67 lines
1.6 KiB
Groff
67 lines
1.6 KiB
Groff
.TH FORMAT 1
|
|
.SH NAME
|
|
format \- format a PC floppy diskette
|
|
.SH SYNOPSIS
|
|
.B format
|
|
.RB [ \-v ]
|
|
.I device
|
|
.RI [ media-size
|
|
.RI [ drive-size ]]
|
|
.SH DESCRIPTION
|
|
.de SP
|
|
.if t .sp 0.4
|
|
.if n .sp
|
|
..
|
|
.B Format
|
|
allows a user with read-write permission to
|
|
.I device
|
|
to format a floppy. Either one of the special floppy devices must be used,
|
|
see
|
|
.BR fd (4),
|
|
or an automatic device may be used with the size of the floppy specified on
|
|
the command line. Two sizes must be given when formatting a low density
|
|
diskette in a high density drive. For example:
|
|
.PP
|
|
.RS
|
|
.ft B
|
|
.nf
|
|
format /dev/at1
|
|
format /dev/fd1 1200
|
|
format /dev/fd1 360 1200
|
|
.fi
|
|
.ft P
|
|
.RE
|
|
.PP
|
|
The first two commands format a 1.2M diskette, the last formats a 360k
|
|
diskette in a 1.2M drive. A 1.44M drive knows when it's dealing with a low
|
|
density floppy, so all these commands format a 720k diskette:
|
|
.PP
|
|
.RS
|
|
.ft B
|
|
.nf
|
|
format /dev/fd0 720
|
|
format /dev/fd0 720 1440
|
|
format /dev/ps0
|
|
.fi
|
|
.ft P
|
|
.RE
|
|
.PP
|
|
No sizes may be specified when using a special floppy device, a size must be
|
|
specified when using an automatic device.
|
|
.SH OPTIONS
|
|
.TP
|
|
.B \-v
|
|
Verify the process by reading each track after formatting it. Formatting is
|
|
normally blind, the controller has no idea whether it succeeds or not. Use
|
|
.B \-v
|
|
on a new box of cheap diskettes, or on a diskette that may have gone bad.
|
|
Verifying will increase formatting time by 50%.
|
|
.SH "SEE ALSO"
|
|
.BR mkfs (1),
|
|
.BR fd (4).
|
|
.SH DIAGNOSTICS
|
|
Numbers will be printed on standard output to show that it is busy. The
|
|
locations of bad sectors are printed on standard error when verifying. The
|
|
exit code is zero unless there are too many bad spots.
|
|
.SH AUTHOR
|
|
Kees J. Bot (kjb@cs.vu.nl)
|