It may seem superfluous to include a disk formatting utility since formatting can be done using the DOS commands. This utility however will provides a painless way to format disks in a variety of ways. You can also change the disk name and ID characters without losing data. You are presented a menu which offers the various options available for the disk drive you are using. This utility won't work with RAMDOS, if you need to reformat your RAM disk, use the DOS command option.
Please note that you should insert the disk you want to use before making a selection, as some selections require to read data from the disk to work. The various options are as follows:
Change header name (all drives):
Change the disk name without disturbing the disk contents. The current disk name is displayed. The header ID is also displayed, and the "real" ID is displayed in parenthesis (unless you are accessing a 1581 drive which don't use a "real" ID). You may now enter a new name and/or ID characters. A comma separates the name from the ID. You have three alternatives:
Change name only: Enter the new name and no comma.
Change ID only : Enter a comma, then the new ID characters.
Change name & ID: Enter new name, a comma, then ID characters.
The computer will check if the name is legal (a disk name must be between 1 and 16 character long, and the ID must be exactly two characters). If something is wrong, you are prompted to re-enter the name and/or ID.
The new name & ID combination is displayed, and you are asked if it is OK to proceed. Check that the name & ID really is OK, and press the Y key to write the new header onto the disk.
PLEASE NOTE about the difference between header ID and real ID: When a disk is formatted two identification characters (called ID) is written to each and every disk block. The disk drive use the ID to distinguish between the various disks. The ID is also placed into the disk header so that you can check the ID characters used. You can change the header ID using this utility, but the actual ID used seen by the disk drive, the ID that is written to each disk block, does not change. It is recommended that each of your disks is assigned its own unique ID, so having another ID on your directory than your drive actually use will only complicate matters. It is therefore good practice to leave the header ID alone. THE SERVANT will let you change the header ID if you want to disregard good practice or set the ID back to the proper value. The 1581 doesn't need the ID, so you may change the ID on 1581 disks at will.
Format single sided (1541 & 1571):
Formats the front side of a disk. On the 1571, this results in a single sided 170K disk which is compatible with 1541 disk drives. You are asked to enter a disk name and ID. You must enter both, and THE SERVANT will check if the name is legal (a disk name must be between 1 and 16 character long, and the ID must be exactly two characters). You're asked if it is OK to proceed. Check that the name & ID really is OK (and that you are about to format the right disk!), and press the Y key to initiate the format process.
Format whole disk (1571 & 1581):
Formats both sides of a disk. On the 1581, the whole disk is formatted, not just the current selected partition. You're asked to enter a disk name and ID. You must enter both, and THE SERVANT will check if the name is legal (a disk name must be between 1 and 16 character long, and the ID must be exactly two characters). You're asked if it is OK to proceed. Check that the name & ID really is OK (and that you are about to format the right disk!), and press the Y key to initiate the format process.
Format back side (1571):
The 1571 can use the back side of a disk as a totally separate single sided disk, without flipping the disk over. The front side of the disk should be formatted as a single sided disk (or not be formatted at all). This has little but novelty value, as the back side formatted this way can't be read by a 1541 disk drive by flipping the disk over. To create a double sided disk readable on a 1541, format the disk single sided, flip it over, and format the back side likewise using the "format single sided" option discussed above.
You're asked to enter a disk name and ID. You must enter both, and THE SERVANT will check if the name is legal (a disk name must be between 1 and 16 character long, and the ID must be exactly two characters). You're asked if it is OK to proceed. Check that the name & ID really is OK (and that you are about to format the right disk!), and press the Y key to initiate the format process.
I can imagine two reasons for using this format: 1) The data can be hidden from prying eyes. 2) If you need to store many small files on the disk you may reach the maximum 144 files. Formatting the back side will let you store another 144 files on the disk. To access the back side in your own programs you must use these two commands: 'u0>m0' then 'u0>h1'. To get back, use 'u0>m1'. In BASIC this would look like:
To access the back side: To get back:
10 open 1,8,15 10 open 1,8,15
20 print#1,"u0>m1" 20 print#1,"u0>m1"
30 print#1,"u0>h1" 30 close 1
40 close 1
Alternative format:
10 open 1,8,15,"u0>m1":close1
PLEASE NOTE: When the back side of the disk has been formatted, the disk drive is reset to its normal condition. To access the back side, you must select the back side manually.
Convert to double sided (1571):
Most software is supplied on single sided disks to accommodate users having access to 1541 disk drives only. You may want to utilize the software using the increased storage space available on a double sided disk. The best way is always to file copy all the files to a separate double sided disk. This is not always possible however. The disk might contain data which is not transferable by a file copier. In such situations this utility may come in handy. It will convert a single sided disk to double sided without disturbing the data on the front side.
WARNING! This operation should never be performed on an original disk unless you are absolutely sure about what you do. Use the Disk Copier to make a backup, and try to convert the backup, NOT the original. Make sure that nothing important is stored on the back side of the disk. Flip the disk over and try to read the disk directory before attempting the conversion.
You're asked if it is OK to proceed. Check that you are indeed trying to convert the right disk.
Some problems may arise when trying to convert a disk:
1) The disk is already double sided. You're informed about this, and the conversion is aborted.
