Format Ü
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Formats a disk or drive for use with FreeDOS.
The format command creates a new root directory and file allocation table
for the disk. It can also check for bad areas on the disk, and it can
delete all data on the disk. In order for FreeDOS to be able to use a
new disk, you must first use this command to format the disk.
Syntax: FORMAT drive: [/V[:label]] [/Q] [/C]
drive:
Specifies the drive containing the disk you want to format. You must
specify a drive parameter. If you do not specify an of the following
switches, format uses the drive type to determine the default format
for the disk.
/V:label
Specifies the volume label. A volume label identifies the disk and
can be a maximum of 11 characters. If you omit the /V switch or use
it without specifying a volume label, FreeDOS prompts you for the
volume label after the formatting is completed. If you format more
than one disk by using one format command, all of the disks will be
given the same volume label.
/Q
Specifies a quick format of a disk. With this switch, format deletes
the file allocation table (FAT) and the root directory of a
previously formatted disk, but does not scan the disk for bad areas.
Use the /Q switch to format only previously formatted disks that you
know are in good condition.
/C
Retests bad clusters. By default, if a drive contains clusters that
have been marked "bad," format does not retest the new clusters; it
simply leaves them marked "bad." Use the /C switch if you want
format to retest all bad clusters on the drive.
Typing a volume label
If you omit the /V switch, or use it without specifying a label, format
displays the following prompt after formatting is completed:
Volume label (11 characters, ENTER for none)?
The volume label can be a maximum of 11 characters (including spaces).
If you want no volume label, press ENTER.
Formatting a hard disk
When you use the format command to format a hard disk, FreeDOS displays
the following before attempting to format the hard disk:
WARNING, ALL DATA ON NON-REMOVABLE DISK
DRIVE x: WILL BE LOST:
Proceed with Format (Y/N)?_
To format the hard disk, press Y; if you do not want to format the disk,
press N.
Format messages
When formatting is complete, FreeDOS displays messages showing the
total disk space, any space marked as defective, the total space used
by the operating system (if you used the /S or /B switch), and the
space available for your files.
Safe formatting
If you do not specify the /U switch or a switch that reformats the disk
to a different size, format performs a "safe" format, meaning that it
clears the file allocation table and root directory of the disk but
does not delete any data. You can then use the unformat command to
recover the disk if you did not originally intend to format it. Format
also checks each sector on the disk to ensure that the sector can
properly store data. If it locates a sector that cannot store data,
format marks that sector to prevent FreeDOS from using it.
If you specify the /U switch or any switch that changes the size of the
disk, format performs an unconditional format operation by deleting all
data on the disk.
Quick formatting
You can speed up the formatting process by using /Q. Use /Q only if you
have not received read or write errors on hard. You can speed up the
process even more using both /Q and /U. If you use /U, format does not
save the information necessary to later unformat the disk.
Formatting a new disk
When you use format to format a disk that has never been formatted,
specify the /U switch to minimize formatting time.
Using format with a reassigned drive or network drive
You should not use the format command on a drive prepared by using
the assign, join, or subst command. You cannot format disks over a
network.
See Also:
Label
Unformat