|
|
|
re: format c: Bad command or file name
Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 5:25 am
Posted by Bob Harris
(992 messages posted)
Where are you when you issue this command?
Normally one formats C: from a a DOD boot floppy, not from within windows. if you
are using a floppy, be sure that it has a file called "FORMAT.COM".
Finally, DOS must be able to see "C:" in order to format it. In the case of a new
hard drive that requires some preparation using FDISK, or similar routine provided
by the drive manufacturer. If you have a previously formatted hard drive, note that
DOS will not recognize any NTFS or LINUX partitions. In such a case, assuming that
you do not want to save anything on the drive, use FDISK to remove existing partitions,
then create one (or more) FAT32 partitions.
On Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 5:12 am, James wrote:
>I'm trying to format my C Drive but I get the following error:
>
>format c:
>Bad command or file name
>
>Any idea why?
[Reply or follow-up to this message]
|
re: format c: Bad command or file name
Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 5:28 am
Posted by Mac
(2831 messages posted)
Are you doing this from a bootdiskette?
A:\>format C:
IMPROVING PERFORMANCE ME '98
RE-INSTALLING WINDOWS '98
TUNING '98/ME!
Peace
Mac
[Reply or follow-up to this message]
|
re: format c: Bad command or file name
Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 9:27 am
Posted by krishna
(6 messages posted)
format is a command which reside n c:\windows\command the file name for it is format.com
u r getting message that bad command mean that the format command is not in ur system.
copy this format.com command from any other good working system. copy this file in
ur c:\windows\command. now run format command. this will work
bye. mail me
[Reply or follow-up to this message]
|
That won't work
Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 10:23 am
Posted by Paul D
(2162 messages posted)
You can't format C: using the format.com file in that
location because the act of formatting C: will format the file you are using out
of existence, thereby terminating the process before it's completed.You can only
format C: from a bootable floppy or CD_ROM.
Paul D
On Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 9:27 am, krishna wrote:
>format is a command which reside n c:\windows\command the file name for it is format.com
>u r getting message that bad command mean that the format command is not in ur system.
>copy this format.com command from any other good working system. copy this file
in
>ur c:\windows\command. now run format command. this will work
>bye. mail me
[Reply or follow-up to this message]
|
re: That won't work
Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 12:02 pm
Posted by sekirt
(1447 messages posted)
Paul,
A virus, prank or accident triggering DELTREE or
FORMAT from drive C:\ directed to drive C:\ should
work. The program (command) once initiated, should
run from memory and and finish the task.
I've never tried this foolish exercise, so if you could
explain otherwise, I'd like to know.
sekirt
On Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 10:23 am, Paul D wrote:
>You can't format C: using the format.com file in that
>location because the act of formatting C: will format the file you are using out
>of existence, thereby terminating the process before it's completed.You can only
>format C: from a bootable floppy or CD_ROM.
>
Paul D
>
>
>
[Reply or follow-up to this message]
|
re: That won't work
Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 12:15 pm
Posted by retired
(420 messages posted)
Try it yourself. boot to a floppy. Switch to the C drive and then to \windows\command
where format program is located. It should say format C: is invalid. You will
be overwriting the system used to initiate the process and that is a no-no. Among
other things, the pointers to command.com get lost.
On Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 12:02 pm, sekirt wrote:
>Paul,
>A virus, prank or accident triggering DELTREE or
>FORMAT from drive C:\ directed to drive C:\ should
>work. The program (command) once initiated, should
>run from memory and and finish the task.
>
>I've never tried this foolish exercise, so if you could
>explain otherwise, I'd like to know.
>sekirt
>
>
>
[Reply or follow-up to this message]
|
re: That won't work
Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 1:34 pm
Posted by Paul D
(2162 messages posted)
retired is pretty much on the money. I think format.com
has some built-in safeguards which a smart virus writer may be able to bypass.I
think you're right about deltree, though. I admit I have no hard evidence, just
lots of hearsay, and like you I have no intention of finding out. I do know for sure
that you can run format from within Windows 98 on any logical drive but the one Windows
is installed on, but I'm guessing Windows stops that, not format.com per se.
Paul D
On Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 12:02 pm, sekirt wrote:
>Paul,
>A virus, prank or accident triggering DELTREE or
>FORMAT from drive C:\ directed to drive C:\ should
>work. The program (command) once initiated, should
>run from memory and and finish the task.
>
>I've never tried this foolish exercise, so if you could
>explain otherwise, I'd like to know.
>sekirt
>
>
>
[Reply or follow-up to this message]
|
re: That won't work
Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 3:24 pm
Posted by sekirt
(1447 messages posted)
Often I think in terms of DOS rather
than strictly Windows.
In a Dos window, I get:
C:\FORMAT C:
WARNING, ALL DATA ON NON-REMOVABLE
DISK
DRIVE C: WILL BE LOST!
PROCEED WITH FORMAT (Y/N)?
So, you are making a distinction
then?
sekirt
On Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 12:15 pm, retired wrote:
>Try it yourself. boot to a floppy. Switch to the C drive and then to \windows\command
>where format program is located. It should say format C: is invalid. You will
>be overwriting the system used to initiate the process and that is a no-no. Among
>other things, the pointers to command.com get lost.
