From 2bda8f7717adf28da4af0d34fb82f63d2868c31d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: toma Date: Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:56:58 +0000 Subject: Copy the KDE 3.5 branch to branches/trinity for new KDE 3.5 features. BUG:215923 git-svn-id: svn://anonsvn.kde.org/home/kde/branches/trinity/kdeutils@1054174 283d02a7-25f6-0310-bc7c-ecb5cbfe19da --- doc/kfloppy/index.docbook | 614 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 614 insertions(+) create mode 100644 doc/kfloppy/index.docbook (limited to 'doc/kfloppy/index.docbook') diff --git a/doc/kfloppy/index.docbook b/doc/kfloppy/index.docbook new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9915f80 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/kfloppy/index.docbook @@ -0,0 +1,614 @@ + + + + + + BSD"> + Minix"> +]> + + + + + + + + +The &kfloppy; Formatter Handbook + + + +Thad +McGinnis +
ctmcginnis@compuserve.com +
 + + +Nicolas +Goutte +
goutte@kde.org +
 + + +Bernd +Johannes +Wuebben +
wuebben@math.cornell.edu
 +Developer + + + +Chris +Howells +
howells@kde.org
 +Developer (User Interface re-design) + + + +Adriaan +de Groot +
groot@kde.org
 +Developer (Add BSD support) + + + +Lauri +Watts +Reviewer +
lauri@kde.org
 + + + + + +2005-06-01 +3.5 + + +2000 +Thad McGinnis + + + +2005 +Nicolas Goutte + + +&FDLNotice; + +&kfloppy; Formatter is a utility that provides a +straightforward graphical means to format 3.5" and 5.25" floppy +disks. + + +KDE +kfloppy +floppy +format + + + + + +Introduction + +&kfloppy; Formatter is a utility that provides a straightforward +graphical means to format 3.5" and 5.25" floppy disks. + +&kfloppy; depends on external programs and therefore +currently works only with &Linux; and &BSD;. Depending if you are +using &kfloppy; on &Linux; or on &BSD;, &kfloppy; has slightly different +features. + +Make sure that your floppy disk is not +mounted. &kfloppy; cannot format a mounted floppy disk. + + + + +Using &kfloppy; + +Starting &kfloppy; opens a single window by which the user may +choose appropriate settings and control the formatting process. These +options and controls are detailed below. + +Make sure that your floppy disk is not +mounted. &kfloppy; cannot format a mounted floppy disk. + + +Control Settings + +The settings are chosen by means of three drop down boxes located +at the top left center of &kfloppy;. + + +Floppy Drive + +Clicking on the top drop down box, which is labeled +Floppy drive:, offers the user the following +two choices: + + +Primary +Secondary + + +Clicking on the second drop down box from the top, which is labeled +Size:, offers the user the following +four choices: + + +3.5" 1.44MB +3.5" 720KB +5.25" 1.2MB +5.25" 360KB + + +The &Linux; version of &kfloppy; has also a choice of size named: + + +Auto-Detect + + + + +The 800KB disk format used by &Mac; floppy drives cannot be +supported on PC floppy drives since they are not capable of formatting +disks in that fashion. + + + + +<guilabel>File Systems</guilabel> + +The third drop down box, labeled File System, offers the user the +following choices, if they are applicable: + + + +Dos + +This selection will have &kfloppy; place the MS-DOS/&Windows; type +of file system on the diskette. The user will most likely want to +choose this system if she or he will be using the diskette with those +operating systems as they do not recognize other system types. +(This is supported for &Linux; and &BSD;.) + + + + +ext2 + +This selection will have &kfloppy; place the type of file system +on the diskette which is most commonly used with &Linux;, however +seldomly on floppy disks. +(This is supported for &Linux; and &BSD;.) + + + + +UFS + +This selection will have &kfloppy; place the type of file system +on the diskette which is most commonly used with FreeBSD. The user will +likely want to choose this system if he or she will only be using the +floppy disk with FreeBSD. +(This is supported for &BSD; only.) + + + + +Minix + +This selection will have &kfloppy; place the type of file system +on the diskette which often used on floppy disks used with &Linux;, +(This is supported for &Linux; only.) + + + + + + + + +Formatting Options +Within the outline of a box in the left center of &kfloppy; the user +may find a set of five formatting options. The top two are a pair of radio +buttons. This term (radio buttons) indicates a set of options among +which