NAME

fdform − Format Floppy Disk

SYNOPSIS

fdform raw_device [ b=blocksize ] [ d=density ] [ g=gap3_length ]

DESCRIPTION

fdform performs a full surface disk format on a floppy disk.  fdform is not used for SCSI floppy disks; these must be formatted with sdform(8).  fdform is normally invoked by the disk(8) program when initializing a new floppy disk; however, it may be used to re-initialize a damaged floppy.  fdform should be used with extreme caution; all data on the disk being formatted is lost. 

The floppy disk is formatted one track at a time; each track is read after it is formatted.  Any error on the read operation results in fdform aborting the format operation. 

OPTIONS

b=blocksize
blocksize is in bytes; it must be either 512 or 1024.  The default is 512. 

d=density
density is the capacity of the disk in KBytes; legal values are 720, 1440, and 2880.  The default value is the value intended to be used with the floppy disk being formatted; the fd(4) driver can determine this value.  Specifying a density larger than the disk’s capacity is an error.  Specifying a capacity smaller than the disk’s capacity is legal but is not recommended. 

g=gap3_length
gap3_length is the length of the write splice at the end of each sector, in bytes.  The default is a value chosen by the fd(4) driver for a particular sector size and density. 

n=num_cylinders
num_cylinders specifies the number of cylinders to format.  The default is the entire disk. 

SEE ALSO

fd(4), disk(8)

BUGS

NeXT Computer, Inc.  —  August 14, 1990