Manual page for FDFORM(8)
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
Created by unroff & hp-tools.
© somebody (See intro for details). All Rights Reserved.
Last modified 11/5/97
