fdformat -- Command

Low-level format a floppy disk
/etc/fdformat [ option ... ] special

fdformat formats  a floppy disk.  The  given special should be  the name of
the special file that correspond to the floppy disk drive.

fdformat recognizes the following options:

-a   Print information on the  standard output device during format.  As it
     formats a cylinder, it will print a line of the form

         hd=0 cyl=25

     on your screen.

-i number
     Use number (0 through 7) as the interleave factor in formatting.  Note
     that the default interleave is six.

-o number
     Use number (default, 0) as the skew factor for sector numbering.

-v   Verify formatting and verify data written with the -w option.

-w file
     Format the floppy  disk and then copy file to  it track by track.  The
     raw device should be used.

The command mkfs builds a COHERENT  file system on a formatted floppy disk.
The command dosformat builds a DOS  file system on a formatted floppy disk.
The command  mount mounts a floppy  disk containing a file  system to allow
access to it through  the COHERENT directory structure.  The command umount
unmounts a floppy disk.

Examples

The following command formats a 2880-block (1.44-megabyte), 3.5-inch floppy
disk in drive 1 (otherwise known as drive B):

    /etc/fdformat -v /dev/rfva1

The following command formats a 2400-block (1.2-megabyte), 5.25-inch floppy
disk in drive 0 (otherwise known known as drive A):

    /etc/fdformat -v /dev/rfha0

Note  that   using  the  raw  device   (/dev/rfha0)  speeds  up  formatting
noticeably.

See Also

commands,
dosformat,
fd,
mkfs,
mount,
umount

Diagnostics

When errors  occur on floppy-disk  devices the driver prints  on the system
console an error message that describes the error.

Notes

fdformat formats  a track at  a time.  fdformat can  be interrupted between
tracks, which may result in a partially formatted floppy disk.

© 2012 by Stephen A. Ness