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L I T E F O R M A T P A C K A G E ----------------------------------------- Version 1.20 -------------- U S E R ' S G U I D E -------------------------- Copyright (c) 1988-1991 by Falk Data Systems. All Rights Reserved. Last updated: March, 1991 Falk Data Systems 5322 Rockwood Court El Paso, Texas 79932-2412 U.S.A. Voice: (915) 584-7670 FAX: (915) 584-1540 Compuserve: 71420,2431 _______ ____|__ | (R) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - TABLE OF CONTENTS Description and General Information .......................... 1 The Lite Format Package ...................................... 1 Changes From Previous Versions ............................. 1 List of Known Incompatibilities ............................ 2 Installing the Lite Format Package ......................... 2 Why Must Diskettes Be Formatted? .............................. 3 How Lite Format Detects Bad Spots ............................ 5 What To Do If You Encounter a Problem ......................... 6 FormatF, Version 1.1 .......................................... 7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Description and General Information ........................... 7 Running FormatF ............................................... 7 Quick Start Tutorial ........................................ 7 Command Line Options ........................................ 8 /Quick Formatting ........................................... 9 How FormatF Marks Bad Spots ................................ 10 Error Messages ............................................. 10 DESQview Compatibility ..................................... 10 DvFormat, Version 1.1 ........................................ 11 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Description and General Information .......................... 11 Installing DvFormat .......................................... 12 "Change a Program" Values .................................. 12 Running DvFormat ............................................. 15 Quick Start Tutorial ....................................... 15 Command Line Options ....................................... 16 /Quick Formatting .......................................... 17 From the DESQview Menu ..................................... 18 From a DOS Window .......................................... 18 How DvFormat Affects System Performance .................... 19 How DvFormat Marks Bad Spots ............................... 20 Error Messages ............................................. 20 Common Questions and Answers ................................. 22 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Warranty ..................................................... 22 Registration ................................................. 22 Trademarks Mentioned ......................................... 25 Ideas for Future Versions .................................... 25 Suggesting Improvements ...................................... 26 Index ........................................................ 27 Table of Contents i - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - ------------------------------------ Description and General Information: ------------------------------------ Lite Format is a tiny subset of the larger Easy Format package. Lite format contains only two small programs (written entirely in assembly language) - FormatF.EXE and DvFormat.EXE. For information on the larger and more powerful Easy Format package, please refer to the PRODUCTS.DOC text file. Throughout this documentation we will use "Lite Format" when we are referring to both FormatF and DvFormat in general terms. ------------------------ The Lite Format Package: ------------------------ FormatF.EXE: ------------ FormatF was written entirely in assembly language to make it as compact as possible. FormatF is a command line driven replacement for the DOS Format.COM or Format.EXE. FormatF is easier to use than the DOS Format program. It provides you with a fancier display containing more information. It will detect many disk errors that can sneak past the DOS Format program. It is smaller on disk and in memory than the DOS Format program. It runs under any version of DOS later than 2.1 - each version of DOS comes with a Format program that will only run under that particular version of DOS. And FormatF is DESQview aware. DvFormat.EXE: ------------- DvFormat was also written entirely in assembly language to make it as compact as possible. DvFormat has the same options and controls as FormatF, but DvFormat is DESQview-specific. DvFormat formats diskettes in the background under DESQview, while you work on other tasks in the foreground. DvFormat is even smaller than FormatF. DvFormat requires only 18K of memory to start, and returns about 2-3K of that to DESQview, before it formats the first track. Changes From Previous Versions: =============================== For complete historical information on the Lite Format package, please refer to the HISTORY.DOC text file. Falk Data Systems: Lite Format 1.20 Page 1 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - List of Known Incompatibilities: ================================ There is a class of add-on diskette drives which is not recognized by the normal BIOS. These add-on drives are generally not connected to the disk controller that controls drives A and B. These add-on drives are supplied with a device driver which must be loaded during system boot-up through a statement in your CONFIG.SYS file. Diskettes are formatted in these drives using an entirely different technique from the one used by the programs in the Lite Format package. The current version of Lite Format does not support these add-on drives. A future version of Lite Format will be able to format diskettes in such drives by using the device driver rather than the BIOS routines. How can you tell if your machine has such a drive? If you are using an 80286 based machine (or above) you can run the SETUP program that came with your machine. The SETUP program will show you which drives are currently recognized by the BIOS. This information is stored in a special type of non-volatile memory called CMOS RAM. If the diskette drive information stored in CMOS RAM is not correct, and you are unable to update it using SETUP, then it is likely that you have one of these add-on drives. You can also check your CONFIG.SYS file for the name of a device driver that relates to disks or disk drives. If you attempt to format a disk on one of these drives Lite Format will display an error message telling you that the drive doesn't exist or that there may be a hardware error. The real problem is that the normal methods Lite Format uses to format a disk will not work on that particular drive. Even if you have such a drive in your computer, Lite Format will still be able to format the normal drives that are installed in your machine (usually drives A and B). Installing the Lite Format