FormatZIP 0.3

Short:        Format Iomega ZIP drives for MSDOS PCs
Author:       Alexander Feigl <Alexander.Feigl@gmx.de>
Uploader:     Alexander Feigl <Alexander Feigl gmx de>
Type:         disk/misc
Version:      0.3
Architecture: m68k-amigaos

This is a PRERELEASE of FormatZIP - a utility to format Iomega ZIP
drives for MSDOS PCs. This is impossible with the usual format command
of AmigaOS because with the usual format command you would theoretically
create a ZIP disk in floppy disk format. The ZIP disks used on PCs are
in "harddisk format" with one single partition and CrossDOSFilesystem
cannot create this partition table.

FormatZIP was compiled with GCC for Amiga - sources are included

FormatZIP is distributed under the GNU Public License - see file COPYING

Usage :

FormatZIP <dosdevice>

<dosdevice> : This is the device name of the ZIP drive in PC format. On my
              machine this is ZPC0C (using the supplied mount-list entry).
              You can specify the dos device with or without an column.

Example:

FormatZIP ZPC0C:              - format ZIP disk in ZPC0C:


CAUTION : If you select the wrong device your harddisk will become an
          EMPTY!!!!!! ZIP :-) I am NOT responsible for unrecoverable
          loss of data!!!

NOTE    : FormatZIP creates a single harddisk partition on a harddisk type
          ZIP disk. This is the format which is used for pre-formatted
          ZIP medias. You can read this type of media with the 
          CrossDOSFilesystem if the last letter of your DOS device name
          is a "C" (e.g. ZPC0C , ZIP0C, ZPC). Use the supplied mount
          entry to use FormatZIP.

Future :

- lock all DOS devices of this ZIP drive while formatting
  (this will cause a diskchange afterwards on all devices assigned to this 
   ZIP drive)
- Don't hardcode the drive geometry - this would make this tool usable
  for Jaz drives, too. For this I'll need information about MSDOS 
  MBR
- using CrossDOSFileSystem for formatting of the partition.
  Problem  : V2.1 CrossFS is buggy
  Solution : Use CrossFS for OS 3.0+ - use workaround for OS 2.1 
             workaround might not be able to support Jaz
 

Author :

Please EMail bug reports & suggestions to:

Alexander Feigl <Alexander.Feigl@gmx.de>




Changes since V0.2:

- using DOS device names now - new command line syntax

- Format ZIP asks for a confirmation before formatting the ZIP

- More modularited source code

- Does lock ZIP CrossDOS-handler while formatting

- Does cause an disk change 

- FormatZIP now distributed under GNU Public License

Changes since V0.1:

- small bugfix : program terminated before writing bootblock and
                 directory

- mount entry included in distribution