Topic       : Documentation for Thing
Author      : Arno Welzel/Thomas Binder/TransAction
Version     : thing.hyp 1.27E (23/8/1998)
Subject     : Documentation/Shells
Nodes       : 269
Index Size  : 6336
HCP-Version : 4
Compiled on : Atari
@charset    : atarist
@lang       : 
@default    : %I
@help       : %Hilfe
@options    : +g -i -s +y +zz -t4 -d10
@width      : 75
@hostname   : THING   
View Ref-FileFile - Format Disk...                                                 Thing

Thing naturally also includes its own internal floppy disk formatting 
routines. If these are insufficient for your needs you can also use an 
external program, which can be set up in the 'System' page of the 
'Configuration' dialog; the external program takes priority and overrides 
the internal routines. You can also use Kobold for formatting, if you wish.

During a format operation (using the internal routines only) selecting
the  Cancel  button aborts the operation. The following options are
available:

Drive: Select between 'A:' or 'B:'. If one of the drives is highlighted
  on the desktop this will be set automatically in the format dialog.

Volume label: An optional 12 character label can be added to the disk.

Format: Thing supports the two main standard formats:
  DD: Double density (80 Tracks, 9 sectors): Results in 720Kb space.
  HD: High density (80 Tracks, 18 sectors): Results in 1.44Mb space.
  Both formats are MS-DOS compatible, unlike extended formats that use more 
  than 80 tracks and/or more than nine or eighteen sectors respectively.
 
  At today's floppy disk prices it makes little sense to risk loss of data
  by using higher writing densities that the drive or disks used may not 
  support.

Clear FATs only: If this option is set only the file allocation
  tables (FATs) and boot sector are written anew. This makes GEMDOS think 
  the disk is freshly formatted, which makes this option a handy way to 
  'quick format' a disk that is already formatted. This option only works 
  if the disk was previously formatted in the same selected (double or 
  high density) format!

Formatting starts from the highest track number and works backwards, so 
should you find that you are accidentally formatting a disk containing 
data you wanted to keep, some at least may be rescued by aborting the 
format (because the FATs and root directory are still intact). Naturally 
any data on tracks that have been formatted already will be lost.

After formatting is complete the available disk space is displayed along
with a random serial number. The serial number is used by the operating
system to determine reliably when disks have been changed even if they 
are write-protected, and should be different for each disk; Thing 
therefore generates a random number that is seeded by the current time.


      Unfortunately the Atari cannot check the 'Drive Ready' signal from 
      floppy disk drives, and uses the 'Write Protected' signal instead
      to recognise disk changes. But this signal only changes if the 
      inserted disk are not write protected. Adding a random serial
      number gives the operating system a chance to notice a disk change. 
      Beware of copiers that duplicate disks without changing the serial 
      number, these can lead to lost data!
 
      There are also some disk drives that have general problems in 
      recognising medium changes!