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Big Blue Disk 45
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SF.TXT
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1990-05-18
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4KB
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103 lines
|A╔══════════╗════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╔══════════╗
|A║ |6Helpware|A ║═════════════════════ ^1Simple Format |A════════════════════║ |6Helpware|A ║
|A╚══════════╝════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╚══════════╝
^Cby
^CBob Falk
^C^1----- Introduction -----^0
One of the most useful utilities provided with MS/PC-DOS is the FORMAT
command. Unfortunately, it is difficult to use because of all the command
line switches. Have you ever tried to format a 360K floppy in a 1.2 Meg
drive? If you have, you know exactly what I mean! ^1SIMPLE FORMAT^0 employs
an easy-to-use menu system that allows you to quickly select the type of disk
format to perform. With Simple Format, you won't ever have to reach for your
DOS manual again!
^C^1----- Using SIMPLE FORMAT-----^0
After the program starts, the Simple Format menu is displayed. From this
menu you can select the floppy drive to format; designate creation of bootable
disks; input a volume label; or specify the type of format to perform. You
may press <F10> at any point in the menu to start the formatting process.
To exit the program, press <ESC>.
1. Selecting Drive to Format
Select a disk drive by pressing the <UP> or <DOWN> arrow keys until
the check mark is next to the corresponding drive letter. Press <ENTER>
and move to the next field.
2. Making Bootable Disks
Press either <Y>es or <N>o to instruct Simple Format to include the
system files and COMMAND.COM on the disk. Press <ENTER> and move to the
next field. NOTE: For SIMPLE FORMAT to be able to find the files needed
to make a disk bootable, it must be started from a bootable disk.
3. Including a Volume Label
Type in the volume label to be included on the formatted disks. A
volume label can contain no more than eleven characters long and may not
have any of the following characters:
^C* ? / \ . , ; : + = < > [ ]
Press <ENTER> and move to the next field.
4. Selecting Format Type
Select the format type by pressing the <UP> or <DOWN> arrow
keys to position the check mark next to the corresponding format
description. Press <ENTER> and return to ^1Selecting Drive to ^1Format^0.
5. Formatting the Disk
After all appropriate menu selections have been made, press <F10> to
start the formatting process. You will be prompted to insert the disk to
format. Insert the disk and press any key. You can exit the format
process and return to the Main Menu at any time by pressing <ESC>. After
a disk is formatted, you will be prompted to insert the next disk to
format. You may either 1) insert the next disk and press any key, or
2) press the <ESC> to return to the Main Menu.
^C^1----- Command Line Switches -----^0
If you want to skip the SIMPLE FORMAT Menu, there are numerous command
line switches that can be used to make menu selections. The following is the
structure of command line switches for SIMPLE FORMAT:
^CSF [D] [/S] [#] [/V:volume label]
where:
D = Drive Letter (A or B)
/S = Make Disk Bootable
# = Format Number **
/V = Volume Label
** Select numbers to specify the Format Number (#) from the
following list:
1. -> 1.44 Meg
2. -> 720K
3. -> 1.2 Meg
4. -> 360K
5. -> 320K
6. -> 180K
7. -> 160K
For example, to format a bootable 3.5 inch high density disk with a
volume label in drive A using the command line switches, type this command at
the DOS prompt:
^CSF A /S 1 /VBOBFALK^0
^C----- End of Instructions -----
^CTo run this program outside ^1Big Blue Disk^0, type: ^1SF^0.
Disk files this program uses:
^FSF.EXE