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256 lines
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<TITLE>The Answer Guy 37: Low Level Formatting</TITLE>
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<H4>"The Linux Gazette...<I>making Linux just a little more fun!</I>"</H4>
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<center>
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<H1><A NAME="answer">
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<img src="../../gx/dennis/qbubble.gif" alt="(?)"
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border="0" align="middle">
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<font color="#B03060">The Answer Guy</font>
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<img src="../../gx/dennis/bbubble.gif" alt="(!)"
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</A></H1>
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<BR>
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<H4>By James T. Dennis,
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<a href="mailto:linux-questions-only@ssc.com">linux-questions-only@ssc.com</a><BR>
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Starshine Technical Services,
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<A HREF="http://www.starshine.org/">http://www.starshine.org/</A>
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</H4>
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</center>
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<p><hr><p>
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<!-- begin 38 -->
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<H3 align="left"><img src="../../gx/dennis/qbubble.gif"
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height="50" width="60" alt="(?) " border="0"
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>Low Level Formatting</H3>
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<p><strong>From William Smith on Tue, 19 Jan 1999
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</strong></p>
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<P><STRONG>
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How do you perform a low level format on your hard disk, my system has a
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virus received when dwn loading from the net that keeps throwing it into
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safe mode. I have completed <tt>C:\format</tt> and re-installed windows, it ran
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great for six months and went back into the safe mode. I was able to get it
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back up and running, but I can't remember how to perform the low level
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formatting.
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</STRONG></P>
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<BLOCKQUOTE><IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/bbub.gif" ALT="(!)"
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HEIGHT="28" WIDTH="50" BORDER="0"
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>
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You don't actually need a "low-level" format. You
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can just "zero out" or "wipe" the drive.
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<BLOCKQUOTE>
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Boot up Linux (Tom's Root/Boot at <A HREF="http://www.toms.net/rb"
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>http://www.toms.net/rb</A>)
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and issue the command:
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<BLOCKQUOTE><BlockQuote><code>
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dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda
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</code></BlockQuote></BLOCKQUOTE>
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<BLOCKQUOTE>
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... to wipe out the whole first IDE drive, or
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<BLOCKQUOTE><BlockQuote><code>
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dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda
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</code></BlockQuote></BLOCKQUOTE>
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<BLOCKQUOTE>
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... to wipe out the whole first SCSI drive.
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<BLOCKQUOTE>
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Actually you could just blow away one sector on
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these drives using
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<BLOCKQUOTE><BlockQuote><code>
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dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda count=1
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</code></BlockQuote></BLOCKQUOTE>
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<BLOCKQUOTE>
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It wouldn't make sense to do this to other drives
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(/dev/hdb, <TT>/dev/hdc</TT>, <TT>/dev/sdb</TT>, etc) since their
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boot sectors aren't referenced as code and you can
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reformat those drives with normal DOS or Linux commands
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to re-make your filesystems on them. However, you can
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issue this command for all of your drives if you like.
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In fact you should be able to do something like:
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<BLOCKQUOTE><pre>
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for i in a b c d; do
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dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hd$i
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done
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</pre></BLOCKQUOTE>
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<BLOCKQUOTE>
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... to get four IDE drives or
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<BLOCKQUOTE><pre>
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for i in a b c d e f g ; do
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dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hd$i
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done
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</pre></BLOCKQUOTE>
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<BLOCKQUOTE>
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... to wipe out all seven disks on a SCSI chain.
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<P><STRONG><IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/qbub.gif" ALT="(?)"
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HEIGHT="28" WIDTH="50" BORDER="0"
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>
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Can you assist me... Help!!!!!!!!!!!
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William
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<IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/smily.gif" ALT=":-)"
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height="24" width="20" align="middle">
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</STRONG></P>
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<BLOCKQUOTE><IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/bbub.gif" ALT="(!)"
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HEIGHT="28" WIDTH="50" BORDER="0"
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>
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Now. I realize that you didn't ask about Linux, and
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you might have no idea why I'm responding to your question
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with a suggestion that involves it.
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<BLOCKQUOTE>
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Before you write back to be to ask those questions ---
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DON'T.
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<BLOCKQUOTE>
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I answer Linux questions. Microsoft sold you Windows 9x ---
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you can get tech support from them or you can find a free
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"Windows Answer Guy." I don't like MS Windows and I don't
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use it. I will not freely answer questions, from strangers
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that don't relate to the products that I do use and like.
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<blockquote><em>[ Try <a href="http://www.winfiles.com/"
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>Winfiles.Com</a>, they have Tips and Howto areas.
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-- Heather ]
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</em></blockquote>
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<BLOCKQUOTE>
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Linux, like other forms of Unix, is basically not
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susceptible to computer viruses. This is largely a matter
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of typical usage (they are multi-user systems which protect
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the system and most user accounts from most activities of
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individual users. Most Linux and Unix just don't run as
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"root" --- and consequently trojan horses and viruses
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normally cannot utterly cripple a whole system just because
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the guy at the keyboard ran them).
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<BLOCKQUOTE>
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This is not to say that they are "safe" from trojans --- a
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trojan can still blow away or corrupt any files owned by the
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guy that runs them. But it's a lot better, in the long run,
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than the common case with DOS, Windows, and MacOS. I
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think it's worth the extra learning curve and the occasional
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inconvenience (of having to switch to another "virtual
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console" or window and log in as root).
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<BLOCKQUOTE>
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So, consider getting a copy of Tom's Root/Boot. It's a
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relatively powerful Linux distribution on a single floppy
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with enough power and utility to be useful. There are
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several other Linux distributions that fit on one, two
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or three floppies, and run from RAM disks.
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<BLOCKQUOTE>
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Consider trying a full blown Linux distribution
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(like Red Hat <A HREF="http://www.redhat.com"
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>http://www.redhat.com</A>,
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Debian
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<A HREF="http://www.debian.org"
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>http://www.debian.org</A>,
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S.u.S.E. <A HREF="http://www.suse.com"
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>http://www.suse.com</A>,
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Caldera, <A HREF="http://www.caldera.com"
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>http://www.caldera.com</A>, or any of the others).
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That will give you a choice. You'll have a basis for
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comparison and you then go back to (continue to use)
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Windows or you learn more about the OS that a few million
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others have adopted.
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<!-- sig -->
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<!-- end 38 -->
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<P> <hr> <P>
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<H5 align="center"><a href="http://www.linuxgazette.com/copying.html"
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>Copyright ©</a> 1999, James T. Dennis
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<BR>Published in <I>The Linux Gazette</I> Issue 37 February 1999</H5>
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