BAD or the Bad Block Locator Utility tests disks and DECtapes for the location and number of bad blocks. BAD then records this bad block information on the volume for use by the MCR Initialize Volume (INI) command and by the backup and restore utilities. The general form of the command line is: BAD>device:[/switch[es]] where: device Specifies a physical device. The specification consists of two alphanumeric characters followed by a 1 to 3 digit octal unit number and colon. switch[es] Specifies one or more optional switches that qualifies the BAD command line. Multiple BAD switches for a device must be specified on one line. If you do not specify a switch, BAD begins pattern checking of individual blocks. For more information on switches, type HELP BAD SWITCHES. 2 SWITCHES Legal BAD switches are: /ALLOCATE:volume label Prompts you for additional bad blocks to /ALO:volume label be allocated to [0,0]BADBLK.SYS and to be added to the bad block descriptor file. /LIST Lists all bad blocks by number (decimal) as /LI they are located. /MANUAL Prompts you for additional bad blocks which /MAN are entered in the bad block descriptor file, then searches the disk for bad blocks. /OVERRIDE Ignores the last track information on a last /OVR track device, and creates bad block descriptor file on the last good block before last track. /PATTERN=m:n Specifies the double word data pattern /PAT=m:n used to locate bad blocks. /RETRY Force I/O driver to retry bad blocks /UPDATE Prompts you for additional bad blocks which or /UPD are added to the bad block descriptor file. Switches for Stand-Alone Version Only /CSR=nnnnnn Specifies the CSR address of a device that is not in a standard location. /VEC=nnn Specifies the interrupt vector address of a device that is not in a standard location. /WCHK Causes a write check. /NOCHK Negates /WCHK