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Lately, there seems to be a run on
- Thread starter kjonnnnn
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Low level formatting is no longer necessary on modern hard drives. Waaaaaay back in the days of MFM and RLL hard drives, low level formatting was required to define the data area prior to partitioning. Modern IDE drives have all the data area defined internally on the drive, and it CAN'T be erased. If you do a "low level" format on an IDE drive all you are doing is erasing the drive including the boot sector and partition tables. The advantage over doing an FDISK and FORMAT is you erase the boot sector completely before starting. If you don't want to waste the time (it takes a good amount of time to low level) use an FDISK /MBR to create a new master boot record prior to repartitioning. The bottom line : I don't know a good technician who DOES recommend low level formatting!
David Moore
dm7941@sbc.com
David Moore
dm7941@sbc.com
There are times when hard drives need low level reformatiing. Generally when there are timing problems between controllers and drives. But the need has certainly diminished.
In the old days the mechanics and heat buildup affected the head tracking and you could get about a year out of the ST225 between reformats.
Ed Fair
efair@atlnet.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply.
Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.
In the old days the mechanics and heat buildup affected the head tracking and you could get about a year out of the ST225 between reformats.
Ed Fair
efair@atlnet.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply.
Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.
Take a look at the spec sheet for Maxtor, Quantum, and a few others. It specifically mentions that a Low level format (unless done with their utility) will void any warranty. Some low level format utilities (spinrite is one) can completely destroy a drive (depending on drive).
Jim
reboot@pcmech.com
Current moderator at
Staff contributor/moderator at
Windows 9x/ME instructor.
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Jim
reboot@pcmech.com
Current moderator at
Staff contributor/moderator at
Windows 9x/ME instructor.
Jim's Modems:
- Thread starter
- #5
Well, i asked this question because as I peruse a lot of computer forums I see alot of people asking how to do a low level format.
Could newbies to the computer world be confusing "low level" with other formatting, or do they think low level formating will solve computer glitches they are experiencing.
Could newbies to the computer world be confusing "low level" with other formatting, or do they think low level formating will solve computer glitches they are experiencing.
IMHO they are desperate for a fix for something that nothing else will fix. And low level will fix just about anything until the same conditions occur. Or unitl they get another copy of the virus. Problem is the machines are getting more complex and newbies don't have troubleshooting skills. And determining drive/controller problems is a super PITA.
Comtech is right about the warranty provisions. With the price of drives where they are I do what I think is required. If I crash one, so be it.
Ed Fair
efair@atlnet.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply.
Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.
Comtech is right about the warranty provisions. With the price of drives where they are I do what I think is required. If I crash one, so be it.
Ed Fair
efair@atlnet.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply.
Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.
Ah, you mentioned some of the posts I too have seen, newbies wanting a "Low level format".
In most cases, they're referring to Fdisk, but just don't know anything about DOS.
I usually recommend (as a last resort) an Fdisk/Format/Install, but there are many more ways of fixing a problem (even a BSOD) than that.
Jim
reboot@pcmech.com
Current moderator at
Staff contributor/moderator at
Windows 9x/ME instructor.
Jim's Modems:
In most cases, they're referring to Fdisk, but just don't know anything about DOS.
I usually recommend (as a last resort) an Fdisk/Format/Install, but there are many more ways of fixing a problem (even a BSOD) than that.
Jim
reboot@pcmech.com
Current moderator at
Staff contributor/moderator at
Windows 9x/ME instructor.
Jim's Modems:
Karl Blessing
Programmer
I do low level formats for 2 reasons
1) to repair partition or Fat coruption that cannot be fixed in a conventional method
2) to erradicate the pressence of a virus that even clearing the Master boot record with Fdisk wont do.
Karl
kb244@kb244.com
Experienced in : C++(both VC++ and Borland),VB1(dos) thru VB6, Delphi 3 pro, HTML, Visual InterDev 6(ASP(WebProgramming/Vbscript)
1) to repair partition or Fat coruption that cannot be fixed in a conventional method
2) to erradicate the pressence of a virus that even clearing the Master boot record with Fdisk wont do.
Karl
kb244@kb244.com
Experienced in : C++(both VC++ and Borland),VB1(dos) thru VB6, Delphi 3 pro, HTML, Visual InterDev 6(ASP(WebProgramming/Vbscript)
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