Soft - description of the Ultra X Format program from Survivor.

 (C) Sirv!v0r                                                   
                                " There is no such high
                                peaks, which persistence in
                                in the end will not conquer."      
                                                                
                                                        Sirv!v0r
                                                                
                                                                
                                                                
    ...If you are looking forward to something unusual, then you yourself should try
write here what you would like to see and hear yourself.            
                                                                
    Somewhere back in early August last year I started
creating a program that would satisfy all my
ideas about convenient creation, editing, maintaining
any formats of data arrays for disks or, more simply put, -
formatting tables.                                        
                                                                
    I worked hard on this problem for about
two weeks, then visited FinTor'98 where it was “dropped” to the masses
a floppy disk with a very crude demo version of your program. Demo version
It would be difficult to even name it, because... from the above
list of possibilities were the only ones more or less working
function of changing the drive, exiting the program and the so-called
by me Track Explorer.  I don't even know what name she had
program, i.e.  how she walks around the world, but one day she will tell me
someone emailed me from someone I keep in touch with.
I didn’t release anything else into the world. Originally planned
provide various bells and whistles used in such
programs that served, by the way, as prototypesFree Format v.1.2,
Free Format v.8.0, Free Format v.8.3, Fire Tablet v.1.0, RDS
3.11, FUT 2.2., McDonald's Corey v.2.8, SoftCory 1.6, i.e. do
a compilation of all the best that they have and come up with
completely new features.                                       
                                                                
    In fact, it seemed to me that the work would be easy, so...
Moreover, I got my hands on creating various disk protections and
hacking them, but everything turned out to be much more trivial - work
it turned out to be so much that today I have a wholethe floppy disk is full of sources for a mythical and non-existent
program PFU - Professional Format Utility.Me, as the author,
I’m not happy with such a prefix as “PRO”, so I’ll make a reservation right away -
it's kitsch, and the full version, if it ever appears, will be
will not be illuminated.                                              
                                                                
    The program exists only on my work disks and
it really works - just the way I need it! The people don't have it
for several reasons - I don’t want to release intermediate versions
I want it, I won’t give it to anyone for nothing, and who can it
arrange if it was written entirely under the influence of my wishes
and points of view? As you can see, initially a certain authoritarian
the product that I have been praying for for a whole year.                    
                                                                
    In order to gauge public opinion, I would like
know who needs my program and, in general, what people need in it
wants to see.  So, write to the editor about this
newspapers +INSANITY+.                                              
                                                                
    After such a long introduction, I begindirect 
a story about what awaits you in the application.                    
                                                                
    Because I'm not going to be releasing mine anytime soon.
PFU, I'm slowly but surely starting to break off the working ones.
pieces and push them to the masses for educational purposes. But not
I think that this fate will befall the entire PFU. If you look into
application, you will find there a program with a shocking name
Ultra X Format.  In fact, you decide for yourself how much it is
lives up to its name, but I continue.                   
                                                                
    I’ll make a reservation - the design here suffers very, very much, and yes I do -
I didn’t walk easily. Because aesthetic pleasure is here,
probably shouldn’t be, but she’s also very provincial,
it doesn’t seem to look right to me, but sometimes there are non-fatal bugs
arise So, the program itself is a new reading
famous FUT, which is famous for its adaptability
format.  Who doesn’t know what this is (and there shouldn’t be such people at all)
be or is there somewhere), I’ll explain - FUT sometimes manages
format floppy disks with damaged magnetic strip - i.e.
there are physical damages, even more simply put, scratches, blunders
andother nasty things that interfere with normal reading and writing on
information disks.                                               
                                                                
    The attentive reader immediately noticed the word
"sometimes".   No, this is not a typo, but “sometimes” FUT
formats damaged floppy disks. I’ll tell you why this is so now. 
                                                                
    I don’t know how FUT works from the inside and I’m not lying here,
because I had no desire to get into the program and
poking around in itSTS,but I set myself the task of making this
a sophisticated formatting function is even better or at the very least
case to repeat it, or at worst, when the bast is not
knits, limit yourself to its emulation. I sat down and wrote in a couple of days
implementation of this function according to its own theory. As it turned out,
This theory also works well in practice.                   
                                                                
    I didn’t find any to test my algorithm.
floppy disks with damaged sectors and tracks and I have difficulty
had to decide on a wild step (pacifists please do not continue
read...).  Taking out a floppy disk at random, I scratched it along the entire
reading slotsrectangle size (take a ruler and measure)
30x4 millimeters. Well, what do you think???                        
                                                                
The first test immediately crashed, the computer hung... Another day wasted
bringing to mind everything that, in my opinion, is possible. B
in the end something happened. And, indeed, I formatted the floppy disk - 
tired without problems!                                            
                                                                
    As a result of the experiments and experiments carried out, I can
announce the following interesting data given in comparison with
by the aforementioned FUT (may he rest in heaven):                   
                                                                