Package: =================================== Installation is easy. Simply copy all the Lite Format files to a subdirectory on your hard disk, or to the diskette you wish to use for Lite Format. Once you have printed the document files you may delete them from the disk - they are not needed by the Lite Format programs. Falk Data Systems: Lite Format 1.20 Page 2 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - If you use DESQview and wish to install the DESQview-specific version, DvFormat, then please refer to the additional information beginning on page 12. There are two programs in the Lite Format package: FormatF.EXE and DvFormat.EXE. You may use either or both of these programs, since they are completely independent of each other. -------------------------------- Why Must Diskettes Be Formatted? -------------------------------- That's a good question. There is a long answer, and there is a short answer. The short answer is included here to help give you a better picture of what formatting actually involves. The long answer is included in the "Easy Format Tech Kit" available from Falk Data Systems. Please refer to page 24 for more information about the Easy Format Tech Kit. A diskette is similar to a cassette tape or a video tape in that it is coated with a special magnetic material which can be used to record information. Information is written to the disk by recording magnetic signals, and information is read from the disk by detecting those magnetic signals. So far, things are fairly simple. Disks must be able to do more than just store information. They must be able to store it in such a way that you can find particular pieces of that information. If you have 10 files stored on one disk, it would be nice to be able to look at the information stored within one particular file without having to look through all the files (the entire disk) to find it. For this to happen, we need some kind of a map to tell us where things are stored on the disk. In reality, there are three main parts to the "map" on each floppy diskette. This "map" is drawn in several stages during the format process. First, we need to divide the disk into some sort of coordinate system so that small sections of the disk can be found quickly and easily. This is similar to the grid coordinates on most city road maps. Most city road maps let you look up a street name to find the general area on the map where the street you want is located. The coordinates might be something like "D-5" meaning column D, row 5. Now you have narrowed down your search for the street to only a few square inches of the map. The grid system has probably saved you a lot of wasted time searching all over the map. Falk Data Systems: Lite Format 1.20 Page 3 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - The first phase in formatting a floppy diskette is much like the grid pattern on your city map. This phase is called "physical" formatting. Physical formatting divides your disk into a series of concentric circles, or rings, starting from the outside of the disk and moving in towards the center of the disk. These rings are called "tracks". Physical formatting also divides each "track" into smaller units called "sectors". Each track has the same number of sectors, and each disk side (top and bottom) has the same number of tracks. We now have an easy way to describe every small area on the disk. If we know which side of the disk, which track, and which sector, we can tell the drive controller to move immediately to that small location. That is phase one. Phase two, called "logical" formatting, does several things - not the least of which is providing a map to where each file starts and ends, and where each piece is located in between. The process of logical formatting involves several important steps. The first step in logical formatting is to write the "boot sector". This is the very first sector on the disk, and it contains important information about the disk. The next step is to write the File Allocation Table, which most people simply call the "FAT". The FAT is another part of the three part "map" we talked about earlier. The FAT does several important things for us. Since we divided the disk into many small units, we need a way to find files that are so large they take many of those small units to store them. Most files are too large to fit into one of these small units on a disk. The FAT helps to keep track of all the little units that are part of the larger file. The FAT is also used by DOS to keep track of which parts of the disk are in use, which parts are available for use, and which parts are unusable because errors were detected there during the format process. The final step in the format process is to write the root directory. The root directory is the last part of our "map", and it helps to tie the other parts together. The root directory records where each file and subdirectory starts. Falk Data Systems: Lite Format 1.20 Page 4 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - Equipped with this information DOS is able to look into the FAT and find where all the other parts of that particular file or subdirectory are stored. Now you have a basic idea of what is done during the format process. Different operating systems and hardware use different types of "maps" to keep track of information on the disk. The manufacturer of the disk doesn't know who will finally purchase the disk, or on which type of computer and operating system the disk will eventually be used. So, the manufacturer wisely leaves the format process up to the end user. When the end user gets the disk, he or she uses a program to write the proper "map" to the disk. That, in a nutshell, is what formatting is all about. If you want more information about formatting, we have an outstanding package for you - the Easy Format Tech Kit. Please refer to page 24 for complete information. ---------------------------------- How Lite Format Detects Bad Spots: ---------------------------------- The programs in the Lite Format package are slightly different than the DOS format program in the way they identify bad spots on the disk during formatting. When the DOS format program finds a bad spot, it tries three times before giving up and marking the track as unusable. If the track passes any of the three tries, DOS assumes the track is good. That assumption is not best. When Lite Format encounters a bad spot, it immediately marks it as unusable. This means that marginal areas on the disk are marked as unusable rather than taking any chances. This also means that Lite Format will be much faster than the DOS format program on disks containing many bad spots. Sometimes, what looks like a bad spot might be caused by the disk drive not being fully up to speed. Any errors that are caused by a drive door being opened, or a disk not being up to speed, are retried a total of four times, before Lite Format gives up and displays a warning message. Any errors that are caused by actual