Category : HD Utilities
Archive   : TAPEUTL2.ZIP
Filename : README

TAPEFMT.EXE is a small front end for the Jumbo TAPE program. It allows you
to simply format a tape through a batch file. It labels the tape with todays
date and as many as 5 extra characters supplied via an argument to TAPEFMT.

The program was developed to format tapes with labels that indicated both the
date formatted and the type of tape drive they were formatted for. Used in
a menu program of anytype, it provides a painless way to make a unfriendly
operation friendly. The user need not remember the syntax of TAPE commands.

Thus:
TAPEFMT DOS if done on 6/3/93, labels the tape '930603DOS'
TAPEFMT QIC40 if done on 3/20/91, labels the tape '910320QIC40'

Its a bit cluttered but any 5 characters may be passed as an argument to
TAPEFMT and added to the date. Thus:
TAPEFMT -Q40 if done on 05/21/94, labels the tape '940521-Q40'

The Default Label of 'TAPEFMT' alone is todays date with QIC80 i.e.
'940521QIC80'

There isn't any error checking done. You can type 'TAPEFMT xxxxxxxxxx' and
supply too many characters as an argument, and the label becomes too long and
the tape program will abort. But then again...... this is done in a batch
file and you should have some control over it.

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TAPERASE.EXE is similar to the above except it doesn't format the tape, it just
erases the tape using the quick erase function from jumbo. This feature is
faster than format if all you want to do is relabel the tape and remove any
volumes recorded on the tape.