joec@Morgan.COM (Joe Collins) (06/12/91)
I have many 3 1/2 floppies from vendors that they don't expect back AND that I would like to use. BUT, I cannot format them. I just get errors. Any ideas? Any tricks? thanks, joec@morgan.com
gwni@troi.cc.rochester.edu (G. Wayne Nichols) (06/13/91)
In <3510@s5.Morgan.COM> joec@Morgan.COM (Joe Collins) writes: >I have many 3 1/2 floppies from vendors that they don't >expect back AND that I would like to use. BUT, I cannot >format them. I just get errors. >Any ideas? Any tricks? Perhaps you're getting a message that the floppy is write-protected? You must cover the hole in the bottom right-hand corner. I use the write-protect tabs from 5 1/4" disks.
akm@obelix.cs.uoregon.edu (Anant Kartik Mithal) (06/14/91)
In article <14451@ur-cc.UUCP> gwni@troi.cc.rochester.edu (G. Wayne Nichols) writes: >In <3510@s5.Morgan.COM> joec@Morgan.COM (Joe Collins) writes: >>I have many 3 1/2 floppies from vendors that they don't >>expect back AND that I would like to use. BUT, I cannot >>format them. I just get errors. >>Any ideas? Any tricks? >Perhaps you're getting a message that the floppy is write-protected? >You must cover the hole in the bottom right-hand corner. >I use the write-protect tabs from 5 1/4" disks. Another possibility is that you have a 1.44 mb drive, and most vendor disks are 720 K. Many 1.44 mb drives (like the ones on three of my machines) have to be specifically told that they have a 720 k disk in them or else they won't format. They will *not* format a 720k disk as 1.44 mb (they are sensitive to the hole), but the DOS format command is not cleaver enough to use this info to switch the formatting to 720 K, so I have to do this explicitly. kartik -- Anant Kartik Mithal akm@cs.uoregon.edu Network Manager, (503)346-4408 (msgs) Department of Computer Science, (503)346-3989 (direct) University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1202
sammy@cbnewsd.att.com (Sammy) (06/15/91)
In article <1991Jun13.211714.8750@cs.uoregon.edu> akm@obelix.cs.uoregon.edu (Anant Kartik Mithal) writes: > >disks are 720 K. Many 1.44 mb drives (like the ones on three of my >machines) have to be specifically told that they have a 720 k disk in >them or else they won't format. They will *not* format a 720k disk as >1.44 mb (they are sensitive to the hole), but the DOS format command >is not cleaver enough to use this info to switch the formatting to 720 >K, so I have to do this explicitly. > >kartik The next question is, how do you do this? I have this problem (720K disks and a 1.44 mb drive, and have looked in my DOS manual, but cannot find the switch to use to format these disks. I have DOS 3.3. -- Sammy=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The enemy of women...is not men, just as the enemy of blacks is not whites. The enemy is "the tyranny of the dull mind." Carol S. Pearson, _The Hero Within_ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Nur Iskandar Taib) (06/16/91)
>The next question is, how do you do this? I have this problem (720K disks >and a 1.44 mb drive, and have looked in my DOS manual, but cannot find >the switch to use to format these disks. I have DOS 3.3. Well, heres how: type: FORMAT A: /N:9/T:80 or if you have DOS 4 FORMAT A: /F:720 -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iskandar Taib | The only thing worse than Peach ala Internet: NTAIB@AQUA.UCS.INDIANA.EDU | Frog is Frog ala Peach Bitnet: NTAIB@IUBACS ! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
amichiel@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Allen J Michielsen) (06/16/91)
In article sammy@cbnewsd.att.com (Sammy) writes: >In article akm@obelix.cs.uoregon.edu (Anant Kartik Mithal) writes: >>disks are 720 K. Many 1.44 mb drives have to be specifically told that >>they have a 720 k disk in them or else they won't format. >The next question is, how do you do this? I have this problem (720K disks Question #1, Some/Many demo/vendor disks use media which have defects which preclude their reuse or formatting by the end user. The only way to find out is to try to format it. Question #2, under dos 3.3 & 4.+ (and probably anything after/including 3.0) format a:/t:80/n:9/v/s causes the disk in drive a to be formatted to a standard 720K disk, verifies the format, and makes it bootable (system). I usually make a .bat file for formatting 720K disks in this case, and call it like 720k.bat or for720.bat, and in it it would look something like format %1/t:80/n:9/v/%2/%3/%4 The symbols %1 and %2 pass variables like the drive label and other options to the bat file. For example, if the .bat file was called, for720.bat, then it would work lik, for720 a: s would format drive a and make it bootable. al -- Al. Michielsen, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Syracuse University InterNet: amichiel@rodan.acs.syr.edu amichiel@sunrise.acs.syr.edu Bitnet: AMICHIEL@SUNRISE