bad spots on the disk are dealt with immediately, without retrying the operation. This makes Lite Format not only faster, but more reliable too. Falk Data Systems: Lite Format 1.20 Page 5 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - -------------------------------------- What To Do If You Encounter a Problem: -------------------------------------- Each version of DOS comes with a formatting program - either Format.COM or Format.EXE. Each of these format programs is specific to that particular version of DOS. You can't run the format program from one version of DOS under a different version of DOS. One of the reasons for this is because of the subtle differences between computers from different manufacturers, using different BIOS versions, newer hardware, and a myriad of other little details. We have gone to incredible lengths to make Lite Format compatible with the largest number of machines possible. Even if your computer is just barely considered "IBM compatible", chances are, Lite Format will work just fine. One thing you should know about this version of the Lite Format package is that the two programs - FormatF.EXE and DvFormat.EXE - are very dependent upon the BIOS in your machine. FormatF and DvFormat work on any machine that is IBM compatible on the BIOS level. Future versions of these programs will not be as dependent upon BIOS compatibility. When you become a registered user of Lite Format, you are entitled to free technical support. While we can't guarantee that Lite Format can be made compatible with every possible hardware combination, we can certainly do our best to make it work for you. For complete details on how to obtain technical support, please refer to page 23. Falk Data Systems: Lite Format 1.20 Page 6 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - FORMATF.EXE ------------------------------------ Description and General Information: ------------------------------------ FormatF is a general purpose formatting utility designed to replace the standard DOS format program. FormatF is both easier to use and faster than the standard DOS format program. It is also smaller on disk and in memory than the DOS format program. FormatF was designed to be as compact as possible. This makes it useful in many situations where no other format program would be. For instance, you're editing a file that is so large, it has even broken your personal record. When you try to save the file to disk, you realize - to your extreme horror - you don't have any disks that are formatted. You shell to DOS and try to run the DOS format program. You get a message telling you that there is not enough memory to load the program. "Now what?" Not to worry. FormatF needs much less memory than the DOS format program. FormatF's small size makes it usable in many situations in which other format programs simply wouldn't work. ---------------- Running FormatF: ---------------- FormatF is started from the DOS command line by typing "FormatF", any command line options you need, and pressing the <Enter> key. The command line options are listed on page 8. --------------------- Quick Start Tutorial: --------------------- FormatF must know which disk drive to use, and the size of the disks to be formatted. The type of diskette and the drive to be used for formatting must be specified on the command line. The command line is nothing more than the parameters you type after the program name but before pressing <Enter>. Before starting FormatF you must insert the diskette to be formatted into the appropriate disk drive. When you start FormatF, it will begin formatting the disk immediately. Falk Data Systems: FormatF.EXE Page 7 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - FormatF will begin formatting the diskette in the drive specified by the command line parameters. If there is no diskette present, then, after a short pause FormatF will display an error message and quit. Canceling the format operation: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you need to cancel the format operation before it is completed, there are two ways to safely do so. o Press Ctrl-Break (not Ctrl-C). This will cause FormatF to perform any cleanup necessary, display a status message, and return to DOS. o Remove the diskette from the drive. This will induce a timeout error and FormatF will display a message and return to DOS. Command Line Options: ===================== Command line options are options typed after the name of the program, on the DOS command line. When you start your favorite word processor you often type a space followed by the name of the file you wish to edit. That file name is known as a command line parameter. FormatF is not picky! Parameters may be upper or lower case and may appear in any order. Extra parameters or mistakes appearing on the command line will not bother FormatF. The following information explains how FormatF evaluates the command line parameters. Specifying the diskette drive: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The very first alphabetic character ("A" to "Z" or "a" to "z") that appears on the command line will be the one FormatF uses to specify the diskette drive on which formatting will occur. In other words, if the first alphabetic letter that appears (even with other stuff before it) on the command line is the letter A, then FormatF will know that you wish to use drive A:, if the first alphabetic letter is F then FormatF will format on drive F:. Before FormatF begins formatting, it first checks to ensure that the specified drive is actually a floppy diskette drive. If the drive you specified is not a floppy diskette drive, FormatF will display an error message and quit. Additionally, the specified drive cannot be a remote network drive, if it is, FormatF will display an error message and quit. Of course, if the drive does not exist at all, an error message will also be displayed. Falk Data Systems: FormatF.EXE Page 8 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - Specifying the diskette type: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The very first numeric digit, in the range 1 to 6, that appears on the command line will be the one FormatF uses to determine what type of format to perform. These values are much easier to remember than the cryptic information needed with the standard DOS Format program. The values and their meanings are listed below: 1 = 5 1/4", 360Kb diskette in a 360Kb drive 2 = 5 1/4", 360Kb diskette in a 1.2Mb drive 3 = 5 1/4", 1.2Mb diskette in a 1.2Mb drive 4 = 3 1/2", 720Kb diskette in a 720Kb drive 5 = 3 1/2", 720Kb diskette in a 1.44Mb drive 6 = 3 1/2", 1.44Mb diskette in a 1.44Mb drive If none of these digits appear on the command line, FormatF will display an error message and quit. The syntax is: FormatF <DrvLtr><FormatType> [/Q] <Enter> < > means that this value is required. [ ] means that this value is optional and can be left out if desired. /Quick Formatting: ================== Checking the diskette