2) The disk is not a standard formatted 1541 disk. THE SERVANT will inform you about this and you'll once again be asked if it's OK to proceed. This condition may be caused by a number of things. THE SERVANT detects this by checking the dual sided flag (a byte in the header which tells if the disk is single or double sided) and checking the area where the BAM for the back side of the disk is to be stored (a part of the back side BAM is stored near the end of the front side header block). Both the double sided flag and the back side BAM area should all contain zeros. Any nonzero value is detected by THE SERVANT, and great caution must be taken. Some software actually store data in these areas, the BAM area might contain data which is necessary for the software to boot. Overwriting such information may render the software unusable. On the other hand, overwriting the BAM area might be quite harmless. For example, some hackers exchange secret messages using this area. There are also a number of reasons why plain garbage might be present in the BAM area.
3) The software might not be usable, even if no vital data is overwritten. The software may have been written exclusively for use on single sided disk for some reason or another. The software might refuse to load, hang up, act strangely, or work perfectly but being unable to exploit the extra disk space. I can not give any further advice on this, other that you go back and use your original disk. Please note however, that the conversion might not be the reason why the software won't work. If the original disk was copy protected, it won't be able to run from the copy disk in any case.
Fix double sided flag (1571):
This utility will flip the double sided flag on a disk. If the flag was cleared (rendering the disk single sided) it is set, and if it is set it is cleared. You're asked if it is OK to proceed. Check that you are indeed trying to convert the right disk.
You may want to use this utility if you inadvertently have validated a double sided disk while the disk drive was in single sided mode. A bug in the old 1571 ROM will render the disk single sided, while important data might be stored on the back side of the disk. This condition is easily detected by that the drive light blinks and upon reading the drive status you get the message "66, illegal track or sector, TT, SS" when you try to read, load or scratch some files or validate the disk.
On the other hand, you may want to convert a double sided disk to single sided to prevent data to be written to the back side. The flag can later be toggled again to re-enable the back side of the disk.
WARNING: Toggling the double sided flag on a disk which was not originally formatted as double sided MAY put the disk in an odd condition: It can be read as usual, but any attempt to write to the disk (including trying to change the double sided flag back or trying to use the convert to double sided utility) will throw up a "disk id mismatch" error. Disk copying the disk won't fix the problem either. The only solution is to transfer what you can to another disk using the file copier. In conclusion: Leave the flag alone unless you are sure the disk was originally formatted as a double sided disk!
Create subdirectory (1581):
Creating subdirectories on a 1581 is usually a rather cumbersome process. THE SERVANT changes that by offering a visual overview of the disk and the areas which are free to use as subdirectory areas. It doesn't matter if something is already stored on the disk, THE SERVANT won't let you disturb disk contents.
When the Make Subdirectory feature is selected, a map of the disk is displayed on the screen. Tracks 1 through 40 is displayed on the top row, and tracks 41 through 80 is displayed on the bottom row. Each position represents one track. A plus sign marks the tracks which are currently in use. Track 40 will always be occupied, since it contains the root directory.
A flashing cursor will appear at track 1, and you're ready to create a subdirectory. Use the cursor keys to move the cursor around. Below the track map, the following information is displayed:
Start track:
Current track under cursor; the start track if you elect to set the start of your subdirectory area at the current cursor position.
Last track:
The highest possible track a subdirectory can use if it were to start at the current cursor position.
Blocks free:
The maximum number of blocks free possible if a subdirectory start is set at the current cursor position.
Please move the cursor around and see how these values change. A subdirectory area must consist of at least three tracks. The last track and blocks free is displayed as 'xx' if a directory can't start at the current cursor position.
To set the start of a subdirectory, press RETURN. If a subdirectory area can't start at the current cursor position, a bell tone will sound and nothing will happen. Otherwise, you'll be allowed to mark a subdirectory area. Move the cursor to the right to mark the tracks you wish to include in your subdirectory area. The selected tracks is marked with a reversed asterisk as you move along. Please note the change in the track information change meaning:
Start track:
The start track of the current subdirectory area. This won't change as long as you are defining an area.
Last track:
Current cursor position, The highest track a subdirectory would use if it were to end at the current cursor position.
Blocks free:
The number of blocks free in the subdirectory if the end of the subdirectory is set at the current cursor position.
Please move the cursor around and see how these values change. A subdirectory area must consist of at least three tracks, and the last track and blocks free is displayed as 'xx' if a directory can't end at the current cursor position. You'll have to move the cursor further to the right.
If you change your mind and wish to change the start track, move the cursor to the left, past the currently selected start track. The selection will then effectively be terminated.
When you have marked your subdirectory area, press RETURN a second time. Now, you'll be asked to enter a file name and and ID for your directory. The name must be in the range of 1 to 16 characters, and the ID must be exactly two characters. If the name entered doesn't meet these criteria, you'll be prompted to enter the name again. You'll be asked if it's OK to proceed. If you answer Y for yes, the subdirectory is created. A CBM file is created using the name (but not the ID), and the subdirectory is formatted using the name & ID.
When the subdirectory is formatted, it is selected as the current subdirectory. Please note that you are not limited to creating subdirectories under the root (main) directory. You may create many levels of sub-sub directories until you run out of disk space. Then, the track display will mark all tracks as used except the free tracks inside the currently selected subdirectory area. This is due to the inherent limits in the 1581 partition scheme.
Protect disk area (1581):
This selection will let you create a partition to protect a disk area from being overwritten. First, you are asked to give the partition a name, then you must enter the start track, start sector and number of sectors. You're then asked if it's OK to proceed. Please check that all the entered parameters are correct. This utility does not check for errors, except for those which are trapped by DOS.
Change subdirectory (1581):
To change the current directory, press '/' and enter the subdirectory name. To access the root directory, press RETURN without entering anything (do NOT enter '/'). The start track of the currently selected directory is displayed at the bottom of the screen.
