Using the Floppy Formatter

Although most disks that you buy today come preformatted, Lindows has a utility that enables you to format a disk. Disk formatting simply means getting a disk ready so that your computer can read or write data to it.

1. Click on Launch . The Launch menu will appear.

2. Click on Programs . A list of program categories will appear.

3. Click on Utilities . A list of utility programs will appear.

4. Click on Floppy Formatter . This will open the Floppy Formatter utility.

   

5. Click on the down arrow beside Size . A list of options will appear.

6. Select the desired size . This is the size of the disk you are formatting. Typically the label on the disk will have this information.

   

7. Click on the down arrow beside File System. A list of different file systems will appear.

8. Click on the desired file system .

   • Dos . If you are going to be using the disk primarily on a Windows-or Dos-based machine, then select this option.

   • ext2 . If you will only be using the disk on a Linux-based machine, then select this option, as it puts a Linux file system on the disk.

   

9. Click on the desired formatting options . There are two different options to choose from.

   • Quick Format . This option erases all of the data on the disk and formats a new file system.

   • Full Format . This option will reallocate the tracks and sectors of the disk and will avoid any bad sectors. It too will remove any data from the disk.

   

   Note  

   When you format a disk, any data on that disk will be lost.

10. Click and drag across KDE floppy in the Volume Label text box. It will be highlighted.

11. Type in a volume name for your disk. You can give it any name or number.

12. Click on Format . The formatting process will begin. A dialog box will appear asking if you are sure you want to format the disk.

    

13. Click on Continue . The formatting process will continue.

    

14. Click on OK . The disk will be formatted.