for bad sectors: FormatF automatically checks each diskette for bad sectors as it formats. If any bad sectors are detected, they will be marked exactly as they would be if you were using the standard DOS format program. If you already know that the diskette is of good quality and has no bad sectors, you can instruct FormatF to skip the error checking. This will cause FormatF to format the diskette much faster. If a marker character (either a slash "/", backslash "\", or dash "-"), followed by the letter "Q" or "q" appears anywhere on the command line, FormatF will perform the Quick format in which error checking is skipped. If you include the /Q option, then FormatF will run faster by assuming that the diskette is of good quality, skipping any error checking. Use this option when you know that a diskette is error free and wish to format it as quickly as possible. Please remember, when using this option, FormatF will not check the diskette for bad sectors. Falk Data Systems: FormatF.EXE Page 9 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - This option can also be used to erase disks completely. Disks erased in this matter cannot be "unerased" or "unformatted" by any of the currently available disk utility packages. How FormatF Marks Bad Spots: ============================ FormatF marks bad spots in exactly the same way the standard DOS Format program marks bad spots. Whenever a bad sector is detected, the entire track is marked as unusable. Of course this can often result in good sectors being marked as unusable (just as it does with the DOS Format program). If you need more control over the marking of bad spots, please use EzFormat (in the larger Easy Format package) rather than FormatF or DvFormat. FormatF is a little bit more picky than the DOS Format program about what constitutes a "good" sector. FormatF will detect some disk problems that the DOS format program will not detect. Error Messages: =============== FormatF does not display cryptic error codes or numbers. Whenever an error is experienced, FormatF displays a message describing exactly what occurred. FormatF has extensive error detection and reporting capabilities. This may be hard to believe, considering the small size of its .EXE file, but it can be easily verified. Try inserting a write-protected diskette. Try specifying a non-existant drive, an improper format type for the specified drive, a network drive, or anything else you can dream up. As you will see, FormatF is very thorough in its error trapping mechanisms. DESQview Compatibility: ======================= FormatF is DESQview aware. This means that when running under DESQview, all video output is sent to the buffer provided by DESQview, rather than directly to video memory. The Lite Format package includes a program called DvFormat, which is DESQview-specific and is very useful for formatting diskettes in the background while you work on other tasks in the foreground. DvFormat is described below. Falk Data Systems: FormatF.EXE Page 10 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - DVFORMAT.EXE ------------------------------------ Description and General Information: ------------------------------------ DvFormat is a general purpose formatting utility designed to replace the standard DOS format program. DvFormat is a "DESQview-specific" program, meaning that it will only run under the DESQview multitasking environment. DvFormat is very similar to FormatF - it accepts the same command line parameters and performs the same duties. The main difference between DvFormat and FormatF is that DvFormat uses the additional capabilities provided by DESQview, to format in the background while you work on other tasks in the foreground. With DvFormat, you can format floppy diskettes in the background while you work on a document with your word processor in the foreground. You can work on a spreadsheet, sort a database, or perform any other activities in the foreground while DvFormat carefully formats a diskette in the background. You can view DvFormat's status window to keep track of its progress, or you can move the status window to the background to avoid interference with the foreground application you are using. If DvFormat encounters any errors or conditions that you need to know about, it will automatically move its status window into the foreground so you can see it. Perhaps best of all, DvFormat only requires 18 Kbytes of memory in order to do its job. Not only that, but once DvFormat initializes itself, it gives approximately 2-3 Kbytes back to DESQview. This means that DvFormat leaves the vast majority of memory available for other tasks. We had considered a DESQview-specific, menu-driven program along the lines of EzFormat, but registered users told us that they preferred DvFormat just like it is - lean and mean. Since most of you feel that the best feature of DvFormat is it's small size, we will do our best to keep DvFormat's size and memory requirements to a minimum. DvFormat requires DESQview 2.0 or above. Falk Data Systems: DvFormat.EXE Page 11 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - -------------------- Installing DvFormat: -------------------- To install DvFormat, copy the file called "DvFormat.EXE" onto your hard disk. DvFormat may be placed in any subdirectory you wish. We keep it in the DESQview directory ("\DV"). If you do not have a hard disk, copy the file to the diskette you use when starting programs from the DESQview menu. The DESQview Program Information File (PIF) is called "DF- PIF.DVP". This file should be copied into your main DESQview directory ("\DV"). You must then use the DESQview "Add a Program" menu to get DESQview to recognize this new program. Next you should use the "Change a Program" menu to ensure that DvFormat is set properly for your particular system. Detailed information may be found in the following section. "Change a Program" Values: ========================== The proper values for each option in the "Change a Program" menu are listed below. Change a Program (Standard Options): ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Program Name: DvFormat Keys to Use on Open Menu: DF DF stands for DESQview Format. You may change these keys to any key combination you wish (as long as it is not already used by another program). For example, if you have two floppy drives, you may wish to have two separate menu choices, one for each drive. FA might be chosen for formatting on drive A, and FB for formatting on drive B. Memory Size (in K): 18 This is how much memory must be available for DvFormat to run. You may be interested in knowing that after DvFormat initializes itself, it returns about 2-3 Kbytes of memory that it no longer needs. DESQview can then use this memory for other things. Program: c:\dv\DvFormat.EXE If you use a directory other than \DV then you must be sure to indicate the correct path here. Also, it is very important that you include the .EXE file extension. Adding Falk Data Systems: