Advisable to warm up HDD before formatting?

K

Ken

Please explain why.

Because of normal psychical behavior of different materials.
Temperature change make it expand or crimp.
The drive would be in normal temperature span when
formatting for minimizing the chance of fault.
 
B

Bob Eager

Because of normal psychical behavior of different materials.

I didn't know disks were psychic! (actually, S.M.A.R.T. comes near...)!
Temperature change make it expand or crimp.
The drive would be in normal temperature span when
formatting for minimizing the chance of fault.

See my other reply.
 
J

J. Clarke

budgie said:
If the VC/servo mechanism tracks the ACTUAL track alignment as placed
during the
LLF, then all reading/writing is correctly aligned always. Then why is
there any need for drives do this thermal recal?

At one time there was a separate platter with the servo tracks, so it was
possible for temperature changes to alter the head positions slightly
relative to the data tracks. That is no longer the case, each platter has
its own servo information stored.
 
K

kony

Because of normal psychical behavior of different materials.
Temperature change make it expand or crimp.
The drive would be in normal temperature span when
formatting for minimizing the chance of fault.


Except that every time the system is turned on (assuming
climate controlled environment) the HDD must then start out
"cold", boot and run system.
 
R

Ralph Wade Phillips

Howdy!

Sandee said:
If I get a new hard drive then is it good practise to boot the PC and let
the drive spin for 30 minutes or so in order that it warms up before I
format it?

Man, talk about a "blast from the past" B)

We used to have to do this back in the 80's. But right around 1986,
when closed loop head positioners (first with a separate servo surface, then
with servo bursts mixed with the data), that pretty much went out the door.

To answer your question - as long as it comes from short-sleeve
comfortable, then no.

(Ask me when it's been in -40 weather, and I'll tell you a different
tale B) )

RwP
 
R

Ron Reaugh

kony said:
Except that every time the system is turned on (assuming
climate controlled environment) the HDD must then start out
"cold", boot and run system.

Yep, but then each and every time you turn it on you aren't doing a format.
And a format of a new drive also portends the probability that the drive was
also just brought into the room from an external environment at a much
larger temperature difference.
 
R

Ron Reaugh

Ralph Wade Phillips said:
Howdy!



Man, talk about a "blast from the past" B)

We used to have to do this back in the 80's. But right around 1986,
when closed loop head positioners (first with a separate servo surface, then
with servo bursts mixed with the data), that pretty much went out the door.

To answer your question - as long as it comes from short-sleeve
comfortable, then no.

(Ask me when it's been in -40 weather, and I'll tell you a different
tale B) )

Not everyone is clueless.
 
F

Folkert Rienstra

CBFalconer said:
When you could still do a low level format, it was advisable.

Because it was 'advisable', *that* is why it could do it.

There is a reason why it was called "Format Track" (and not Format
Unit, the SCSI equivalent that is still supported, unlike the ATA form).
 
M

Manny

J. Clarke said:
At one time there was a separate platter with the servo
tracks, so it was possible for temperature changes to
alter the head positions slightly relative to the data
tracks. That is no longer the case, each platter has
its own servo information stored.

Can the servo writer access all the platters through the
small hole on the side of the drive?

I have problems understanding how thermal calibration
is a bigger benefit when only one platter has a servo
because if each platter expands slightly differently,
how does thermally calibrating against that one servo
improve the calibration of the other platters?
 
J

J. Clarke

Manny said:
Can the servo writer access all the platters through the
small hole on the side of the drive?

Since there is a large hole in the top of the drive until such time as the
factory decides to put the lid on that is not an issue. Regardless, there
is really no separate "servo-writer" that is inserted into the drive--the
heads that are shipped with it are used for servo writing, but positioned
by an external device at the factory.
I have problems understanding how thermal calibration
is a bigger benefit when only one platter has a servo
because if each platter expands slightly differently,
how does thermally calibrating against that one servo
improve the calibration of the other platters?

You don't "calibrate against that one servo". You calibrate against the
data tracks and then use the calculated offset.
 
C

chrisv

Sandee said:
If I get a new hard drive then is it good practise to boot the PC and let

Why don't you cross-post to a few more groups while you're at it, you
idiot?
 
F

Folkert Rienstra

Manny said:
Can the servo writer access all the platters through the
small hole on the side of the drive?

I have problems understanding how thermal calibration
is a bigger benefit when only one platter has a servo
because if each platter expands slightly differently,
how does thermally calibrating against that one servo
improve the calibration of the other platters?

The calibration process is to update parameters for all
the platters (surfaces) individually.
 
R

Ron Reaugh

I have problems understanding how thermal calibration
is a bigger benefit when only one platter has a servo
because if each platter expands slightly differently,
how does thermally calibrating against that one servo
improve the calibration of the other platters?

No such process at a [single] platter level is in use these days.
 

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