Silent Format of Floppy Disk?

[BigDaddyO]

Does anyone have a way to Format a floppy disk silently for all OS's 95,98,2K,XP???

XP is simple because it's Format.com has a switch /y that will accept all defaults

2K I have to do ControlSend to hit Enter, N, Enter

cmd allows you to do Format a: /q & exit which automatically exits after completed

98, 95 I have to do ControlSend to hit Enter, N, Enter, Exit, Enter.

Command does not allow the & so I have to manually Controlsend the Exit, Enter

I have tried to do the ControlSend but the CMD for 2K & XP and Command for 95 & 98 have different Class names. I guess I may have to write 3 different ways and depending on the OS is which way to do the format.

Does anyone have a simpler way?

Thanks,

Mike

[Andre]

Hi,

Find an format replacement that works on all OS versions and integrate it with FileInstall ?

Andre

[Andre]

Ok Larry,

That is a bit nicer then my suggestion

Andre

[BigDaddyO]

FileDelete("c:\y.txt")
FileWrite("c:\y.txt","y")
RunWait( @COMSPEC & " /c format /q a: < c:\y.txt", "", @SW_HIDE )

or..  try...

RunWait( @COMSPEC & " /c echo y | format /q a:", "", @SW_HIDE )

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

oh my, I never knew about the < will that work in other DOS commands?

[Andre]

Hint : for creating the y.txt file use @tempdir......

Andre

Edit : Floppy's what are they

Edited February 15, 2005 by Andre

[BigDaddyO]

Here is what I needed to do for it to work on 95,98 machines. This also works on XP but I havn't tested on 2K but I would assume it works.

FileDelete(@Tempdir & "\N.txt")

filewrite(@Tempdir & "\N.txt", @CRLF & @CRLF & "n" & @CRLF)

runwait(@Comspec & " /c Format A: /q < " & @TempDir & "\N.txt", "", @SW_HIDE)

[layer]

Andre a floppy disk is like a square disk usually about i dont know, i dont have one here, 3 inches long and wide? they have a little slice in the corner and they have this little circle in the center and heres a pic and there used to store small amounts of data, depending on the brand... and heres a link for a definition from webopedia.. http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/f/floppy_disk.html

[Blue_Drache]

Here is what I needed to do for it to work on 95,98 machines.  This also works on XP but I havn't tested on 2K but I would assume it works.

FileDelete(@Tempdir & "\N.txt")

filewrite(@Tempdir & "\N.txt", @CRLF & @CRLF & "n" & @CRLF)

runwait(@Comspec & " /c Format A: /q < " & @TempDir & "\N.txt", "", @SW_HIDE)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Larry had it right. (as usual)

I use this command in DOS for Win32 formats

"Echo y | format c: /u > nul"

the command in front of the pipe is passed to the prompt "are you sure"

Of course, the > nul shunts the output to a non-existant operator, so you'll have to configure everything (volume name, etc) though the command line switches.

Edited February 15, 2005 by Blue_Drache

[Andre]

@Layer,

Thnx, when i dig in my memory i can surely recall that is saw it in the past

Andre

[Blue_Drache]

@Layer,

Thnx, when i dig in my memory i can surely recall that is saw it in the past

Andre

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I laughed when I read that ... "Uhhh what's a floppy?" But then again I realized that the current generation of college freshmen have always had remote control, cable tv, some form of computer with some sort of Bill Gates software installed, and probably have never seen a vinyl LP record IRL.

It's amazing what we wind up taking for granted, huh?

[Andre]

I'm only 30 years old.

But at home we've started with black & white TV and no remote control.

And i still have my first LP somewhere stacked away.

With computers the same story.

Starting with a

- Commodore 16

- Commodore 64

- Zinclair Spectrum...

should i continue

Andre

[techguy86]

format a: /autotest

Not quite sure but I think /autotest is undocumented.

[Blue_Drache]

I'm only 30 years old.

But at home we've started with black & white TV and no remote control.

And i still have my first LP somewhere stacked away.

With computers the same story.

Starting with a

- Commodore 16

- Commodore 64

- Zinclair Spectrum...

should i continue

Andre

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, I jumped in with an Apple IIe, and a C-64 and C-128. Progressed to a TI then to a TRaSh-80, finally to an IBM-PC-XT (88 Mhz...oOOooOOOOoo)

I wasn't stating that YOU personally were a college freshman, as we're both 30...but...just realizing a generation gap is in there somewhere.... I think it's called the "Atlantic Ocean" or something like that.