Is there a hard drive low level format program?

[Mike]

Hi,
Can I use the low level format program to format the hard drive's
potential problem.
Those problem included the different sector/cylynder information between the
BIOS and the Hard drive's specification and the BIOS sometime need to take
serveal minutes to detect it or couldn't detect the hard drive existence.
Is there a free low leve hard drive format program that I can download
to use. If so, please tell me how to get it? Thanks~

- Mike

 

[Anomaly]

Hi,
Can I use the low level format program to format the hard drive's
potential problem.
Those problem included the different sector/cylynder information between
the
BIOS and the Hard drive's specification and the BIOS sometime need to
take
serveal minutes to detect it or couldn't detect the hard drive existence.
Is there a free low leve hard drive format program that I can download
to use. If so, please tell me how to get it? Thanks~

- Mike

Some drives come with low format capability on the included disk (I think),
but it might be worth double checking your jumper positions before you try
LLF. For instance, I had a drive exhibit similar symptoms that turned out to
be an improperly placed jumper (Even though I "knew" that I had it set
correctly)..

Anom

 

[Bob Willard]

Some drives come with low format capability on the included disk (I think),
but it might be worth double checking your jumper positions before you try
LLF. For instance, I had a drive exhibit similar symptoms that turned out to
be an improperly placed jumper (Even though I "knew" that I had it set
correctly)..

Anom

With IDE HDs, PATA or SATA, real LLF is a factory-only function; has been
for several years. HD vendors make a diagnostic utility program which can
write 0s to all (or to the first few hundred) sectors; that's about as
close to LLF as you can currently get.

I suspect your HD problem lies elsewhere - bad jumper placement, bad cables,
bad PS, bad MB.

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

With IDE HDs, PATA or SATA, real LLF is a factory-only function;

Nope, that is Servo track writing.

has been for several years.

Not with IBM. And ATA-7 is introducing variable sector format:
"Long Logical Sector Feature Set".
Expect commands to format long logical sectors to follow.

HD vendors make a diagnostic utility program which can
write 0s to all (or to the first few hundred) sectors;

that's about as close to LLF as you can currently get.
Probably.


I suspect your HD problem lies elsewhere - bad jumper placement, bad cables,
bad PS, bad MB.

You forgot "bad drive".

 

[Tod]

I would guess the harddrive is going bad.
Hopefully it is still in warranty.