Topic       : User Manual for TeraDesk
Author      : Wout Klaren, Henk Robbers, Djordje Vukovic
Version     : February 2017
Subject     : Documentation/Utilities
Nodes       : 87
Index Size  : 2746
HCP-Version : 3
Compiled on : Atari
@charset    : atarist
@lang       : en
@default    : Main
@help       : 
@options    : -i -t4 +z
@width      : 75
View Ref-File
   Contents
      Menus and Dialogs
         Menu title: File

4.2.10 Format disk...                                         TeraDesk

When this menu item is selected while a floppy drive icon is selected,
the dialog of the Floppy format function appears on the screen.

The dialog offers a number of formatting options:

- Four standard densities for 3.5" floppy disks:

    .Single sided    (SSDD -  360 KB)
    .Double sided    (DSDD -  720 KB)
    .High density    (DSHD - 1440 KB)
    .Extra density   (DSED - 2880 MB)

- Reformatting with existing format parameters read from the floppy.

- For each  format type chosen,  main parameters  can be  edited which
  modify the basic format  (parameters are editable only after a basic
  format had been selected, otherwise previous values are used):

    .number of sides
    .number of tracks
    .number of sectors per tracks
    .root directory size
    .volume label

- Number  of retries  to  attempt  before a  failed  sector-formatting
  operation is reported can be specified.

- Option to perform a 'quick format' is available. When it is selected
  only the  first two tracks of the floppy  will be reformatted. These
  tracks contain the boot sector, the FATs and the root directory. Use
  of this feature should be avoided  when numbers of tracks or sectors
  per track are set differently than in the previous format.

If the format operation  is used  in a multi-tasking environment (MiNT
or MagiC),  an attempt is made to lock the floppy drive device  before
commencing formatting.  If it fails  (e.g. if the device is already in
use), formatting will not start.

It should be noted that reformatting a floppy disk with the 'Previous'
format type does not necessarily  exactly reproduce the  original boot
sector.  Only the number of  disk sides,  number of tracks,  number of
sectors per track,  and root directory size  are read  from the floppy
disk and used.

Formatting can be interrupted by pressing the [Esc] key.

An installed application  can be set to  perform  the  formatting. The
application will completely replace  the built-in  formatting function
and its dialog in TeraDesk. See Set applications...