DvFormat.EXE Page 12 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - the extension allows DESQview to load DvFormat without the assistance of Command.COM. If you leave off the .EXE file extension then considerably more memory will be required in the "Memory Size (in K)" field. Parameters: <DriveLetter><FormatType> [/Q] This is a very important field! The parameters listed here are the command line parameters that you would pass to DvFormat if you started it from within a DOS window. The parameters are listed below. <FormatType> = 1 = 5 1/4", 360Kb diskette in a 360Kb drive 2 = 5 1/4", 360Kb diskette in a 1.2Mb drive 3 = 5 1/4", 1.2Mb diskette in a 1.2Mb drive 4 = 3 1/2", 720Kb diskette in a 720Kb drive 5 = 3 1/2", 720Kb diskette in a 1.44Mb drive 6 = 3 1/2", 1.44Mb diskette in a 1.44Mb drive <DriveLetter> = (drive A: = A, drive B: = B, etc.) /Q = Quick format. /Q is short for /Quick. If you include the /Q option, then DvFormat will run faster by assuming that the diskette is of good quality and skipping the error checking. Use this option when you know that a diskette is error free and wish to format it as quickly as possible. Please remember, when using this option, DvFormat will not check the diskette for bad sectors. For more specific information regarding these parameters, please refer to the section entitled Command Line Options on page 16. Directory: \dv\ As with the "Program:" option (above), the default is the main DESQview directory. Of course, if you are using a different directory you should update this field accordingly. Writes text directly to screen: N Displays graphics information: N Virtualize text/graphics (Y,N,T): N Uses serial ports (Y,N,1,2): N Falk Data Systems: DvFormat.EXE Page 13 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - Requires floppy diskette: N Note: The "Requires floppy diskette:" field does not indicate whether or not the program uses a floppy diskette, it refers to whether DESQview should prompt you for a diskette before starting the program. Change a Program (Advanced Options) (press F1): ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ System Memory (in K): 0 DvFormat does not require any additional system memory. Maximum Program Memory Size (in K): (blank) DvFormat does not need any extra memory beyond the size of its load image. Script Buffer Size: 0 There is really no need for scripts with DvFormat. Maximum Expanded Memory Size (in K): 0 DvFormat does not use nor require EMS memory. Text Pages: 1 Graphics Pages: 0 Initial Mode: (blank) Interrupts: 1B to 23 For detailed information regarding which interrupts are used by DvFormat please refer to the technical information that comes with the Easy Format Tech Kit. Window Position: Maximum Height: 5 Starting Height: 0 Starting Row: 24 Maximum Width: 42 Starting Width: 0 Starting Column: 79 DvFormat controls the size and location of its window automatically. Once the window is visible on the screen you are free to move it around as desired. Shared Program: Pathname: (Blank) Data: (Blank) Falk Data Systems: DvFormat.EXE Page 14 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - Close on exit (Y,N,blank): Y Uses its own colors: Y Allow Close Window command: Y Runs in background: Y Uses math coprocessor: N Keyboard conflict: 0 Share CPU when foreground: Y Share EGA when fore....: Y Can be swapped out (Y,N,...): Y Protection level (0-3): 0 ----------------- Running DvFormat: ----------------- DvFormat must be installed prior to being used. For installation instructions please refer to page 12. Quick Start Tutorial: ===================== The type of diskette, and the drive to be used, must be specified on the command line. The command line is nothing more than the parameters you type after the program name on the DOS command line. When DvFormat is started from the DESQview Open Window menu, the command line comes from the parameters specified in the DESQview "Change a Program" menu. Please refer to the information beginning on page 12 if you have not done so already. Before starting DvFormat, you must insert the diskette to be formatted into the appropriate disk drive. When you start DvFormat, it will begin formatting the disk immediately. After DvFormat is properly installed on the DESQview menu (see page 12), and a diskette is inserted into the appropriate drive, DvFormat may be started by typing the two-key combination used to activate DvFormat. The default key combination is "DF". When this key combination is pressed, DESQview will load DvFormat into memory and allow it to begin running. DvFormat will begin formatting the diskette in the drive specified by the command line parameters (the parameters on the DESQview "Change a Program" menu). If there is no diskette present, after a short pause, DvFormat will display an error message and quit. If it appears that DvFormat has quit, but you did not see any error messages, everything is proceeding normally (as verified by the diskette drive light being on). The first time you run DvFormat, it may seem a bit confusing. You will see a small window open in the lower right portion of your screen, and almost immediately it will disappear. The reason for this is simple. As soon as DvFormat is finished with its initialization, it switches itself into the background. This means that your diskette is now being formatted in the background and you are back in the application that was in the foreground before DvFormat was started. Falk Data Systems: DvFormat.EXE Page 15 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - If no other windows are open and DvFormat is the only active process, it will remain in the foreground. DvFormat can be brought into the foreground by simply switching windows to the one containing DvFormat. By the way, when DvFormat is the foreground application, it formats much faster than when it is running in the background. When DvFormat finishes formatting the diskette, it automatically moves its window into the foreground and provides you with status information. This window will remain on the screen for a few seconds and then automatically close. Canceling the format operation: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you need to cancel the format operation before it is completed, there are several ways to safely do so. o Use DESQview's Close Window command to Close the DvFormat window. o Press Ctrl-Break (not Ctrl-C) while DvFormat is the foreground application. This will cause DvFormat to perform any cleanup necessary, display a status message, and close its own window. o Remove the diskette from the drive. This will induce a timeout error and DvFormat will automatically move its window into the foreground and display an error message. After a short pause to allow you to read the message, DvFormat will close its window and quit. Command Line Options: ===================== The command line options, contained in the "Parameters:" field of DESQview's "Change a Program:" menu, or typed after the program name when