FDFORM(8)FDFORM(8)NAMEfdform - Format Floppy Disk
SYNOPSISfdform raw_device [ b=blocksize ] [ d=density ] [ g=gap3_length ]
DESCRIPTIONfdform performs a full surface disk format on a floppy disk. fdform is
not used for SCSI floppy disks; these must be formatted with sdform(8).
fdform is normally invoked by the disk(8) program when initializing a
new floppy disk; however, it may be used to re-initialize a damaged
floppy. fdform should be used with extreme caution; all data on the
disk being formatted is lost.
The floppy disk is formatted one track at a time; each track is read
after it is formatted. Any error on the read operation results in
fdform aborting the format operation.
OPTIONS
b=blocksize
blocksize is in bytes; it must be either 512 or 1024. The
default is 512.
d=density
density is the capacity of the disk in KBytes; legal values are
720, 1440, and 2880. The default value is the value intended to
be used with the floppy disk being formatted; the fd(4) driver
can determine this value. Specifying a density larger than the
disk's capacity is an error. Specifying a capacity smaller than
the disk's capacity is legal but is not recommended.
g=gap3_length
gap3_length is the length of the write splice at the end of each
sector, in bytes. The default is a value chosen by the fd(4)
driver for a particular sector size and density.
n=num_cylinders
num_cylinders specifies the number of cylinders to format. The
default is the entire disk.
SEE ALSOfd(4), disk(8)BUGSNeXT Computer, Inc. August 14, 1990 FDFORM(8)