Arch Linux

Merps

Member

Registered: 2008-11-15

Posts: 3

Disc formatting package

Gparted is a partitioning tool and as such there isn't any 'format entire disc' option, Dban takes too long.  Is there another ISO designed as with fast disc formatting utilities?

el_zoona

Member

From: Argentina

Registered: 2008-02-01

Posts: 58

Website

Re: Disc formatting package

How about deleting the partition and then using mkfs.XXX?

There's a simple tutorial at: http://www.ehow.com/how_1000631_hard-drive-linux.html

You can do it from almost any existing distro.

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Merps

Member

Registered: 2008-11-15

Posts: 3

Re: Disc formatting package

thanks for that help el_zoona, and it would have worked most of the time, however, I am running a live cd at the moment due to being on an old pc and as a result need an ISO util to use before installing and am not that into Gparted and while cruising around linux downloads I didn't strike any suitable alternatives.

Last edited by Merps (2008-11-16 07:33:42)

el_zoona

Member

From: Argentina

Registered: 2008-02-01

Posts: 58

Website

Re: Disc formatting package

I Don't understand. Puppy Linux, for example, has fdisk and mkfs. No need for Gparted, that are standard tools.

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Dieter@be

Forum Fellow

From: Belgium

Registered: 2006-11-05

Posts: 2,001

Website

Re: Disc formatting package

I don't understand either but maybe something like system rescue cd is what he's looking for

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perbh

Member

From: Republic of Texas

Registered: 2005-03-04

Posts: 765

Re: Disc formatting package

I don't really understand your question.
Are you trying to install some distro on your pc but want to prepare the disk first?
Any distro worth its salt will do that for you before it starts to install.

Alternatively - any 'live' cd will contain fdisk and mkfs.

Or - if you want some working space you can write to (I presume your pc contains windoze) - you can mount vfat/ntfs from your live cd. Say you have windows xp/vista on partition #1 (sometimes there is a rescue-partition as well), then from your live cd you do:

fdisk -l /dev/sda    # just to make sure _which_ partition to use and that your harddisk _is_ /dev/sda
mkdir /win             # mountpoint for your windows partition
mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sda1 /win

You can now write to the windows partition to your heart's content! :-)

Last edited by perbh (2008-11-19 01:19:24)

Merps

Member

Registered: 2008-11-15

Posts: 3

Re: Disc formatting package

Hey Perbh!

"Are you trying to install some distro on your pc but want to prepare the disk first?" yup

"Alternatively - any 'live' cd will contain fdisk and mkfs." True however I was looking to do a quick format not just partitions, to prepare the disk first just like the good distros do.

"Or - if you want some working space you can write to (I presume your pc contains windoze)" no winouch on the machine.

ATM Dban/Gparted will do the job, dban to wipe the disk, gparted to create the partions, however like I said I wanted to replace the very kind Dban with something more modern.

Rgds Merps