required: a disk format utility

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tim
  • Start date Start date
T

Tim

Hello,

I require a format utility that doesn't ask for user responses as the default
NT/w2k FORMAT command does.

Specifically, FORMAT will ask you to provide the drive label if the drive is
already formatted; this is the situation I'd like to avoid.

Can anyone help - thanks...

Tim.
 
thank you for the reply bob, unfortunately this only works if the volume does
not already have a label. I've written an inelegant workaround for this in the
last few minutes, but I'm hoping someone knows of a freeware 'format regardless'
utility, or alternatively, a volume wipe utility that creates an unformatted
volume.
 
Is this for harddrives? BTW does the "inelegant workaround" contain the
"label" command?
 
hi, bob,

yes, inelegant workaround uses label with responses fed from a text file (which
doesn't seem to work for format - ?) and format is for a ramdisk.

cheers, tim.
 
Ok, I'll bite. Unformatted RAMDISK??? How about taking this from the
top, as to what you are trying to accomplish? Since a RAMDISK is only a
"Memory construct", why are you trying to "unformat" it?
 
hello, bob,

good point, why do you want to unformat a ramdisk?

well, naturally, i'd rather not! This is the scenario:

a ramdisk is running. everything is fine. but then for some reason i need to
logout.
usually someone else needs to log on to the machine.
before logging out, the ramdisk is emptied.
there is no telling what state the ramdisk will be in, once i log back in to the
machine.
it could be absent altogether (not a problem, just restart the ramdisk service).

one could of course, run some commands to find out whether the ramdisk was
formatted, unformatted, etc, etc
however, i'd prefer just to have a universal command that always worked.
'echo y | format /v:label ...' does this except when the ramdisk is already
formatted, and labelled.

however, if there was a 'format -force' command or a 'format -raw' (ie -raw
means create unformatted), it wouldn't matter,
it would always be possible to start from a known point, in that 'echo y |
format /v:label ...' would always work after a 'format -raw'.

well there's no 'format -raw' so 'label %ram_vol% < .\label.input' was what i
came up with.

note that at the moment, this solution is fully scripted, eg, where i state
"restart the ramdisk service",
the user doesn't have to do this manually, the login script will do this.

thanks for biting!,
tim.
_________________________
 
In said:
hello, bob,

good point, why do you want to unformat a ramdisk?

well, naturally, i'd rather not! This is the scenario:

a ramdisk is running. everything is fine. but then for some reason
i need to logout.
usually someone else needs to log on to the machine.
before logging out, the ramdisk is emptied.
Click to expand...

Erasing a RamDisk (during logout for example) does not alter it's
formatting...
there is no telling what state the ramdisk will be in, once i log
back in to the machine.
it could be absent altogether (not a problem, just restart the
ramdisk service).
Click to expand...

If the remdisk is created (and formatted) at system startup
(service/driver) why would it not be available after logout/logon?

I must not understand your meaning or software...
 
Tim said:
a ramdisk is running. everything is fine. but then for some reason i
need to logout.
usually someone else needs to log on to the machine.
before logging out, the ramdisk is emptied.
there is no telling what state the ramdisk will be in, once i log back
in to the machine.
it could be absent altogether (not a problem, just restart the ramdisk
service).
Click to expand...
Hi Tim,
IMO you are generously wasting time of all readers. The last
description had belonged into your very first posting.

IIRC ther are special "ramdisk" progrmas on the market *mirroring* the
information themselves to hd so you have the speed gain of a ramdisk
while retaining the reliability of a hd.

You are better of using such software instead of toying around with
formatting a ramdisk.
 
Simply Stop and restart the service.
hello, bob,

good point, why do you want to unformat a ramdisk?

well, naturally, i'd rather not! This is the scenario:

a ramdisk is running. everything is fine. but then for some reason i need to
logout.
usually someone else needs to log on to the machine.
before logging out, the ramdisk is emptied.
there is no telling what state the ramdisk will be in, once i log back in to the
machine.
it could be absent altogether (not a problem, just restart the ramdisk service).

one could of course, run some commands to find out whether the ramdisk was
formatted, unformatted, etc, etc
however, i'd prefer just to have a universal command that always worked.
'echo y | format /v:label ...' does this except when the ramdisk is already
formatted, and labelled.

however, if there was a 'format -force' command or a 'format -raw' (ie -raw
means create unformatted), it wouldn't matter,
it would always be possible to start from a known point, in that 'echo y |
format /v:label ...' would always work after a 'format -raw'.

well there's no 'format -raw' so 'label %ram_vol% < .\label.input' was what i
came up with.

note that at the moment, this solution is fully scripted, eg, where i state
"restart the ramdisk service",
the user doesn't have to do this manually, the login script will do this.

thanks for biting!,
tim.
_________________________
Click to expand...
 
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