DvFormat is run from within a DOS Window, are presented here. DvFormat is not picky! Parameters may be upper or lower case and may appear in any order. Extra parameters (mistakes) appearing in the command line, will not bother DvFormat. The following information explains how DvFormat evaluates the command line parameters. Specifying the diskette drive: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The first alphabetic character (A to Z or a to z) that appears on the command line will be the one DvFormat uses to specify the diskette drive on which formatting will occur. In other words, if the first alphabetic letter that appears (even with other Falk Data Systems: DvFormat.EXE Page 16 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - stuff before it) on the command line, is the letter A, then DvFormat will know that you wish to use drive A:, if the first alphabetic letter is B, then DvFormat will format on drive B:, etc. Before DvFormat begins formatting, it first checks to ensure that the specified drive is actually a floppy diskette drive. If the drive you specified is not a floppy diskette drive, DvFormat will display an error message and quit. Additionally, the specified drive cannot be a remote network drive. If it is, DvFormat will display an error message and quit. Of course, if the drive does not exist at all, an error message will also be displayed. Specifying the diskette type: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The very first numeric digit, in the range 1 to 6, that appears on the command line will be the one DvFormat uses to determine what type of format to perform. These values are much easier to remember than the cryptic information needed by the standard DOS Format program. The values and their meanings are listed below: 1 = 5 1/4", 360Kb diskette in a 360Kb drive 2 = 5 1/4", 360Kb diskette in a 1.2Mb drive 3 = 5 1/4", 1.2Mb diskette in a 1.2Mb drive 4 = 3 1/2", 720Kb diskette in a 720Kb drive 5 = 3 1/2", 720Kb diskette in a 1.44Mb drive 6 = 3 1/2", 1.44Mb diskette in a 1.44Mb drive If none of these digits appear on the command line DvFormat will display an error message and quit. /Quick Formatting: ================== Checking the diskette for bad sectors: DvFormat automatically checks each diskette for bad sectors as it formats the diskette. If any bad sectors are detected, they will be marked exactly as they would be if you were using the standard DOS format program. If you already know that the diskette is of good quality and has no bad sectors, you can instruct DvFormat to skip the error checking. This will cause DvFormat to format the diskette much quicker. If a marker character (either a slash "/", backslash "\", or dash "-"), followed by the letter "Q" or "q" appears anywhere on the command line, DvFormat will perform the Quick Format, in which error checking is skipped. Falk Data Systems: DvFormat.EXE Page 17 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - If you include the /Q option, then DvFormat will run faster by assuming that the diskette is of good quality, skipping the error checking. Use this option when you know that a diskette is error free and wish to format it as quickly as possible. Please remember that when this option is used DvFormat will not check the diskette for bad sectors. From the DESQview Menu: ======================= As mentioned above, DvFormat may be started from the DESQview Open Window menu by entering the two character code assigned to DvFormat. You may also use the arrow keys or your mouse to highlight the DvFormat option on DESQview's Open Window menu, and then <Enter> or <Click> to start DvFormat. Running DvFormat from the DESQview Open Window menu is the preferred method for using DvFormat. Alternatively DvFormat may be started from within a DOS Window as outlined below. If you are in a Big DOS window or you are running a memory intensive application (using all the available memory) when you pop up the DESQview menu and instruct DESQview to start DvFormat, then, obviously, DESQview will have to swap the current application out, to make room for DvFormat. Then, when DvFormat switches itself into the background, DESQview may swap it out and swap the other application back in. If DESQview does perform this swapping, DvFormat will not be able to execute at all unless you switch windows, forcing DESQview to swap DvFormat back into RAM memory. With the above information in mind, it would be to your advantage to open the DvFormat window when there is still enough RAM memory left so that swapping is not necessary. From a DOS Window: ================== Before starting DvFormat from within a DOS Window, you should know that DvFormat expects to be a separate process. When DvFormat finishes and quits it closes its window and frees any memory associated with itself. This means that if you run DvFormat from within a DOS Window, it will close the DOS Window when it finishes. To start DvFormat from within a DOS Window simply type the name of the program (DvFormat) followed by the appropriate command line parameters, exactly as you would if you were using FormatF. The command line parameters are explained beginning on page 16. Falk Data Systems: DvFormat.EXE Page 18 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - The syntax is: DvFormat <DrvLtr><FormatType> [/Q] <Enter> The parameters may appear in any order and in either upper or lower case. How DvFormat Affects System Performance: ======================================== The performance of your system is dependent, to a large extent, upon the values specified in the Performance advanced option of the DESQview Setup program. This information may be found on page 129 of the DESQview manual (version 2). Additional information may be found beginning on page 4 of the DESQview Version 2.26 Upgrade Booklet. The default values set by DESQview are usually more than adequate for our purposes. Normally DESQview has complete control over when task switching should occur. DvFormat takes extra steps to help DESQview determine when to switch execution to other tasks. DESQview will give the appropriate time slice to each program executing according to the values you specify in DESQview's Setup program. Additionally, DvFormat will frequently tell DESQview that "now is a good time to let other programs run". DvFormat performs the following sequence of tasks: 1. Format then verify each track, one at a time. 2. Write the boot sector. 3. Write the File Allocation Tables (FATs). 