![]() The
MS-DOS FORMAT command | |
Written in |
MS-DOS:
x86 assembly language FreeDOS: C |
---|---|
Operating system | RT-11, 86-DOS, MS-DOS, PC DOS, OS/2, eComStation, ArcaOS, ISIS-II, iRMX 86, TRIPOS, AmigaDOS, Z80-RIO, OS-9, MSX-DOS, FlexOS, PC-MOS, SpartaDOS X, DR DOS, ROM-DOS, 4690 OS, FreeDOS, PTS-DOS, SISNE plus, Windows, ReactOS |
Platform | Cross-platform |
Type | Command |
License | MS-DOS:
MIT PC-MOS: GPLv3 FreeDOS: GPLv2 ReactOS: LGPL-2.0-or-later |
In
computing, format
is a
command-line utility that carries out
disk formatting. It is a component of various
operating systems, including
86-DOS,
MS-DOS,
IBM
PC DOS and
OS/2,
Microsoft
Windows and
ReactOS.
The command performs the following actions by default on a floppy disk, hard disk drive, solid state ( USB), or other magnetic medium (it will not perform these actions on optical media):
Any storage device must have its medium structured to be useful. This process is referred to as "creating a filesystem" in Unix, Linux, or BSD. [4] Under these systems different commands are used. The commands can create many kinds of file systems, including those used by DOS, Windows, and OS/2.
FORMAT.COM
, among several other commands, in
IBM PC DOS 1.0.FORMAT.CMD
in
CP/M-86The command is also available in Intel ISIS-II, [5] iRMX 86, [6] MetaComCo TRIPOS, [7] AmigaDOS, [8] Zilog Z80-RIO, [9] Microware OS-9, [10] DR FlexOS, [11] TSL PC-MOS, [12] SpartaDOS X, [13] Datalight ROM-DOS, [14] IBM/ Toshiba 4690 OS, [15] PTS-DOS, [16] SISNE plus, [17] and in the DEC RT-11 [18] operating system.
On MS-DOS, the command is available in versions 1 and later. [19]
Optionally (by adding the /S, for "system" switch), format
can also install a
Volume Boot Record. With this option, Format writes bootstrap code to the first sector of the volume (and possibly elsewhere as well). Format always writes a
BIOS Parameter Block to the first sector, with or without the /S option.
Another option (/Q) allows for what Microsoft calls "Quick Format". With this option the command will not perform steps 2 and 3 above.[
citation needed] Format /Q
does not alter data previously written to the media.
Typing "format" with no parameters in MS-DOS 3.2 or earlier would automatically, without prompting the user, format the current drive; however in MS-DOS 3.3 and later it would simply produce the error: "required parameter missing".[ citation needed]
DR DOS 6.0 includes an implementation of the format
command.
[20]
The FreeDOS version was developed by Brian E. Reifsnyder and is licensed under the GPL. [21]
format
command on
ReactOSThe ReactOS implementation is based on a free clone developed by Mark Russinovich for Sysinternals in 1998. It is licensed under the GPL. [22] It was adapted to ReactOS by Emanuele Aliberti in 1999 and supports FAT, FAT32, FATX, EXT2, and BtrFS filesystems.
0x00
since
MS-DOS 1.25 and
PC DOS 2.0. If the Format command line option /O is provided, the first byte of each
directory entry is set to 0xE5h
to create a FAT format usable by
PC DOS 1.0-
1.1. However, not providing /O will significantly speed up directory searches under MS-DOS 1.25 and PC DOS 2.0 and higher. Older versions of MS-DOS, PC DOS, and
86-DOS only supported the 0xE5
marker.
![]() The
MS-DOS FORMAT command | |
Written in |
MS-DOS:
x86 assembly language FreeDOS: C |
---|---|
Operating system | RT-11, 86-DOS, MS-DOS, PC DOS, OS/2, eComStation, ArcaOS, ISIS-II, iRMX 86, TRIPOS, AmigaDOS, Z80-RIO, OS-9, MSX-DOS, FlexOS, PC-MOS, SpartaDOS X, DR DOS, ROM-DOS, 4690 OS, FreeDOS, PTS-DOS, SISNE plus, Windows, ReactOS |
Platform | Cross-platform |
Type | Command |
License | MS-DOS:
MIT PC-MOS: GPLv3 FreeDOS: GPLv2 ReactOS: LGPL-2.0-or-later |
In
computing, format
is a
command-line utility that carries out
disk formatting. It is a component of various
operating systems, including
86-DOS,
MS-DOS,
IBM
PC DOS and
OS/2,
Microsoft
Windows and
ReactOS.
The command performs the following actions by default on a floppy disk, hard disk drive, solid state ( USB), or other magnetic medium (it will not perform these actions on optical media):
Any storage device must have its medium structured to be useful. This process is referred to as "creating a filesystem" in Unix, Linux, or BSD. [4] Under these systems different commands are used. The commands can create many kinds of file systems, including those used by DOS, Windows, and OS/2.
FORMAT.COM
, among several other commands, in
IBM PC DOS 1.0.FORMAT.CMD
in
CP/M-86The command is also available in Intel ISIS-II, [5] iRMX 86, [6] MetaComCo TRIPOS, [7] AmigaDOS, [8] Zilog Z80-RIO, [9] Microware OS-9, [10] DR FlexOS, [11] TSL PC-MOS, [12] SpartaDOS X, [13] Datalight ROM-DOS, [14] IBM/ Toshiba 4690 OS, [15] PTS-DOS, [16] SISNE plus, [17] and in the DEC RT-11 [18] operating system.
On MS-DOS, the command is available in versions 1 and later. [19]
Optionally (by adding the /S, for "system" switch), format
can also install a
Volume Boot Record. With this option, Format writes bootstrap code to the first sector of the volume (and possibly elsewhere as well). Format always writes a
BIOS Parameter Block to the first sector, with or without the /S option.
Another option (/Q) allows for what Microsoft calls "Quick Format". With this option the command will not perform steps 2 and 3 above.[
citation needed] Format /Q
does not alter data previously written to the media.
Typing "format" with no parameters in MS-DOS 3.2 or earlier would automatically, without prompting the user, format the current drive; however in MS-DOS 3.3 and later it would simply produce the error: "required parameter missing".[ citation needed]
DR DOS 6.0 includes an implementation of the format
command.
[20]
The FreeDOS version was developed by Brian E. Reifsnyder and is licensed under the GPL. [21]
format
command on
ReactOSThe ReactOS implementation is based on a free clone developed by Mark Russinovich for Sysinternals in 1998. It is licensed under the GPL. [22] It was adapted to ReactOS by Emanuele Aliberti in 1999 and supports FAT, FAT32, FATX, EXT2, and BtrFS filesystems.
0x00
since
MS-DOS 1.25 and
PC DOS 2.0. If the Format command line option /O is provided, the first byte of each
directory entry is set to 0xE5h
to create a FAT format usable by
PC DOS 1.0-
1.1. However, not providing /O will significantly speed up directory searches under MS-DOS 1.25 and PC DOS 2.0 and higher. Older versions of MS-DOS, PC DOS, and
86-DOS only supported the 0xE5
marker.