DOS
files. Use this disk only for data; use a different disk to
contain DOS files.
Drive letter must be specified
Reissue the command with the drive letter of the disk to be
formatted.
Error reading partition table
A hardware error probably occurred. Reissue the FORMAT command.
Error writing partition table
A hardware error probably occurred. Reissue the FORMAT command.
Format failure
The disk is unusable. Reissue the FORMAT command using another
disk.
Format not supported on drive n:
The disk device driver cannot handle certain calls. If you have
replaced the default disk device driver, remove it from your
CONFIG.SYS file and try again. If not, reinstall DOS on your boot
disk and try the FORMAT command again.
Invalid characters in volume label
You have used characters that are not valid. Retry, using valid
characters.
Invalid device parameters from device driver
The number of hidden sectors is not a multiple of the number of
sectors per track. Set up a new DOS partition by using FDISK;
then reissue the FORMAT command.
Invalid media or track 0 bad - disk unusable
Either track 0 is bad, in which case the disk is unusable, or the
disk and the drive are incompatible. Check the disk and drive; if
they are incompatible types, reissue FORMAT with the /4 option.
If they are compatible, use a new disk.
Parameter not compatible with fixed disk
You used the /1 or /8 options, neither of which can be used with
a hard disk. Reissue the command with the correct options.
Unable to write BOOT
The first track of the disk or the DOS partition is bad; the disk
is unusable. Get a different disk and try again.
UNDO
If you format a disk that contained files you wish to
retain, you can use the Mace Utilities UnFORMAT command to
restore them, unless you are using a version of Compaq MS-DOS,
AT&T MS-DOS prior to version 3.1, or Burroughs MS-DOS.
NOTE
No data can be stored on an unformatted disk. When a disk is
formatted, any data on it is erased. Version 2.0+ works with a
hard disk, formats nine sectors per track, and accepts a volume
label. Version 1.0 does not work with a hard disk. To avoid
inadvertently formatting a hard disk, thus erasing any and all
data on it, you can rename the FORMAT command and create a batch
file that gives you warning prompts when you use this command.
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[For related topics, press R]
SEE ALSO
ASSIGN Command
BACKUP Command
CHKDSK Command
DIR Command
DISKCOPY Command
JOIN Command
LABEL Command
RENAME EN) Command
SELECT Command
SYS Command
VER Command
file: /Techref/dos/command/format.htm, 7KB, , updated: 2004/6/27 01:06, local time: 2024/9/1 04:01,
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