Commodore PC - The Format Command

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Learning About Disks, Files, and Directories 13
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The Format Command
Before you can use your new disks for storing information, you
must format them. You do this with the format command, a spe
cial program that structures a disk so that ms-dos can find informa
tion on it. The format command also checks the disk for defec
tive spots.
You can format both floppy and hard disks. But remember that
if a disk is not blank, formatting it destroys any data already on
the disk.
You will learn more about the format command in Chapter 4,
"Using Commands."
How to Name Your Files
When naming a file you may have trouble finding a name that
uniquely identifies the file's contents. Dates, for example, are often
used in filenames; however, they take up several characters, leav
ing you with little flexibility. Other common names for files are
words like budget, finances, analysis, report, etc. These kinds of
filenames identify the contents, but leave little room for dates. So
the secret is to find a compromise — a point where you can com
bine a date with a word, creating a unique filename.
The name of a typical ms-dos file (see Chapter 1) looks like this:
customer.1st
I filename
filename extension
Notice that the filename was typed in lowercase letters. You can
type filenames in uppercase or lowercase letters, even though
ms-dos converts them into uppercase letters. Some more examples
of filenames are:
budget.86
takeover.bid
j une86
finances.doc
schedule.may
Many of your filenames will contain only letters and numbers. But
you may also use any of the following symbols (and letters) in
your filenames and extensions:
A-Z a-z 0-9 $ % ' - @ {}" ' ! #
Formatting your disks
Naming your files
Valid filename
characters