>
>
[Reply or follow-up to this message]
|
re: That won't work
Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 3:44 pm
Posted by retired
(420 messages posted)
Yes, you can enter that in DOS but did you run it the whole way? If you booted to
DOS on the C: drive (no floppy), there will be a problem along the way as you are
going to delete the system files used to boot. If you boot from a floppy it depends
where the format program is located. If it is on A:, then no problem. If it is
on C:, as I think you typed, then ultimately the program wipes itself out and when
format finishes the program cannot exit gracefully.
On Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 3:24 pm, sekirt wrote:
>Often I think in terms of DOS rather
>than strictly Windows.
>In a Dos window, I get:
>
>C:\FORMAT C:
>WARNING, ALL DATA ON NON-REMOVABLE
>DISK
>DRIVE C: WILL BE LOST!
>PROCEED WITH FORMAT (Y/N)?
>
>So, you are making a distinction
>then?
> |
re: That won't work
Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 4:17 pm
Posted by sekirt
(1447 messages posted)
No, as stated, would not try that.
Yes, from experience, I think you are right, an error
should come come, something to the effect
COMMAND.COM cannot be found.......
But I am still under the impression that files will have
dissappeared.
sekirt
On Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 3:44 pm, retired wrote:
>Yes, you can enter that in DOS but did you run it the whole way? If you booted
to
>DOS on the C: drive (no floppy), there will be a problem along the way as you are
>going to delete the system files used to boot. If you boot from a floppy it depends
>where the format program is located. If it is on A:, then no problem. If it is
>on C:, as I think you typed, then ultimately the program wipes itself out and when
>format finishes the program cannot exit gracefully.
>
>
[Reply or follow-up to this message]
|
re: That won't work
Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 5:19 pm
Posted by retired
(420 messages posted)
Yes, files will have disappeared and as a result the program in RAM cannot close
out correctly. That's why you do the format with command.com located on the A: or
some other drive. I might ry a couple of experiments using a spare old hard drive
- but don't expect the results tonight.
On Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 4:17 pm, sekirt wrote:
>No, as stated, would not try that.
>Yes, from experience, I think you are right, an error
>should come come, something to the effect
>COMMAND.COM cannot be found.......
>But I am still under the impression that files will have
>dissappeared.
>sekirt
>
>
>
[Reply or follow-up to this message]
|
re: That won't work
Wednesday, December 10, 2003 at 12:43 pm
Posted by Silas
(1 messages posted)
I think you're all only partially on-track or partially mistaken, as the case may
be. Sekirt's response appears to be the most accurate, though virus or prank may
have nothing to do with James' original question. I may or may not shed any light
on the subject, but it appears that James was only trying to format the c: drive.
Why, I don't know, nor do I know the pointer location at the time he was attempting
to do so. Regardless, format c: will perform its designated task through to completion,
regardless of command line switches issued with the command, such as format c: /s
(that would be my choice), provided that the format.com file, as indicated by sekirt,
exists at the current cursor location or in the existing path.
But in answer to the original question, the "bad command or file name" response from
DOS when the format c: command was issued does, in fact, have nothing to do with
DOS or Windows protection, but is DOS's way of telling you that file does not exist
in the current cursor location or in the existing path.
Anyway, with format.com located in the root of c: and the prompt at c:\ when I issued
the command format c:, the result after the annoying "proceed with format (y/n)"
prompt, was a reformatted drive, and control returning to command.com (still located
in memory). Similar results were obtained with format.com located in the c:\dos (could
just as easily be c:\windows\command) and the command format c: /s issued from c:\dos.
This way, however, I could reboot the system and get a c:> prompt upon completion
of the task. The point is that the EXTERNAL DOS command format.com must be in the
path, or the prompt location must be in the directory (folder) location where format.com
exists in order to perform the command. All these conditions met, the command will
in fact perform its intended function through to completion. I just hope James knows
what to do with his blank c: drive when the command is finished and prompts him for
a volume label. This will be all that exists on the newly formatted c: drive. BTW,
whenever you do get a "bad command or file name" response from issuing a DOS command,
that does mean the file needed to execute that command does NOT exist in the current
cursor location, or in the existing path. But it may still exist in a folder on the
hard drive that is not in the current path. So in order to execute that command,
you must change your cursor location to the folder containing the command or make
that folder part of the existing path.
On Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 1:34 pm, Paul D wrote:
>retired is pretty much on the money. I think format.com
>has some built-in safeguards which a smart virus writer may be able to bypass.I
>think you're right about deltree, though. I admit I have no hard evidence, just
>lots of hearsay, and like you I have no intention of finding out. I do know for
sure
>that you can run format from within Windows 98 on any logical drive but the one
Windows
>is installed on, but I'm guessing Windows stops that, not format.com per se.
>
Paul D
>
>
>
[Reply or follow-up to this message]
| |
| |
Tip: Use one of the [Reply or follow-up to this message] links above to add a message to this thread
| |
Return to the Windows 98 Discussion Forum
|
|
|
|
