Format Ü
   ßßßßßßß

 Formats a disk or drive for use with FreeDOS.

 The format command creates a new root directory and file allocation table
 for the disk.  It can also check for bad areas on the disk, and it can
 delete all data on the disk.  In order for FreeDOS to be able to use a
 new disk, you must first use this command to format the disk.

 Syntax: FORMAT drive: [/V[:label]] [/Q] [/C]
   drive:
     Specifies the drive containing the disk you want to format.  You must
     specify a drive parameter.  If you do not specify an of the following
     switches, format uses the drive type to determine the default format
     for the disk.
   /V:label
     Specifies the volume label.  A volume label identifies the disk and
     can be a maximum of 11 characters.  If you omit the /V switch or use
     it without specifying a volume label, FreeDOS prompts you for the
     volume label after the formatting is completed.  If you format more
     than one disk by using one format command, all of the disks will be
     given the same volume label.
   /Q
     Specifies a quick format of a disk.  With this switch, format deletes
     the file allocation table (FAT) and the root directory of a
     previously formatted disk, but does not scan the disk for bad areas.
     Use the /Q switch to format only previously formatted disks that you
     know are in good condition.
   /C
     Retests bad clusters.  By default, if a drive contains clusters that
     have been marked "bad," format does not retest the new clusters; it
     simply leaves them marked "bad."  Use the /C switch if you want
     format to retest all bad clusters on the drive.

 Typing a volume label
 If you omit the /V switch, or use it without specifying a label, format
 displays the following prompt after formatting is completed:

    Volume label (11 characters, ENTER for none)?

 The volume label can be a maximum of 11 characters (including spaces).
 If you want no volume label, press ENTER.

 Formatting a hard disk
 When you use the format command to format a hard disk, FreeDOS displays
 the following before attempting to format the hard disk:

    WARNING, ALL DATA ON NON-REMOVABLE DISK
    DRIVE x: WILL BE LOST:
    Proceed with Format (Y/N)?_

 To format the hard disk, press Y; if you do not want to format the disk,
 press N.

 Format messages
 When formatting is complete, FreeDOS displays messages showing the
 total disk space, any space marked as defective, the total space used
 by the operating system (if you used the /S or /B switch), and the
 space available for your files.

 Safe formatting
 If you do not specify the /U switch or a switch that reformats the disk
 to a different size, format performs a "safe" format, meaning that it
 clears the file allocation table and root directory of the disk but
 does not delete any data.  You can then use the unformat command to
 recover the disk if you did not originally intend to format it.  Format
 also checks each sector on the disk to ensure that the sector can
 properly store data.  If it locates a sector that cannot store data,
 format marks that sector to prevent FreeDOS from using it.

 If you specify the /U switch or any switch that changes the size of the
 disk, format performs an unconditional format operation by deleting all
 data on the disk.

 Quick formatting
 You can speed up the formatting process by using /Q.  Use /Q only if you
 have not received read or write errors on hard.  You can speed up the
 process even more using both /Q and /U.  If you use /U, format does not
 save the information necessary to later unformat the disk.

 Formatting a new disk
 When you use format to format a disk that has never been formatted,
 specify the /U switch to minimize formatting time.

 Using format with a reassigned drive or network drive
 You should not use the format command on a drive prepared by using
 the assign, join, or subst command.  You cannot format disks over a
 network.

 See Also:
   Label
   Unformat