    My program Ultra X Format v.0.9 has 3 functions
formatting and one check function (check). Actually
The formatting function is the same, but in different settings. A function
check was implemented absolutely without restoring. So (indicator
UXF/FUT in minutes):                       
                                                                
                  Slow Format: 2:47 / 2:40                                                                
 Comment: the function was introduced to format floppy disks on
computers with unstable controllers and due to possible
Due to this loss of data, it is equipped with an automatic check. Slow Format
in FUT, this is rather the main formatting function with
format auto-check.                                          
                                                                
                  Fast Format: 1:35 / -:-                    
                                                                
    Comments: Quick format function with
Autocheck floppy disks for any computer.   Persistently
recommended feature. FUT does not contain such a function at all.
Some may think that there is a Fast Format function,
but that's not really what the concept is meant to be in UXF. B
In FUT this means alternating sectors using the slow TR DOS method.
                                                                
                  Risc Format: 1:19 / 1:10                   
                                                                
 Comments: This is nothing more than formatting floppy disks without
Auto-checks and no field reformatting. This function is most suitable
for very confident people or for owners of FDD3.5''. Actually
in fact, disks are formatted here without physical bad sectors and
without engineering flaws.  But there is one condition - if you don’t
get a working floppy disk, blame yourself, because... she (function)
very risky! In FUT this function is called format 
withоit checking.                                               
                                                                
   It would seem that UXF remains in all respects from FUT, but this
not all yet! Let's remember my scratched floppy disk... I tried it
I formatted it in FUT and this is what happened. I waited 9 minutes!
When my patience ran out, the progress bar had not yet reached
to the middle of the indicated line.  So I can't say -
How long could a floppy disk remain in your pocket?
drive, subject to its continued presence in it. But later
I still tried to squeeze it in FUT.  This time it's mine
the experiment ended at 15 minutes of the endless topic format,
that FUT did not want to format further and writhed,
because I couldn’t go around the bad area...I insert the same unfortunate floppy disk into the drive, now under
control of my Ultra XFand wait... I waited, in general, completely
not enough time 3 minutes and 57 seconds! At the same time it was formatted
the entire floppy disk and no failures!  Compare 15 minutes at
unfinished process with 4 minutes when completed - this is not
does not fit into any gates. I forgot to mention one little thing - floppy disk
crashed on every track on every side...                      
                                                                
    That's how it was. Why am I blabbering here - and you yourself
After all, you can check what was said, but I belittle you very much - in
in a fit of excitement, do not proceed to total damage to disks, otherwise
such precedents almost happened. I don't give a 100% guarantee
quality format, but you should try.                   
                                                                
    Finally... I repeat - the program is not finished and
does not seem to be so, because  in reality is
a piece of code fromProfessional Format Utility.Ultra X program
Format is one of the functions in PFU, given to the masses. Moreover, she
is not the latest version of the algorithm, but rather one of
the first workers caughtin a hurry.  In this version,
which, let me remind you, is contained in the appendix, theoretically and
It is practically possible to format about 170 bad sections.
In the last unpublished version, my algorithm is sharpened to
search and elimination of 450 faulty areas. And this is not the limit! So
see for yourself, but sometimes you will not be able to format the broken
floppy disk My advice is to get rid of such media completely.
                                                                
    The program does not support changing drives, but it can
work from a running device both under the name A and under B. For
Correct operation requires TR DOS v.5.03/v.5.04t. On other TR
DOS's may conflict, especially on TR DOS v.5.01, but if
they are compatible with TR DOS v.5.03 everything will be OK. For correct
It's better to run the program from the TRDOS command line or
from any non-resident boot, but not from Global Commander &
Consil Commander, although it is not forbidden ;) Not on any emuls
tested because I am a follower ofrealSpeccy!                  
                                                                
    The author prohibits any commercial distribution of the product,
but anything frivolous is possible. The program cannot be placed in 
any applicationspublications, except the last ones belonging to Light 
Fitire Groir.                                                   
                                                                
    Implementation of the functionrestoreboth independently and within the framework
functioncheck is not impossible - it exists, but only 
in minePFU...                                                   
                                                                
    P.S.  It turned out that with the slow save option in commanders, on
Consil Commander, although it is not forbidden;) On any emuls it is not
tested because I am a follower ofrealSpeccy!                  
                                                                
    The author prohibits any commercial distribution of the product,
but anything frivolous is possible. The program cannot be placed in 
applications of any publications, except the latest ones belonging to Light 
Fitire Groir.                                                   
                                                                
    Implementation of the functionrestoreboth independently and within
functioncheck is not impossible - it exists, but only 
in minePFU...                                                   
                                                                
    P.S.  It turned out that with the slow save option in commanders, on
floppy disk formatted with Ultra X Format, recording
produced at fast speed! This is only possible if
use in commanders with slow save tarbo moderator
loader, not #3d13/#14.