Lesson plan
Superformatting
Superformatting is the process of formatting a floppy disk at a capacity higher than it was originally designed or rated for. While it carries a risk of data corruption or wearing out the disk, it was historically used in some floppy-based operating systems (such as specialized Linux distributions) to maximize storage and squeeze in more applications and utilities. muLinux is a notable example of a distribution that utilized this technique. Another common use was to format low-density 3.5-inch or 5.25-inch floppies as high-density, or even extra-high density (such as HD-36) in the case of 3.5-inch disks. Superformatting is usually done via a low-level formatting process using tools like FORMAT /U in MS-DOS, fdformat , or the more advanced superformat tool in Linux.
Article summary
Superformatting is the process of formatting a floppy disk at a capacity higher than it was originally designed or rated for. While it carries a risk of data corruption or wearing out the disk, it was historically used in some floppy-based operating systems (such as specialized Linux distributions) to maximize storage and squeeze in more applications and utilities. muLinux is a notable example of a distribution that utilized this technique. Another common use was to format low-density 3.5-inch or 5.25-inch floppies as high-density, or even extra-high density (such as HD-36) in the case of 3.5-inch disks. Superformatting is usually done via a low-level formatting process using tools like FORMAT /U in MS-DOS, fdformat , or the more advanced superformat tool in Linux.
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.