DMF diskettes

DMF (Distribution Media Format) is a new compression and disk creation technology used for the Microsoft Office Setup diskettes (except Disk 1) that increases the capacity of a 3.5-inch floppy diskette. This reduces the number of diskettes needed to install an application, which speeds up installation.

Because DMF is new, existing disk utility programs may not recognize this format and may corrupt DMF diskettes. In addition, because of how the DMF process handles sectors when saving on a diskette, it is impossible to write to a DMF diskette using standard disk copying tools.

Cautions to remember:

- Do not use disk utilities (such as Norton Disk Doctor, Microsoft ScanDisk, MS-DOS DiskCopy, and Microsoft Windows Copy Disk) to examine DMF formatted diskettes because they can damage the diskettes.

- Do not copy DMF diskettes using MS-DOS DiskCopy or Microsoft Windows Copy Disk. Use the Extract.exe tool or the DiskWrite utility.

- Low-quality or older floppy disk drives may have trouble reading DMF diskettes.

- Do not used any utility that writes an MS-DOS type of master boot record on the diskette. Doing so may damage the data on the DMF diskette. Certain computer viruses may do the same.

NOTE 1: DMF has no effect on Setup functionality and is used only for storing software on when put on floppy media.

NOTE 2: Call Microsoft at 1-800-360-7561 with any questions or to order non-DMF equivalent diskettes.