What happened to fdformat
barb...@my-dejanews.com
format a floppy in Linux using "fdformat". Well, on my Debian system
this is what I get:
----------------------------------
histria ~ # fdformat
bash: fdformat: command not found
histria ~ # man fdformat
No manual entry for fdformat
-----------------------------------
(as root). How can I format a floppy ?
Thank you,
Cristian Barbarosie
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---Share what you know. Learn what you don't.---
Bill Unruh
> I know this sounds stupid, but I used to think that you can low-level
>format a floppy in Linux using "fdformat". Well, on my Debian system
...
>(as root). How can I format a floppy ?
See if you have mformat. The mtools package is a great package. (Mind
you I think that is an MSDos format, not an ext2)
lla...@my-dejanews.com
barb...@my-dejanews.com wrote:
> I know this sounds stupid, but I used to think that you can
low-level
> format a floppy in Linux using "fdformat". Well, on my Debian system
> ----------------------------------
> histria ~ # fdformat
> bash: fdformat: command not found
> histria ~ # man fdformat
> No manual entry for fdformat
> -----------------------------------
Well, I just used it yesterday on a newly installed S.u.S.E. Linux
6.1 system. Isn't it part of the 'mtools' package. Maybe you have
to be 'root' to use it.
Hope these hint are useful.
--
Louis-ljl-{ Louis J. LaBash, Jr. }
Gary I Kahn
> format a floppy in Linux using "fdformat". Well, on my Debian system
> this is what I get:
Try the following commands instead:
mkfs.msdos /dev/fd0
mkfs.msdos -cv /dev/fd0
mformat a:
The first is similar to a DOS "format /q", while the second also
tests the floppy for bad blocks. The third is part of the
"Mtools" package, and doesn't appear to test the floppy for bad
blocks.
Gary
Rob Komar
: I know this sounds stupid, but I used to think that you can low-level
: format a floppy in Linux using "fdformat". Well, on my Debian system
: this is what I get:
: histria ~ # fdformat
: bash: fdformat: command not found
: histria ~ # man fdformat
: No manual entry for fdformat
: -----------------------------------
: (as root). How can I format a floppy ?
fdformat is part of the util-linux-2.9X package. You could download
the source code and build it yourself if you're feeling adventurous.
Cheers,
Rob Komar
James Stafford
That's hoe I got fdformat on my Slackware boxes. Except I downloaded it
separately off the net some where.
jamess
Paul Payne
> I know this sounds stupid, but I used to think that you can low-level
> format a floppy in Linux using "fdformat". Well, on my Debian system
> this is what I get:
> ----------------------------------
> histria ~ # fdformat
> bash: fdformat: command not found
> histria ~ # man fdformat
> No manual entry for fdformat
> -----------------------------------
> (as root). How can I format a floppy ?
> Thank you,
> Cristian Barbarosie
>
> --== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==--
> ---Share what you know. Learn what you don't.---
Type, without quotes, "mke2fs /dev/fd0", if you want an ext2 format
floppy. Don't know how to get a ms-dos format. If your floppy is not the
first floppy you will sub the zero with the right number, ie 1 for the
second floppy. Paul
Cameron Spitzer
Paul Payne <psand...@home.com> wrote:
>barb...@my-dejanews.com wrote:
>
>> I know this sounds stupid, but I used to think that you can low-level
>> format a floppy in Linux using "fdformat". Well, on my Debian system
>> this is what I get:
>> ----------------------------------
>> histria ~ # fdformat
>> bash: fdformat: command not found
It's been replaced by superformat(1).
>Type, without quotes, "mke2fs /dev/fd0", if you want an ext2 format
You can only write a file system ("high level format" in MS-DOS terms)
if the medium is already formatted ("low level format" in MS-DOS terms).
mke2fs will write a file system on formatted media, but it will
not format the media.
>floppy. Don't know how to get a ms-dos format.
With mformat or mkdosfs. Or, take a formatted diskette and zero it
out
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/fd0u1440 count=1440
and use a legal copy of MS-DOS to "format" it, then grab an image of it
gzip -9 < /dev/fd0u1440 > /var/spool/msfloppy.gz
Then you can make legal clones of it for game launching disks:
gzip -dc /var/spool/msfloppy.gz > /dev/fd0u1440
These will work with those stupid games that look for a Microsoft MBR.
Or, launch the DOS emulator and see if it can "format" the diskette.
Recent Debian ahd Red Hat have come with a working preinstalled
DOSEMU (using FreeDOS and OpenDOS) which you invoke with the "dos"
command.
>If your floppy is not the
>first floppy you will sub the zero with the right number, ie 1 for the
>second floppy. Paul
>
The /dev/fd0 device only works with diskettes that are already formatted.
The correct device for formatting "drive A:" as a 3.5" 1.44MB diskette is
/dev/fd0u1440, or /dev/fd0H1440 on Red Hat.
See /usr/src/linux/Documentation/devices.txt. (You *did* install
kernel source, didn't you?)
HTH
Cameron
Neil Zanella
On Tue, 18 May 1999, Paul Payne wrote:
> Type, without quotes, "mke2fs /dev/fd0", if you want an ext2 format
> floppy. Don't know how to get a ms-dos format. If your floppy is not the
> first floppy you will sub the zero with the right number, ie 1 for the
> second floppy. Paul
I think you can make a dos formatted floppy with the mtools (the command
is mformat). You can download mtools from the usual places if you don t
already have it.
Ruud Mol
/dev/foo' instead.
barb...@my-dejanews.com wrote:
> I know this sounds stupid, but I used to think that you can low-level
> format a floppy in Linux using "fdformat". Well, on my Debian system
> this is what I get:
> ----------------------------------
> histria ~ # fdformat
> bash: fdformat: command not found