only one can be selected - in the same way that only one preset +channel selection may be set on a car radio.The +bottom two options are for labeling the diskette. All are explained +below: + + +Formatting Method +&kfloppy; can format a disk in the following two ways: + + + +Quick Format + +This simply puts the new file system on the disk. +All data on the disk will be lost, even if the data itself will not erased. + + + +Zero out and quick format + +This format first puts zeros on the disk and then creates the new file system. +All data on the disk will be erased. + + + +Full Format + +A full format reallocates the tracks and sectors, puts the selected +file system on the disk, and then verifies the format, blocking out any bad +sectors it finds. +All data on the disk will be erased. + + + + + + + +Verify Integrity + +This tells &kfloppy; to check that the formatting was correctly +written to the floppy. This allows bad sectors to be identified. + + +If bad sectors a found during the verify phase of a Full Format, +the formatting is aborted and the file system is not written! + + + + + +Volume Label + +The bottom two features allow the user to add (or change) a +label to the diskette. If the Volume label: check +box is selected then the user can enter a name (label) for the +diskette that is to be formatted in the text box located immediately +below. When the diskette is subsequently formatted the label will be +written to the diskette. + +Due to a limitation of the DOS file system, a label can only be +at most 11 characters long. For simplification, &kfloppy; assumes that +this limit is true for all file systems. + +The file system &Minix; cannot have any volume label. In this +case, &kfloppy; will ignore the volume label. + + + + + + +The Buttons +There are three buttons located vertically along the right side of +&kfloppy;. + + + +Format + +This button +initiates the formatting process. Once the user is sure that all the +settings are correct he or she may begin the process by clicking on +this button. +There will be a change in the two long rectangular boxes +that span the bottom of &kfloppy;. + +The upper box is a status indicator that gives information about the +process underway, especially the error encountered during the processing. + +The lower box is a progress bar. This displays both graphically +and numerically the progress of first the formatting and then the +verification. Before starting it appears to be empty - showing only +the figure 0% in the center. As each process +takes place the progress is tracked graphically as the box fills from +left to right. At the same time the number in the center will +increase reflecting the precise percentage of the process that has +been completed. + +As &kfloppy; uses external programs to format the floppy disk, +it has to rely on these programs to give the right information for +being able to display the progress bar. Unfortunately, this is not the +case. Especially, the programs writing the file systems do not return +enough data, so that the progress bar will remain at 0%. + + +Make sure that your floppy disk is not mounted. +&kfloppy; cannot format a mounted floppy disk. + + +&kfloppy; does not unmount the +floppy by itself, as this could mean that the user may overwrite a floppy +disk with important data on it. + + + + +Help + +This invokes the &kde; help system starting at the &kfloppy; help pages +(this document). + + + + +Report Bug + +Report a problem to the &kde; team. + + + + +About KFloppy + +This displays version and author information of &kfloppy;. + + + + +About KDE + +This displays version and author information of KDE. + + + + + +Quit + +Clicking on this button will close &kfloppy;. + + + + + + + + + +Command line options + +Though &kfloppy; may most often be started from the &kde; program menu, +or a desktop icon, it can also be opened at the command line prompt of a +terminal window. There are a few options that are available when doing +this. They are: + + + +kfloppy +This lists the most basic options available at the command +line. + + + + +kfloppy +This lists the options available for changing the way +&kfloppy; interacts with &Qt;. + + + + +kfloppy + +This lists the options available for changing the way &kfloppy; +interacts with KDE. + + + + +kfloppy + +This lists all of the command line options. + + + + +kfloppy + +Lists &kfloppy;'s author in the terminal