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| How to Format Using MS-DOS Command |
Now that you have created all of the partitions for your hard drive, it is now time to format them. To format a master hard disk, you will use the format command. Formatting prepares a hard drive for use by organizing its storage space into addresses that can be recognized and accessed.
Below are the complete instructions to walk you through the process of formatting partitions on your hard drive.
1.) Restart your computer with the Startup/Boot disk in the floppy disk drive.
**NOTE:**If you are using a Windows 95 Startup disk, a command prompt is displayed and you can skip to step 2. If you are using a Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, or Windows Me Startup disk, select the Start computer without CD-ROM support menu option when the Windows 98 Startup menu is displayed.
2.) When a command prompt is displayed, type format c: /s, and then press ENTER. This command transfers the system files and should only be used when you format drive C (or your "active" drive). **NOTE** (If you are formatting with an Windows ME boot disk you cannot use the /s switch. Windows ME will not let you transfer system files to a disk without an operating system already present.) For all other partitions, type format drive: (where drive is the letter of the partition that you want to format).
3.) When you successfully run the format tool, you receive the following message:
WARNING, ALL DATA ON NON-REMOVABLE DISK DRIVE C: WILL BE LOST!Proceed with Format?
4.) Press Y, and then press ENTER to format drive C.
5.) After the format procedure is finished, you receive the following message:
Volume label (11 characters, ENTER for none)?
**NOTE:**This is an optional feature that you can use to type a name for the drive. You can either type an 11-character name for the drive, or you can leave it blank by pressing Enter.
6.) Reboot. You are now ready to install your operating system.
Source:
Publish date: 28th July 2005Written by: TheoranAudience intended for: Windows ME Users, Windows 98 Users, Windows 95 Users
http://www.cybertechhelp.com/tutorial/article/how-to-format-a-partition
FORMAT
Type: External (1.0 and later)
Syntax:
FORMAT d:[/1][/4][/8][/F:(size)] [/N:(sectors)] [/T:(tracks)]
[/B|/S][/C]
[/V:(label)] [/Q][/U][/V]
Purpose: Formats a disk to accept DOS files.
Discussion
Formats the disk in the specified drive to accept DOS files, analyzing the
entire disk for defects.
Initializes the directory and file allocation tables. Can be used to
format both diskettes and fixed disks.
NOTE:
In some earlier versions of DOS, the drive designation letter was
optional. If you are using one of these versions, you can format a
diskette or a FIXED DISK if you enter FORMAT while working in that drive.
For more information on using the FORMAT command, refer to Chapter 2,
Using Common DOS Commands.
Options
/1 - Format for single-sided use, regardless of the drive type.
/4 - Formats a double-density diskette in a high-density type disk drive.
Files written to a double-sided disk using a high-density drive may not be
reliable.
/8 - Formats at 8 sectors per track. If /8 is not specified, FORMAT
defaults to 9 or 15 sectors per track, depending upon the disk drive type.
The /V option cannot be used with the /8 option.
/F:(size) - Formats disks to specific sizes. You can specify the target
disk to be a size value from 160Kb to 2.88Mb. Do not format a floppy disk
at a size higher than it was designed for.
/N:(sectors) - Specifies the number of sectors per track on the disk.
Used to format a 3.5 inch disk with the number of sectors per track
specified using this option. For 720 K-byte disks, this value should be
entered as ÒN:9.Ó
/T:(tracks) - Specifies the number of tracks on the disk. Used to format
a 3.5 inch disk with the number of tracks specified using this option.
For both 720 K-byte disks and 1.44 K-byte disks, this value should be
entered as T:80.
/B - Formats a disk reserving room on the disk to later copy the DOS
system files.
/S - Copies the operating system files to the disk after formatting.
These system files are hidden files and will not appear in a directory
listing. Using some versions of DOS, this must be the last option
entered.
/C - Causes FORMAT to retest badclusters, otherwise FORMAT will mark the
clusters as bad but will not retest them. (In DOS versions before
Version 6, FORMAT always retested any bad clusters.)
/V:(label) - Causes FORMAT to prompt for a volume label after the disk is
formatted. The label can be of 1 to 11 characters. The same characters
acceptable in filenames are acceptable in the volume label (however, you
cannot add a filename extension). The /8 option cannot be used with the
/V option. DOS Version 5 automatically assigns Label as the disk label and
creates a unique serial number in the boot sector of the disk. The serial
number is displayed at the end of the formatting process.
/Q - Provides a quick way to format a disk . This option erases the file
allocation table and the root directory, but does not identify bad
sectors.
/U - Completely erases all data on the target disk making it impossible to
perform an UNFORMAT later.
/V - Displays a prompt so that a volume label can be entered.
Example
If you want to format a floppy disk as a double-density disk in a 1.2M
drive, you should enter the following:
format a:/4
Back to the
Easy DOS Command Index
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| How to Partition Using MS-DOS Command Prompt |
Now that you have removed all of the partitions from your hard drive, it is now time to partition your hard drive. To partition a master hard disk, you will use the fdisk command. Fdisk is a DOS and Windows utility that is used to partition a hard disk, which is necessary before high- level formatting.
Below are the complete instructions to walk you through the process of creating partitions on your hard drive.
1.) Insert the Startup disk in the floppy disk drive, restart your computer. When the Microsoft Windows 98 Startup menu is displayed, select the Start computer without CD-ROM support menu option, and then press Enter.
At a command prompt, type fdisk, and then press Enter.
2.) Do you wish to enable large disk support?
Press Y and then press Enter. This will enable the FAT32 file system
3.) After you press Enter, the following fdisk options menu is displayed:
Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive
Set active partition
Delete partition or Logical DOS Drive
Display partition information
Change current fixed disk drive
**Note** that option 5 is available only if you have two physical hard disks in the computer.
4.) Press 1 to select the Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive menu option, and then press Enter.
5.) Press 1 to select the Create Primary DOS Partition menu option, and then press Enter.
6.) After you press Enter, you receive the following message: Do you wish to use the maximum available size for primary DOS partition?
A.) After you receive this message, use the following method:
B.) Press Y if you want all of the space on the hard disk to be assigned to drive C, press Y, and then press Enter. Go to Step 7
C.) Press N if you do not want all of the space on the hard disk to be assigned to drive C.
a.) If you select N then continue to follow these instructions.
b.) Enter the size of the partition you wish to make and then press Enter.
c.) Press ESC.
d.) Press 1 to select the Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive menu option, and then press Enter.
e.) Press 2 to select the Create Extended Partition menu option, and then press Enter.
f.) Press Enter to create an extended DOS partition that uses up the rest of the hard drive.
g.) Press ESC. After pressing ESC fdisk will automatically try to create a logical DOS drive.
h.) Enter the size of the second partition you wish to create and then press Enter.
i.) If you created your second partition to use the entire size of the Extended DOS Partition then go to Step 7.
J.) If not then repeat step h until you have used up the rest of the Extended DOS Partition then go to Step 7.
7.) Press ESC, and then press ESC to quit the fdisk tool and return to a command prompt.
8.) Reboot. You are now ready to format the partitions that you just created.
Source:
Publish date: 28th July 2005Written by: TheoranAudience intended for: Windows ME Users, Windows 98 Users, Windows 95 Users
http://www.cybertechhelp.com/tutorial/article/how-to-create-partition-using-fdisk |
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