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  • Hard Drive Format

    From IRONMAN@VERT/BADUSERS to All on Wed Jun 10 05:49:00 2020
    Does anyone know how to do a low level format on a hard drive?
    I'm not sure what a low level is..

    Thanks.
    Kent
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  • From Nightfox@VERT/DIGDIST to IRONMAN on Thu Jun 11 21:53:57 2020
    Re: Hard Drive Format
    By: IRONMAN to All on Wed Jun 10 2020 05:49 am

    Does anyone know how to do a low level format on a hard drive?
    I'm not sure what a low level is..

    That used to be done with low level formatting software up until the late 80s/early 90s, with older hard drives like MFM, etc.. Do you have a PC with such a hard drive? And I'm assuming you saw something somewhere that told you you need to do a low-level format? As far as I know, you generally don't need to do a low-level format with modern hard drives.

    A low-level format is what lays out the sectors, etc., and you could also do things like have the sector numbering skip sectors and then number the other sectors appropriately, in case you had a slow PC, so that hopefully the right sectors on the platter would end up under the read head at the right time..

    I'm not sure where to get such low-level formatting software these days though.

    Nightfox

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  • From MRO@VERT/BBSESINF to IRONMAN on Fri Jun 12 01:40:17 2020
    Re: Hard Drive Format
    By: IRONMAN to All on Wed Jun 10 2020 05:49 am

    Does anyone know how to do a low level format on a hard drive?
    I'm not sure what a low level is..

    Thanks.
    Kent


    why do you want to low level format a hd?
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  • From Moondog@VERT/CAVEBBS to Nightfox on Fri Jun 12 14:40:00 2020
    Re: Hard Drive Format
    By: Nightfox to IRONMAN on Thu Jun 11 2020 09:53 pm

    Re: Hard Drive Format
    By: IRONMAN to All on Wed Jun 10 2020 05:49 am

    Does anyone know how to do a low level format on a hard drive?
    I'm not sure what a low level is..

    That used to be done with low level formatting software up until the late 80 el format? As far as I know, you generally don't need to do a low-level for

    A low-level format is what lays out the sectors, etc., and you could also do
    would end up under the read head at the right time..

    I'm not sure where to get such low-level formatting software these days thou

    Nightfox


    Modern formats may clear just the MBR and FAT information, making the data unaccessable unless you have special tools. A low level is essentially zero-filling every space on a drive. Other than preparing a drive towork
    with system, low level formats were used to knock out real pesky viruses that would stash remnants all over a drive.

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  • From Havok@VERT/GMBBS to IRONMAN on Fri Jun 12 20:27:21 2020
    Re: Hard Drive Format
    By: IRONMAN to All on Wed Jun 10 2020 05:49 am


    Does anyone know how to do a low level format on a hard drive?
    I'm not sure what a low level is..

    Hello

    Most likely you will find what you need on one of these sites:

    https://www.winsite.com/old/old+dos+program/

    https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos

    https://vetusware.com/

    Laughing better have a 5 1/4 or 3 1/2 floppy drive.

    Hope this helps some.

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  • From MRO@VERT/BBSESINF to Moondog on Fri Jun 12 21:00:53 2020
    Re: Hard Drive Format
    By: Moondog to Nightfox on Fri Jun 12 2020 02:40 pm

    Re: Hard Drive Format
    By: Nightfox to IRONMAN on Thu Jun 11 2020 09:53 pm

    Re: Hard Drive Format
    By: IRONMAN to All on Wed Jun 10 2020 05:49 am

    Does anyone know how to do a low level format on a hard drive?
    I'm not sure what a low level is..

    That used to be done with low level formatting software up until the late el format? As far as I know, you generally don't need to do a low-level

    A low-level format is what lays out the sectors, etc., and you could also
    would end up under the read head at the right time..

    I'm not sure where to get such low-level formatting software these days t

    Nightfox


    Modern formats may clear just the MBR and FAT information, making the data unaccessable unless you have special tools. A low level is essentially zero-filling every space on a drive. Other than preparing a drive towork with system, low level formats were used to knock out real pesky viruses tha would stash remnants all over a drive.


    in the 90s i had a computer with problems. probably multiple problems. anyways, a hd got bad sectors marked on it and i knew they werent bad.

    i did a low level format to 'fix' the drive.

    anyways, nowadays you dont need to low level format. i wouldnt do it on modern harddrives.
    ---
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  • From poindexter FORTRAN@VERT/REALITY to MRO on Sat Jun 13 07:27:00 2020
    MRO wrote to Moondog <=-

    in the 90s i had a computer with problems. probably multiple problems. anyways, a hd got bad sectors marked on it and i knew they werent bad.

    i did a low level format to 'fix' the drive.