4. Write the Root Directory. As DvFormat is performing these tasks, it is also letting DESQview know when it is a good time to allow other programs to run. The complete scenario is outlined below: o Format a track. - Allow other programs to run. o Verify a track. - Allow other programs to run. * (the above is performed for each track on the diskette). o Write the boot sector. - Allow other programs to run. o Write the first FAT. - Allow other programs to run. o Write the second FAT. - Allow other programs to run. o Write the Root Directory. - Allow other programs to run. Falk Data Systems: DvFormat.EXE Page 19 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - o Display the final status window (moved to the foreground). - Allow other programs to run. o Quit. As you can see, DvFormat does its best to spread out its CPU requirements as much as possible, to allow other programs to be executed as fast as possible in the foreground. One factor of which you should be aware, is the overhead DESQview imposes in order to safely provide multitasking capabilities. Each time DESQview switches contexts it must save and restore a considerable amount of information. This process takes time. Obviously, the more applications you have running the more time will be spent in saving and restoring information which in turn takes CPU time away from the applications themselves. The fewer applications running at one time, the faster each application will run. So if you have one foreground application, and DvFormat running in the background, your system will perform much better than if several applications were running in the background simultaneously. Of course, if DvFormat is running all by itself, it will format the diskette much faster than if it were running in the background. How DvFormat Marks Bad Spots: ============================= DvFormat marks bad spots in exactly the same way the standard DOS Format program marks bad spots. Whenever a bad sector is detected, the entire track is marked as unusable. Of course this can often result in good sectors being marked as unusable (just as it does with the DOS Format program). If you need more control over the marking of bad spots, please use EzFormat (part of the larger Easy Format package) rather than DvFormat or FormatF. DvFormat is a little bit more picky than the DOS Format program about what constitutes a "good" sector. DvFormat will detect some disk problems that the DOS format program will not detect. Error Messages: =============== DvFormat does not display cryptic error codes or numbers. Whenever an error is experienced DvFormat will automatically move its window into the foreground, and display a message describing exactly what occurred. Falk Data Systems: DvFormat.EXE Page 20 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - DvFormat has extensive error detection and reporting capabilities. This may be hard to believe considering the small size of its .EXE file, but it can be easily verified. Try inserting a write-protected diskette. Try specifying a non- existant drive, an improper format type for the specified drive, a network drive, or anything else you can dream up. As you will see, DvFormat is very thorough in its error trapping mechanisms. Falk Data Systems: DvFormat.EXE Page 21 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - ----------------------------- Common Questions and Answers: ----------------------------- These are the most commonly asked questions regarding the use of the programs in the Lite Format package. I'm using DvFormat under DESQview and as soon as it starts, it moves into the background but doesn't do anything. What's going on? DESQview has swapped EzFormat out of memory, making it impossible for it to execute until it is moved into the foreground again. To avoid this, always make sure that there are at least 18 Kbytes of memory available before starting DvFormat from the DESQview Open Window Menu. I have a disk that has bad spots in different places each time I format it - no matter which format program I use. What causes that? Foreign particles - dust, plastic flakes, etc. - on the disk. When foreign matter is present on a disk, bad spots will be detected at whatever location the foreign material happens to be located, when you format the disk. While it is possible to clean the disk, the best solution is to throw the disk away. You should also clean your drive heads whenever these symptoms arise. --------- Warranty: --------- Please refer to the WARRANTY.DOC text file for complete warranty information. ------------- Registration: ------------- Lite Format is NOT a public domain program. It is Copyright (c) 1988, 1989,1990,1991 by Falk Data Systems. Please refer to the REGISTER.DOC text file for complete registration details. Falk Data Systems: Lite Format 1.20 Page 22 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - Technical Support: ================== Free technical support is available to all registered users of Lite Format. If you are a registered user and have a question, problem, or need help in any way, please feel free to contact us for technical support. We are here to help you. Falk Data Systems wants its customers to be happy with our products. We will do our best to help you get the most out of Lite Format. Most technical support questions are answered in the Lite Format User's Guide (this document). So before contacting us for technical support, please try to find the answer to your question in the User's Guide. If you are unable to find the information you need, then please feel free to contact us. Perhaps you've come across something that should be included in the User's Guide in the future. The best way to obtain technical support is through CompuServe. You may send CompuServe Mail messages to us on CompuServe [71420,2431]. We check our messages every working day, and frequently on weekends too. If you are not a CompuServe subscriber be sure to check the appropriate box on your registration form and we will provide you with a free CompuServe IntroPak and a $15.00 usage credit. You may obtain technical support by writing, FAXing, or calling Falk Data Systems. You may write to us at the following address: Falk Data Systems 5322 Rockwood Court El Paso, Texas 79932-2412 U.S.A. Or you may call our technical support line at (915) 584-7670. Our hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Mountain time, Monday through Friday. You may also FAX your questions to (915) 584-1540. ASP Ombudsman Statement: ------------------------ This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but Falk Data Systems: Lite Format 1.20 Page 23 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427, or send a CompuServe Mail message to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. Obtaining Updates: ================== Distributing a new version of a shareware product can be more expensive than most people realize. Hundreds of disks must be sent to shareware distributors, computer user groups, clubs and organizations, magazine editors, and more. This is in addition to sending copies to any registered users who are entitled to the new version. The process is costly not only in postage, but also in time and energy. Therefore, we don't always send out updates and modifications to all the usual channels. This is one of the reasons registered users are often able to acquire updates and new versions long before non-registered users. Another reason why registered users are often able to receive