¢FORMAT/DOS/DUP/RAMDISK IN ONE OPERATION¢¢Alex Pignato¢Ol' Hackers Atari Users Group¢¢ If you are like me, you hate to have to do the necessary typing to FORMAT a new disk prior to using it. It's a drudgery that must be done on each new disk. Wouldn't you like to FORMAT, add DOS.SYS, DUP.SYS, and RAMDISK.COM to your disks all in one operation, and at the same time, just handle the disk once? Sounds too good to be true? Here is how you can do it, ONLY IF YOU HAVE TWO DISK DRIVES!.¢¢ On this disk will be found a program called FORMDOS1.OBJ, which has all the commands to do the job, simply and very efficiently. To use it, load a DOS.SYS disk and copy RAMDISK COM to it. Then type "E" (RENAME) and rename FORMDOS1.OBJ to AUTORUN.SYS. Now, before you boot the disk with the new AUTORUN.SYS (the renamed FORMDOS.OBJ) in DRIVE #1, put in a blank unformatted disk in DRIVE #2, then boot up the disk with the new AUTORUN.SYS in DRIVE #1, then sit back and watch the fun. Do not do anything more at this point.¢¢ The screen will quickly give you a warning that this program is about to FORMAT, add DOS/DUP & RAMDISK.COM on DRIVE #2.¢¢ The drive will start up and the disk in DRIVE #2 will first be FORMATTED, then DOS.SYS and DUP.SYS will be added, then RAMDISK.COM will also be added. This will all be done without you doing any typing.¢¢ Following the above, DRIVE #1 will automatically activate, and the DANGER WARNING that the program is about to FORMAT, add DOS/DUP & RAMDISK.COM to DRIVE #2, will be printed on screen. You now have a few seconds to take out the disk in DRIVE #2, which has been FORMATTED etc. TURN IT OVER (be sure disk has been NOTCHED), and insert (side 2) the new blank unformatted disk in DRIVE #2. DO NOT DO ANYTHING ELSE!¢¢ Once again sit back and watch the new disk being FORMATTED, with DOS/DUP, and RAMDISK.COM put on the disk, and all done without any typing on your part.¢¢ This process will go on as long as you keep feeding blank unformatted disks in DRIVE #2. When you want to stop the procedure, all you do is hit [RESET] when the DANGER etc. etc. sequence comes on screen.¢¢ Remember to keep the disk with your new AUTORUN.SYS on it as your Master Disk for when you want to prepare a bunch of disks in advance of your using them.¢¢ Also on this disk you should find a program called FORMDOS2.OBJ. This program will do the reverse of the above. It will work from DRIVE #2, and format disks in DRIVE #1. You must first load a disk with DOS/DUP on it, then insert the disk with FORMDOS2.OBJ, and rename it AUTORUN.SYS using [E]. Then put this disk with the new AUTORUN.SYS in drive #2, put in a blank unformatted disk in DRIVE #1. You should still have DOS on screen. Now, hit [L] and type "D2:AUTORUN.SYS", and the process will start as outlined above.¢¢ I suggest that you put only FORMDOS1.OBJ and RAMDISK.COM on side one of a Master Disk, and only FORMDOS2.OBJ and RAMDISK.COM on side 2. This MASTER DISK is ONLY TO BE USED when you want to FORMAT a batch of disks.¢¢END¢