    MFM drives. Low-level formatting to fix sector drift when the seasons
    changed - I had a drive that would drift in the winter time. Endless
    Spinrite runs trying to get the right interleave...

    Don't miss that part of those days at all.



    ... Use an old idea
    --- MultiMail/XT v0.52
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  • From Moondog@VERT/CAVEBBS to Mro on Sat Jun 13 13:28:00 2020
    Re: Hard Drive Format
    By: MRO to Moondog on Fri Jun 12 2020 09:00 pm

    Re: Hard Drive Format
    By: Moondog to Nightfox on Fri Jun 12 2020 02:40 pm

    Re: Hard Drive Format
    By: Nightfox to IRONMAN on Thu Jun 11 2020 09:53 pm

    Re: Hard Drive Format
    By: IRONMAN to All on Wed Jun 10 2020 05:49 am

    Does anyone know how to do a low level format on a hard drive? I'm not sure what a low level is..

    That used to be done with low level formatting software up until the l el format? As far as I know, you generally don't need to do a low-lev

    A low-level format is what lays out the sectors, etc., and you could a
    would end up under the read head at the right time..

    I'm not sure where to get such low-level formatting software these day

    Nightfox


    Modern formats may clear just the MBR and FAT information, making the dat unaccessable unless you have special tools. A low level is essentially zero-filling every space on a drive. Other than preparing a drive towork with system, low level formats were used to knock out real pesky viruses would stash remnants all over a drive.


    in the 90s i had a computer with problems. probably multiple problems. anyways, a hd got bad sectors marked on it and i knew they werent bad.

    i did a low level format to 'fix' the drive.

    anyways, nowadays you dont need to low level format. i wouldnt do it on mode harddrives.

    Agreed. File systems are less prone to be buggy, let alone drive technology.

    ---
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  • From Moondog@VERT/CAVEBBS to poindexter FORTRAN on Sat Jun 13 13:31:00 2020
    Re: Re: Hard Drive Format
    By: poindexter FORTRAN to MRO on Sat Jun 13 2020 07:27 am

    MRO wrote to Moondog <=-

    in the 90s i had a computer with problems. probably multiple problems. anyways, a hd got bad sectors marked on it and i knew they werent bad.

    i did a low level format to 'fix' the drive.

    MFM drives. Low-level formatting to fix sector drift when the seasons
    changed - I had a drive that would drift in the winter time. Endless
    Spinrite runs trying to get the right interleave...

    Don't miss that part of those days at all.



    ... Use an old idea

    I recall when floppy drives head alignment would be one extreme, and the floppy was previously formatted to the other extreme. Stacking of tolerences made sharing floppies a pain.

    ---
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  • From Tracker1@VERT/TRN to IRONMAN on Sun Jun 14 23:21:25 2020
    On 6/9/2020 10:49 PM, IRONMAN wrote:
    Does anyone know how to do a low level format on a hard drive?
    I'm not sure what a low level is..

    Generally, this isn't required on modern SATA/SASS/NVME drives and is
    actually harmful for SSD/NVME drives.

    You can use utilities to do multiple writes 0/1 to every bit and you'll
    want to run them multiple times for hard clears... alternatively, if you
    don't want to re-sell, then your best bet is a company that will
    literally shred the device for you.

    --
    Michael J. Ryan
    tracker1 +o Roughneck BBS

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  • From Weatherman@VERT/TLCBBS to IRONMAN on Mon Jun 15 00:54:00 2020
    IRONMAN wrote to All <=-

    @MSGID: <5EE2FCBB.16674.dove-hlp@vert.synchro.net>
    Does anyone know how to do a low level format on a hard drive?
    I'm not sure what a low level is..

    Thanks.
    Kent
    ---

    If you don't know what a low level format is, then you don't need to do a low level format. Aside from that, a low level format hasn't been required on a hard drive since the IDE standard emerged. It was typically done as the first step in initializing MFM and RLL drives (among other types, but those were the most popular PC drives at the time) by laying down the physical tracks and sectors on the drive. Regardless, if you don't know what you're doing, you'll thoroughly destroy a drive if you attempt to do a low level format and screw it up.

    Regards,
    -==*>Weatherman<*==-

    ... 2 + 2 = 5 for extremely large values of 2.
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