Imagine: You log on to your favorite BBS and decide to download a large program when you realize you don’t have enough room on your downloads disk to accomodate it. What to do? Pop in an uninitialized disk and initialize it while your BBS hangs up on you?!?
Imagine: You have a bunch of disks sitting around with some accumulated junk on them, so you decide to erase them so you can use them. Do you use the Finder’s Erase Disk… command and spend all day erasing your disks?!?
Imagine: You throw some confidential files into the trash to get rid of them, and the next thing you know, the local computer nerd has used a “scavenger” program to recreate your files. Will you have to burn your disks after you have used them?!?
There must be a better way!
About Flash Formatter
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There is a better way (surprise, surprise, surprise)! Use Flash Formatter.
Flash Formatter comes in two parts: the main application which allows you to configure and install the second portion of Flash Formatter, the FKEY. For those of you who don’t know what an FKEY is, it is a program similar to a Desk Accessory which you invoke by holding down the Command & Shift keys and typing a number. The number you type determines which FKEY is invoked—you can have a different FKEY for each number from 0 to 9. The Flash Formatter Installer allows you to specify which slot you would like to install the Flash Formatter FKEY in, but more on that later…
When invoked, the Flash Formatter FKEY allows you to QUICKLY and easily erase a disk. In fact, you’ll notice that the Flash Formatter FKEY will erase disks about THIRTY TIMES FASTER than the Finder’s Erase Disk… command. It will usually take Flash Formatter a little under 3 seconds to format a disk. Not bad, eh?
And, unlike throwing files out in the trash can, erasing a disk with Flash Formatter makes it impossible for someone to use a “scavenger” program to recreate your confidential files. Speed and security.
One catch however (there is always a catch): Flash Formatter will only erase disks that have been initialized beforehand. For instance, you cannot take a brand new disk out of the box and expect Flash Formatter to erase it in no time flat (it will erase it, but it will take as long as if you did it via the Finder’s Erase Disk… command). But for erasing disks which have already been used in record time, Flash Formatter has no equal!
Using the Flash Formatter Installer
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To install the Flash Formatter FKEY, simply choose Install Flash Formatter… from the FILE menu, and a dialog box will appear asking you which slot you would like to install Flash Formatter in. The number you click on will be the number you press while holding down the Command & Shift keys to activate Flash Formatter.
Once you click on a number, a window will appear informing you that Flash Formatter is being installed, and if all goes well a dialog box will come up saying the installation was successful. When this has happened, the Flash Formatter Installer has done two things: it has installed the Flash Formatter FKEY in your System file, and is has installed some other resources it needs.
After you have installed Flash Formatter, you should restart your Macintosh before you use it.
Using the Flash Formatter FKEY
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*** PLEASE NOTE: Flash Formatter is extremely safe. You can ONLY erase a disk you insert, so there is no danger of erasing your hard drive, and you are ALWAYS asked for confirmation before the disk is erased. So relax.
Now that Flash Formatter has been installed, you need only hold down the Command & Shift keys and type the number you specified the Flash Formatter FKEY to be installed under and it will be invoked.
Flash Formatter will eject your disk(s) and put a window up on the screen with a title picture, an “Insert a disk” message, and a Done button. Your disks are ejected for safety purposes, we wouldn’t want you erasing your last few month’s accounting records now would we?
To erase a disk, insert it into either disk drive. Flash Formatter will present a dialog box which shows the name of the disk you just inserted and the amount of free space on that disk, and a text field into which you type a new name for the disk. Clicking on the Cancel button will simply eject the disk and Flash Formatter will wait for you to insert another disk. If you click on the OK button the disk will be erased in about 2 seconds, and then it will be ejected. If there was a problem erasing the disk, Flash Formatter will inform you of it; otherwise it will simply wait for you to insert another disk—“no news is good news!”.
If you would like Flash Formatter to do an extensive media check of your disk after it formats it (to ensure the disk isn’t bad), check the Verify After Formatting checkbox. Again, no news is good news, Flash Formatter doesn’t tell you anything unless if there is something wrong with your disk.
When you are all done erasing disks, click in the Done button or type the «Return» key and you will quit Flash Formatter.
Miscellaneous
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Included in Flash Formatter’s File menu is the command “Transfer”. This menu choice allows you to run another program immediately, rather than quitting to the Finder. After you choose this command, a dialog box will appear listing the applications on your disks. Simply click on an application’s name and then click on the Transfer button and you will be transfered to that application.
Registration
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Flash Formatter is being distributed on the ShareWare system. This entitles you to review Flash Formatter before paying for it; try it out and see if you feel it is a worthy addition to your software library. If you choose to keep Flash Formatter, you are on your honor to send in the $8 registration fee and become a registered user. Otherwise you must destroy all of your copies of Flash Formatter (or better yet, give them to your friends). You are at a real advantage in that you can use Flash Formatter before you decide if you want to purchase it—please don’t take advantage of that privilege. Considerable time was spent developing and perfecting Flash Formatter and sending in your registration fee will insure the development of many more high–quality, inexpensive programs.
And to make it as easy as possible for you to register for Flash Formatter, we have included a ready-made registration form which you need only print out via the Print Reg. Form command from the FILE menu, fill in, and send it to us along with you registration fee.
Thanks
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Thank you to everyone who supports the Utopian concept of ShareWare. You do make a difference.
My special thanks go to all the users of M-BBS, for giving bug reports and suggestions which made Flash Formatter what it is. Thanks guys.