window + + + + +kfloppy + +Lists version information for &Qt;, &kde;, and &kfloppy;. Also available +through kfloppy + + + + + + + +Credits and Licenses + + + +&kfloppy; Formatter Program Copyright 1997 - 2000 Bernd Johannes Wuebben +wuebben@math.cornell.edu + +&kfloppy; Formatter Program Copyright 2002 Adriaan de Groot +groot@kde.org + +&kfloppy; Formatter Program Copyright 2004, 2005 Nicolas Goutte +goutte@kde.org + +Documentation Copyright 2000 by Thad McGinnis +ctmcginnis@compuserve.com. + +Documentation Copyright 2005 by Nicolas Goutte +goutte@kde.org. + +This version of the &kfloppy; Handbook is based on the original by +David Rugge davidrugge@mindspring.com + +&underFDL; +&underGPL; + + + + +Needed External Programs + +As already written earlier in this handbook, &kfloppy; works +with the help of external programs to do the different formatting tasks. + +If one of the programs is missing, &kfloppy; tries to work nevertheless. +However the corresponding option will not be available. + + + +fdformat +This program is needed for low-level formatting, +on &Linux; and on &BSD;. If it is missing, +Full format will be disabled. + + + +dd +This program is needed for zeroing-out, +on &Linux; and on &BSD;. If it is missing, +Zero out and quick format will be disabled. + + + +mkdosfs +This program is needed for DOS formatting, +on &Linux;. + + + +newfs_msdos +This program is needed for DOS formatting, +on &BSD;. + + + +newfs +This program is needed for UFS formatting, +on &BSD;. + + + +mke2fs +This program is needed for ext2 formatting, +on &Linux; and on &BSD;. + + + +mkfs.minix +This program is needed for &Minix; formatting, +on &Linux;. + + + + + + +User-Given Devices + + +Introduction + +"User Given Devices" is the work title of a still experimental feature of +&kfloppy;. It allows the user to give a device name and to use it nearly +as if it was a floppy drive. + +This feature is mainly intended as a work-around for users having +USB floppy drives of any kind +(including ZIP disk drives) or any other non-legacy +floppy drives. + +Unfortunately at the time of writing this documentation, the feature +is not very user friendly, as it does not offer any help to the user on how +a device is called and &kfloppy; does not even remember the device name from +call to call. (This is partially a security, as the device of the +floppy drive might change between reboots.) + +As this feature was developed under &Linux;, the &BSD; version +of &kfloppy; offers less choices than &kfloppy; under &Linux;. + + + + +Using It + + +Using "User Given Devices" is quite simple, you just need to enter +a device name, for example /dev/sdz4 +in the Floppy drive: combobox instead of +selecting Primary or Secondary. + + +You need to enter the /dev/ +part of the device for two reasons: + + +It is how &kfloppy; recognizes the "User Given Devices" mode. + + +It is a security, to avoid that the user writes anything in the combobox +that is by change a device name. + + + + +Unfortunately, using any device instead of a floppy device has a few +consequences. The major one is that Full Format cannot be +selected anymore. Doing so will result in a error message box when trying to +start the format. However you can use Zero out and quick format +instead. It will not format the device, just zeroing it out, but in practice it is +nearly the same; especially all data on the device will be erased. + +Be careful when entering the device name. &kfloppy; will pass +the device name as is to the external programs. Especially it does not check +(and the external programs do not check either) if the device is a +floppy drive device. If you give your any of your main +disk partitions as device, it will be accepted. (If the partition is mounted +or if you cannot write on this device, you +will probably get an error message nevertheless, avoiding the worst.) + +Even if you can specify a floppy device like +/dev/fd0u2880, &kfloppy; will refuse to make a +Full Format on it. + +On &Linux;, you can select any file system that you want. On &BSD;, +only UFS is currently supported (and not tested at time of writing this +documentation). + +When you are ready to format, click on the Format +button as usual. You will get a message box asking you to verify the device name. + + +This is the last chance to check the device name before formating. +After it, it is too late. + + + + + + + + -- cgit v1.2.1