Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Path: utzoo!censor!meadow!py
From: py@meadow.uucp (Peter Yeung)
Subject: Re: help with formatting diskettes
Message-ID: <1991Apr25.171757.9078@meadow.uucp>
Keywords: formatting
Reply-To: py@meadow.UUCP (Peter Yeung)
Organization: Amdahl Canada Ltd., Software Development Center
References: <10779@hub.ucsb.edu>
Distribution: comp
Date: Thu, 25 Apr 91 17:17:57 GMT

In article <10779@hub.ucsb.edu> 6500erpa@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu (Eric Palacio) writes:
>Hi, 
>Here's my problem:
>Every time I try to format a DD diskette in drive b: 
>(1.44MB, 3 1/2") giving the "format b:" command I get the 
>following message:  
>Invalid media or Track 0 bad - disk unusable
>Format failure .
>I am still able to read/write to any diskette on that drive,
>DD or HD, and format HD diskettes with no problem.

The defaults used by FORMAT is to format HD diskettes on 1.44Meg drives.
The options you should use to format DD diskettes are 

    format b: /f:720 (for DOS 4.01)

or

    format b: /t:80 /n:9 (for DOS 3.3)

>Eric Palacio 6500erpa@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu


-- 
Peter Yeung     Amdahl Canada Ltd., Software Development Center
                2000 Argentia Road, Plaza 2, Suite 300
                Mississauga, Ont.   L5N 1V8
                Phone: (416) 542-6300    Fax: (416) 858-2233