Linux in a Nutshell, Fourth Edition

Name

mformat

Synopsis

                  mformat [options] drive

Format a blank disk in MS-DOS format. See mtools for more information about how to handle MS-DOS filesystems. After using mformat to format a disk, you should use mbadblocks to check for bad blocks.

Options

The mformat command accepts many of the same options as the MS-DOS FORMAT command:

-v [label]

Choose a label for this volume. Maximum length is 11 characters.

-f N

If you are using a floppy disk, use this flag and note the size of the disk in kilobytes as 160, 180, 320, 360, 720, 1200, 1440, or 2280. For most relatively recent systems, only the last two are relevant. If you are not using a floppy, you must use the -h, -t, or -n flags.

-t N

The number of tracks on the disk.

-h N

The number of heads, or sides, on the disk (either 1 or 2).

-n

The number of sectors per track.

You can also use a number of option flags that are not included in the MS-DOS version of FORMAT, including:

-F

Format as a FAT32 partition.

-S N

Size code. You are defining a sector that is the N+7th power of two.

-X

Format as an XDF (OS/2) disk.

-2

Use a 2m format.

-3

Don’t use a 2m format, even if the disk looks like a 2m disk.

-C

Create a disk image file. Useful only for virtual disks.

-M N

Set the software sector size to be different from the physical sector size.

-N serialno

Choose a serial number. Use -a for an Atari-style serial number, stored in the OEM label.

-c N

Set the cluster size to N sectors.

-r N

Set the root directory size to N sectors for 12- and 16-bit FAT formats. ...