Fast disk formating

[kenedy]

Example is for FAT32 but same goes for FAT16 and NTFS.

1. Add second HDD to your PC and format it as FAT32

2. Using Symantec Ghost crate disk image (Local > Disk > To Image, Compression = High), name it fat32.gho

3. Create file fat32.bat with following contents:

ghost2k3.exe @fat32.txt

4. Create file fat32.txt with following contents:

-batch

-clone,mode=load,src=a:\fat32.gho,dst=1

-sure

5. Now put these three files in your floppy image or folder on CD (edit path in fat32.txt) and add Ghost executable there.

Now when launching fat32.bat from CD you get first HDD fdisked/formated in about 15 seconds.

Notes:

Be very carreful with it. And newer put it in autoexec.bat or you will lose data some day.

Multipartition and other configuration images also can be created, see help for that.

Sizes for images: FAT16 - about 7Kb, Fat32 - about 22Kb, NTFS - about 200Kb.

Some versions of Ghost (older versions?) cant create images if the disk is empty. Create empty text file on it first if this is the case.

Dont know about other imaging software, but probably it works the same way.

Floppy image on my cd's that presents choice to format disk with FAT16/FAT32/NTFS:

CONFIG.SYS

[menu]menuitem NTFS, NTFSmenuitem FAT32, FAT32menuitem FAT16, FAT16menudefault=NTFS
[NTFS]
[FAT32]
[FAT16]
[COMMON]

AUTOEXEC.BAT

@ echo offGOTO %CONFIG%
:NTFSntfs.bat
:FAT32fat32.bat
:FAT16fat16.bat

[yourtech]

Interesting concept