[Coco] Formatting DriveWire virtual disks and floppies.

[Bill Pierce]

Try booting NitrOS9 (from one of the repo boots) and typing:

help format<ENTER>

ahhh.... there it is!! All of format's options. I knew we hid them somewhere safe so no one would delete them.

Syntax: Format <devname>
Usage : Initializes a NitrOS9 diskette
Opts  :
    R - Ready
    L - Logical Format Only
    "disk name"
    1/2 - Number of sides
    'No. of cylinders' (in decimal)
    :Interleave value: (in decimal)
    /Cluster size/     (in decimal)


Like most commands on any computer... Syntax is your friend!!
 
Trying to format a disk with no parameters will cause format to use the parameters set within the descriptor of that drive as OS9 stores no disk info on a disk. This is why you get wild results on dw just using format with no parameters. The dw descriptors are setup for HDs by default but will handle any size vhd/dsk.
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Gunshannon <bill.gunshannon at hotmail.com>
To: coco at maltedmedia.com <coco at maltedmedia.com>
Sent: Mon, Jan 14, 2019 1:38 pm
Subject: Re: [Coco] Formatting DriveWire virtual disks and floppies.

On 1/14/19 11:01 AM, Gene Heskett wrote:
> On Monday 14 January 2019 10:15:40 Bill Gunshannon wrote:
> 
>> On 1/14/19 10:05 AM, Gene Heskett wrote:
>>> On Monday 14 January 2019 06:48:38 Walter wrote:
>>>> Gettlemen (& any ladies).
>>>> I have done it.
>>>> The secret to formatting a DW floppy/disk is in an undocumented
>>>> option to format. You can provide the number of tracks (of 18
>>>> sectors) with the 'value option like so: Format /x1 '84
>>>> Will format a 1512 sector drive or 42tracks*2sides*18sectors.  But
>>>> you must provide DW a 387072 byte file to mount. I successfully
>>>> backed up my first 42track DS floppy to a DW virtual floppy! Walter
>>>
>>> Format has other options too and I am at a loss as to why they
>>> should have disappeared from the dox.
>>
>> Format has a lot of flaws and warts.
> 
> +100 at least.
> 
>> It really needs a new version
>> written.  I don't suppose there is any documentation anywhere on the
>> functional method of formatting that could be used?
> 
> Your next big project perhaps?

If I could find the needed info, I would gladly give it a shot.


bill

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