Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!munnari.oz.au!uniwa!cc.curtin.edu.au!cutmcvax!campbell From: campbell@cutmcvax.cs.curtin.edu.au (Trevor George Campbell CC361) Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.misc Subject: Re: Loe Level Floppy Formatting? Keywords: Low Level Message-ID: Date: 7 Jun 91 08:42:13 GMT References: <1991May28.133503.323@gw.wmich.edu> Sender: news@cutmcvax.cs.curtin.edu.au (Usenet News System) Organization: Curtin University of Technology, Computing Science Lines: 37 Nntp-Posting-Host: cutmcvax.cs.curtin.edu.au 32lim@gw.wmich.edu (Chris) writes: >I was just wondering: > Is it possible to LOW LEVEL format a Floppy Disk? > I remember a program somewhere that cliamed to do it. > How does one TOTALLY blank (ie: unformat) a F.Disk? ANY program that formats a floppy disk should do a low level format of the disk. The normal DOS FORMAT command certainly does, although Norton's Safe format, QUICK FORMAT choice probably doesn't (from memory it just rewrites the Boot Block, FAT and Root Directory (ie: the HIGH LEVEL FORMAT stuff). All a Low Level format does is write the Sector / Cluster headers onto the disk without these, the disk will be unreadable (to most/all operating systems). So before you use a floppy you MUST Low Level Format it (just use DOS's FORMAT) As to how to Totally blank (ie: unformat) a F. Disk ??????? BLANKING a disk can be achieved by FORMAT a: or b: as reqd. HOWEVER, once a Floppy has been formatted (except by Safe Format or the likes) it can NOT EVER be unformatted as ALL data on the disk is GONE for GOOD !!! Hope this helps..... -- Trevor alias <****> tuo em tel esaelP ,lanimret siht edisni kcuts m`I pleH ( for all of you out there who can't read backwards..... Help i'm stuck inside this terminal, Please let me out )