updates months before non-registered users is because of the lead time involved in updating the catalogs of the disk vendors. Most disk vendors update their catalogs every 1-3 months (depending upon the frequency of catalog releases). This means that even after a vendor receives an update it may be several months before you find out about it. If you happen to miss a catalog issue or overlook an update notice then it could take even longer for you to find out about an update. Whenever a new version is released, it is sent FIRST to any registered users who are entitled to the new version. Their copy goes in the mail even before copies to magazine editors and columnists. Some versions are sent ONLY to registered users and NOT to anyone else. When you become a registered user of Lite Format, we will send you the most current version on disk in a sealed envelope. Please refer to the REGISTER.DOC text file for complete registration information. The Easy Format Tech Kit: ========================= If you are a programmer or developer, or someone who enjoys technical details, then we have something just for you. The "Easy Format Tech Kit" is available to registered users of Lite Format for an additional fee. The Easy Format Tech Kit is a retail software product and must be paid for in advance. Please refer to the PRODUCTS.DOC file for complete details. Falk Data Systems: Lite Format 1.20 Page 24 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - --------------------- Trademarks Mentioned: --------------------- Falk Data Systems and The Programmer's Productivity Pack are trademarks of Falk Data Systems. ASP and Association of Shareware Professionals are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Association of Shareware Professionals. CompuServe Information Service is a registered trademark of CompuServe, Inc. DESQview is a trademark of Quarterdeck Office Systems. IBM, PC-DOS, and PC/XT/AT and PS/2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. Microsoft and MS-DOS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. OPTASM, OPTLINK, and OPTLIB are trademarks or registered trademarks of SLR Systems. Other trademarks of other companies mentioned in this document appear for identification purposes only. -------------------------- Ideas for Future Versions: -------------------------- We already have a long list of improvements and new features for future versions. These include not only improvements to the software, but to the documentation as well. Several new options and controls are planned for future versions: o New techniques are being tested which will enable Lite Format to run even faster in the future. o An option to make bootable diskettes using Lite Format. o A full blown, customizable diskette duplication system, which will enable you to serialize program files and volume labels, and much more. o The ability to format on drives that work only through device drivers. o And more. Keep the suggestions coming. Falk Data Systems: Lite Format 1.20 Page 25 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - When will new versions be released? We won't make any promises or announce any shipping dates until it actually happens. An amazing amount of work went into this version of the Lite Format package. Let us know how you like it and how we can improve it. Let us know if you think it was worth all the time and energy it took to develop. We do listen, and we do read every suggestion sent to us. We do our best to answer every letter we receive, but, like you, we can at times get swamped with letters to write. So we can't guarantee that we will answer every letter, but we give it our best shot. ------------------------ Suggesting Improvements: ------------------------ If you have suggestions or comments regarding Lite Format, please feel free to pass them on to us. Those who have used products from Falk Data Systems in the past know that we go to great lengths to incorporate any suggestions in future releases. At Falk Data Systems we take your needs seriously! Please take the time to write to us, or send electronic mail through CompuServe Mail, and let us know what you like, or don't like, about our products. As an additional benefit to you, if you come up with an idea that no one else has suggested, and we implement your suggestion in a future release, you will get a free copy of that release! We believe that you should be rewarded for your ideas. The people who use software, and the people who design it, are a team. When they communicate with each other, the end product continues to grow and develop to meet the changing needs of its users. The artificial barrier between software developers and end users is not a good thing for the computer industry. At Falk Data Systems we want to maintain a close relationship between the developers and the users. Please let us know how we can serve your needs better. Thanks for your support. We look forward to hearing from you soon. Falk Data Systems: Lite Format 1.20 Page 26 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - Index A Drive Answers 22 Add-On 2 ASP 24 Controller 4 Ombudsman 24 Network 17 Remote 17 B Drive Letter 8, 17 Background Task 11, 15, 16 Duplicate 25 Bad Spot 5, 9, 17, 20, 22 DvFormat.EXE 1, 11, 22 Benefits 23 BIOS 2, 6 E Boot Sector 4 Easy Format Tech Kit See: Tech Bootable 25 Kit Bug Fixes 1 80286 2 80386 2 C Erase 10 Changes 1 Errors Close Window 16 Disk 5 CMOS RAM 2 Hardware 2 Command Line 8, 16 Common Questions 22 F Compatible 6 FAT 4 CompuServe 23, 25, 26 File Allocation Table See: FAT CONFIG.SYS 2 Foreground Task 16 Conflicts 2 Format.COM 6, 7, 10 Controller See: Drive, FormatF.EXE 1, 7 Controller Formatting CPU Time 20 Logical 4 Ctrl-Break 8, 16 Overview 3 Ctrl-C 8, 16 Physical 4 Future 2, 25, 26 D DESQview 3, 10, 19, 22 G Aware 1, 10 Grid 3 Menu 12, 15, 18 Specific 1, 3, 11 H Detection 5, 10, 21 History 1 Device Drivers 2, 25 Disk Type 9, 17 I Disks Incompatibilities 2 Bootable 25 Intro Document Files 2 DvFormat.EXE 1, 11 DOS 5 FormatF.EXE 1, 7 DOS Format See: Format.COM Package 1 Index: Lite Format 1.20 Page 27 of 28 - Lite Format 1.20 User's Guide - M Security 10 Magnetic Signal 3 Sequence 19 Manufacturer 5 SETUP 2 Map 3, 5 Shareware 22, 24 Marginal 5 Subdirectory 2 Mass Duplicate 25 Suggestions 26 Modifications 1 Swap 18 Multitasking 11 Syntax 9, 19 System Performance 19 N Non-Registered Users 24 T Tech Kit 3, 5, 14, 24 O Technical Support 6, 23 Ombudsman 24 Technique 2 Timeout 16 P Track 4 Package 1, See Also: Intro, Trademarks 25 Package Try-before-you-buy 22 Performance See: System Performance U PRODUCTS.DOC 24 Unerase 10 Unusable 5 Q Updates 1, 24, 25 Questions 22 Upgrades See: Updates Quick Format 9, 17 /Q 9, 17 V Version R Changes 1 RAM 18 New 1 REGISTER.DOC 24 Old 1 Registered Users 6, 11, 22, 24 Registration 6, 22, 24 W Retail 24 Warning Message 5 Retry 5 Warranty 22 Root Directory 4 WARRANTY.DOC 22 Write-Protected 10, 21 S Scenario 19 X Sector 4 XFormat 1 Index: Lite Format 1.20 Page 28 of 28