[TriLUG] data recovery---Linux low-level format program available??

[al johson]

Many Thanks for your contribution. I have some hard drives which I'm hoping
to low level format to "fix them" for LINUX use.---Al.
==============

----- Original Message -----
From: H Brett Bolen <wingedlizard at nc.rr.com>
To: <trilug at trilug.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 20, 2002 9:44 PM
Subject: Re: [TriLUG] data recovery---Linux low-level format program
available??


> spinrite is still around.
>
> http://grc.com/sroverview.htm
>
> b\375
>
>
> burnett at pobox.com wrote:
> > On Wed, 20 Mar 2002, al johson wrote:
> >
> >
> >>    However, I'm not really talking about a program that will just erase
(or
> >>wipe a hard drive, or do what used to be called a "high-level format"),
but
> >>a program which will test a drive to determine where the bad sectors are
> >>located and (and this is the most important part:) mark them so that
data
> >>cannot be written to those sectors in the future!!
> >
> > [snip]
> >
> >>Then suddenly these programs disappeared and we were told that the new
IDE
> >>hard drives could not be "low-level formatted" anymore. This may indeed
be
> >>the case, but I distinctly reading recently that there was a Linux
program
> >>which could "low-level format" a hard drive.
> >
> >
> > It's generally not recommended, not always successful, and not really a
> > great idea for modern drives. Still, here's some references and help if
> > you want.
> >
> > From
> > http://rtvpatch.sourceforge.net/utility.html
> > "It is highly recommended that you run a low-level format test on your
new
> > hard drive before you start the upgrade procedure. This requires that
you
> > download a utility program from your hard drive manufacturer. Maxtor has
> > PowerMax, Western Digital has Data Lifeguard Diagnostics, and Quantum
> > (now part of Maxtor) has Data Protection System. Follow the instructions
> > for the utility program, and then run the destructive low-level format
> > option. This will help map out any bad sectors on the
> > drive. "
> >
> > Links to the mentioned manufacturers' applications are on the webpage
> > above.
> >
> > From
> > http://www.linuxgazette.com/issue31/tag_badblock.html
> > "You usually can't "fix" bad clusters --- though you can instruct your
OS
> > to "map them out" (refuse to use them). There used to be a
> >        software package for MS-DOS called Spinrite (Gibson Software?)
> > which would do surface analysis of many types of drives and might
> >        be able to restore bad clusters to use (although it was never
> > recommended).
> >
> >        There used to also be procedures for many ST-506 (MFM and RLL)
hard
> > drives and some SCSI drives which would allow the user to
> >        do a "low level format" of the drive. However with modern IDE and
> > SCSI drives this option is generally unavailable --- some drives will
> >        let you sent the low-level format command to them, and their
> > electronics will blithely ignore your command and send a "success"
signal
> >        back (I've even heard that some will use a suitable delay
factor)."
> >
> >
> > Other links:
> > http://www.hardwarecentral.com/hardwarecentral/tutorials/39/4/
> >
> > http://www.computing.net/dos/wwwboard/forum/8277.html
> >
> > regards,
> > Steve Burnett
> > burnett at pobox.com
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > TriLUG Organizational FAQ:
> >     http://www.trilug.org/~lovelace/faq/TriLUG-faq.html
> >
>
>
>
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