mformat

mformat

The mformat command in Linux is used to format a floppy disk. It can be used to create a new file system on a floppy disk, or to erase the contents of a floppy disk.

The mformat command takes the following arguments:

• device: The device name of the floppy disk to format.

• options: Optional arguments that control the behavior of the mformat command.

The following are some of the most common options for the mformat command:

• -f: Specifies the file system to create. The default file system is FAT12.

• -n: Specifies the number of sectors per track. The default number of sectors per track is 18.

• -s: Specifies the size of the floppy disk. The default size of the floppy disk is 1.44MB.

For example, the following command formats the floppy disk /dev/fd0 with a FAT12 file system and 18 sectors per track:

mformat -f FAT12 -n 18 /dev/fd0

The mformat command is a useful tool for preparing floppy disks for use. It can be used to create new file systems on floppy disks, or to erase the contents of floppy disks.

Here are some additional things to keep in mind about the mformat command:

• The mformat command must be run as root or by a user who has permission to format floppy disks.

• The mformat command can only be used to format floppy disks that are located on the local machine.

• The mformat command cannot be used to format floppy disks that are located on a remote machine.

It is important to be aware of these limitations when using the mformat command, so that you do not accidentally format a floppy disk that you do not have permission to format or that is located on a remote machine.

Here are some examples of how to use the mformat command:

• To format the floppy disk /dev/fd0 with a FAT12 file system and 18 sectors per track:

mformat -f FAT12 -n 18 /dev/fd0

• To format the floppy disk /dev/fd0 with a FAT32 file system:

mformat -f FAT32 /dev/fd0

• To erase the contents of the floppy disk /dev/fd0:

mformat -u /dev/fd0

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