Re Low Level Formatting
Maybe somebody can clarify my recollection. Once upon a time, low level
formatting was a well known and recommended procedure. (I'm bad with
time -- maybe in the time period 10 to 15 years ago.)
Then there came a time when the wisdom was that you should not low level
format a disk, that the drive did not have the necessary hardware to
allow a "real" low level format, and the low level format would destroy
the disk (by doing something like erasing or messing up the "timing"
marks on the disk. (Maybe this refers to a certain type of disk --
maybe this was early IDE drives??)
Now, it appears that low level formatting is again allowed /
recommended. Is this because:
1. There never was a real problem with low level formatting any disk?
2. Disks have changed again, and low level formatting is now supported?
3. Low level formatting has changed -- the procedure / software to do
low level formatting is not the same as the low level formatting that
was described as capable of destroying a disk several years ago.
If there truly is a type of disk that should not be low level formatted,
even if an older type, maybe we need to be careful about stating that.
Randy Kramer
James S Bear wrote:
>
> Civileme said a low-level format might do more harm than good if it was a
> potentially bad drive. However, this is the best way to return the drive to
> factory status. If it's a good drive, it does much good and is quite often the
> only way to restore a drive.
>
> If a person formats using fat or ntfs or ext2 over and over again, eventually
> your drive will come up as being non-existent. I've done this several times and
> the only way to restore it is doing a low-level format. Sometimes, as well, a
> Linux distro will not recognize a FAT partition if it is slightly corrupt or
> vice versa and the only way I have found to do get rid of it is to do a
> low-level format.
>
> I have found that doing a low-level format always ensures that the operating
> system will operate smoothly. I have never had it damage anything.
>
> I am only talking from experience, but I am quite certain that's the best education.
>
> It's a public list, there's no butting in involved.
>
> jim
> Quoting "Adams, Jamie" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
>
> > Sorry to butt in here... are we all sure about this low-level format
> > thing? im sure i heard civileme say that it can do more damage than good
> > in certain circumstances.
> >
> > If you are going to stick with Linux and get rid of Windows im sure that
> > the standard format in the Mandrake install process will do the job just
> > fine.
> >
> > Just a thought, correct me if im wrong..
> > -- Jamie
> >
> > >----------
> > >From: James S Bear[SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> > >Sent: 01 August 2001 02:46
> > >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > >Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > >Subject: Re: [newbie] win95 gone
> > >
> > >If you've already got linux installed, and windows is in the mnt
> > directory,
> > >right-click on it and say 'delete'(you might have to click it, too). If
> > >linux
> > >isn't installed, I'd do a low-level format and get everything off and then
> > >install linux.
> > >
> > >If linux is installed and windows isn't in the mnt directory, use
> > linuxconf
> > >to
> > >access a local drive and find it--and delete it.
> > >
> > >If windows is a boot option, you can go into Mandrake Control Center(if
> > it's
> > >mandrake) and then pick boot--once you are in your boot options, click
> > >advanced.
> > > Here, you will see windows. click it, modify it, and remove it.
> > >
> > >That's how I'd do it, but I'm pretty new at this.
> > >Quoting [EMAIL PROTECTED]:
> > >
> > >> I re-installed my computer and decided that I didn't want win95 any more.
> > I
> > >> was wondering how can I make sure windows is totally gone?
> > >> Any idea's would be helpful.
> > >>
> > >> Get your own FREE E-mail address at http://www.linuxfreemail.com
> > >> Linux FREE Mail is 100% FREE, 100% Linux, and 100% yours!
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >Ignorance is underrated
> > >
> > >
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> >
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