Cold Start DF32 Disk Formatter for PS/8 on a PDP-12

Summary

This document provides instructions for creating a "cold start" disk system tape for users of a PDP-12 computer equipped with a DF32 disk and LINCtape, who wish to use the PS/8 programming system. Because the DF32 disk is often shared with other systems (like LAP6-DIAL-MS), users frequently need a way to quickly recreate or "cold start" their PS/8 disk environment without the time-consuming process of rebuilding it from scratch.

The document outlines a three-step procedure to create a special, one-time-use system LINCtape. Once created, this tape allows the user to perform a cold boot of the PS/8 system onto the DF32 disk at any time, effectively formatting the disk and preparing it for use. The text also includes technical details for "warm starts," error handling during the boot process, and the assembly language source code listing for the formatter utility (CLDF32.SV).