Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!burl!codas!mtune!icus!lenny
From: lenny@icus.UUCP (Lenny Tropiano)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.att
Subject: Re: reformatting 3b2 harddisks
Summary: I would assume you want to start from scratch ?
Keywords: formatting, AT&T 3B2.
Message-ID: <217@icus.UUCP>
Date: 16 Jan 88 04:43:52 GMT
References: <1489@ea.ecn.purdue.edu>
Reply-To: lenny@icus.UUCP (Lenny Tropiano)
Distribution: na
Organization: ICUS Computer Group, Islip, NY
Lines: 37

In article <1489@ea.ecn.purdue.edu> cyliax@ea.ecn.purdue.edu (Ingo Cyliax) writes:
|>
|>Is there any way to reformat 3b2 harddisks ? We have several 3b2's
|>on campus and have run into some that have had their harddisks
|>scrambled and would like to reformat them to see if we can make
|>them work again. Buying new harddisks from ATT is out, since ~$500
|>for a 32 Meg winchester seems a bit steep, especially when there
|>is nothing really wrong with the drive.
|>
|>I have heard that there is a formatting utility that ATT had/has that
|>would let technicians reformat disks in the field, but we haven't had
|>any luck in trying to obtain anything like that from ATT.
|>

The "formatting" utility that you mention is called DEVTOOLS you basically
have to know someone to get something like this.  It has things on it
like ability to write the sanity track, and do some weird things with
the hard disk.  I think we used it once, I don't remember exactly what for.

But there is a very simple way of reformatting the system is doing a
FULL RESTORAL.  Boot the 3B2 off the 1st floppy in the System Software.
Select 'FULL RESTORE' and you can put in the new partitioning, etc... like
you are starting new.  This will in-theory reformat your system.  

WARNING: All your stuff previously on the hard disk is destroyed!

						-Lenny
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