Discussion:
Formatting a hard disk and handling of suspicious bad sectors
(too old to reply)
Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
2010-02-15 10:52:57 UTC
Permalink
Oh yes ... I remember DOS ... and floppy disks too!
Most of today's disks are way too big to do a DOS format without
first setting up lots of logical partitions.
Wrong. You can format the entire drive with one partition if you want.
... as long as one is prepared to use partition types that most versions
of MS/PC/DR-DOS won't be able to cope with. This, of course, was M.
Bryce's point. And even then that is presuming that one's disc is below
the 2TiB limit, beyond which one has to do things like switch from the
MBR partitioning scheme to the EFI partitioning scheme, which no version
of MS/PC/DR-DOS at all can cope with.
Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
2010-02-15 10:52:53 UTC
Permalink
When I right-clicked a hard disk in Window$ and hit Format, was it
the hard disk controller that took over to format a particular sector
on the disk? Or was it the OS?
None of them. The "format" operation under Windows does not format
(create and write) sectors. In proper OSes, what it does is called
filesystem creation.
And elsewhere, and more commonly, it's called a "high-level format", as
opposed to a "low-level format". Were M. Toylet to put that phrase into
xyr favourite WWW search engine, xe would find lots of information on
the subject.
Man-wai Chang to The Door (24000bps)
2010-02-15 11:38:30 UTC
Permalink
Post by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
And elsewhere, and more commonly, it's called a "high-level format", as
opposed to a "low-level format". Were M. Toylet to put that phrase into
xyr favourite WWW search engine, xe would find lots of information on
the subject.
Yes, but why can't customers do a low-level format again AFTER YEARS of
use? Why should customers rely on SMART?
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Rod Speed
2010-02-15 19:06:25 UTC
Permalink
Post by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
And elsewhere, and more commonly, it's called a "high-level format",
as opposed to a "low-level format". Were M. Toylet to put that
phrase into xyr favourite WWW search engine, xe would find lots of
information on the subject.
Yes, but why can't customers do a low-level format again AFTER YEARS of use?
Because modern drives cant do one anymore.

And they dont need to anyway, that was only useful with stepper
motor head actuator drives that got sector jitter over time. There
havent been any stepper motor head actuator drives for decades now.
Why should customers rely on SMART?
Because its much better to have the drive deal with bad sectors.
Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
2010-02-16 10:18:34 UTC
Permalink
Post by Man-wai Chang to The Door (24000bps)
Post by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
And elsewhere, and more commonly, it's called a "high-level format",
as opposed to a "low-level format". Were M. Toylet to put that phrase
into xyr favourite WWW search engine, xe would find lots of
information on the subject.
Yes, but why can't customers do a low-level format again AFTER YEARS
of use?
Were you to put the phrase "low-level format" into your favourite WWW
search engine, you would find lots of information on that subject, too.
Rod Speed
2010-02-16 17:23:06 UTC
Permalink
Post by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
Post by Man-wai Chang to The Door (24000bps)
Post by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
And elsewhere, and more commonly, it's called a "high-level format",
as opposed to a "low-level format". Were M. Toylet to put that
phrase into xyr favourite WWW search engine, xe would find lots of
information on the subject.
Yes, but why can't customers do a low-level format again AFTER YEARS
of use?
Were you to put the phrase "low-level format" into your favourite WWW
search engine, you would find lots of information on that subject, too.
But with an awful lot of shit to wade thru. Lot simpler to ask here.
Rod Speed
2010-02-15 19:03:54 UTC
Permalink
Post by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
Oh yes ... I remember DOS ... and floppy disks too!
Most of today's disks are way too big to do a DOS format without first setting up lots of logical partitions.
Wrong. You can format the entire drive with one partition if you want.
... as long as one is prepared to use partition types that most
versions of MS/PC/DR-DOS won't be able to cope with.
Wrong. Modern versions of Win handle it fine.
Post by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
This, of course, was M. Bryce's point.
Not it was not. And he isnt an M. either.
Post by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
And even then that is presuming that one's disc is below the 2TiB limit,
Which it very likely is.
Post by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
beyond which one has to do things like switch from the MBR partitioning scheme to the EFI partitioning scheme, which
no version of MS/PC/DR-DOS at all can cope with.
Only fools run dinosaurs like that.
Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
2010-02-16 10:14:08 UTC
Permalink
Post by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
Oh yes ... I remember DOS ... and floppy disks too!
Most of today's disks are way too big to do a DOS format without
first setting up lots of logical partitions.
Wrong. You can format the entire drive with one partition if you want.
... as long as one is prepared to use partition types that most
versions of MS/PC/DR-DOS won't be able to cope with. This, of
course, was M. Bryce's point. And even then that is presuming that
one's disc is below the 2TiB limit, beyond which one has to do things
like switch from the MBR partitioning scheme to the EFI partitioning
scheme, which no version of MS/PC/DR-DOS at all can cope with.
Modern versions of Win handle [partition types that most versions of
MS/PC/DR-DOS won't be able to cope with] fine.
"Modern versions of Win" are not DOS, of course.
Not it was not [M. Bryce's point].
I'm confident that if asked xe would state xyrself that it was. What xe
wrote wasn't particularly unclear.
Only fools run dinosaurs like that.
Whether it's foolish to run MS/PC/DR-DOS is besides the point. The
premise is that one is, and the consequence of the premise is that it's
difficult to handle today's disc sizes with MS/PC/DR-DOS, given their
comparatively small partition size limits and the 2TiB limit of the old
MBR partitioning scheme (the only partitioning scheme that they
understand) itself.
Rod Speed
2010-02-16 17:21:56 UTC
Permalink
Post by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
Post by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
Oh yes ... I remember DOS ... and floppy disks too!
Most of today's disks are way too big to do a DOS format without first setting up lots of logical partitions.
Wrong. You can format the entire drive with one partition if you want.
... as long as one is prepared to use partition types that most
versions of MS/PC/DR-DOS won't be able to cope with. This, of
course, was M. Bryce's point. And even then that is presuming that
one's disc is below the 2TiB limit, beyond which one has to do
things like switch from the MBR partitioning scheme to the EFI
partitioning scheme, which no version of MS/PC/DR-DOS at all can
cope with.
Modern versions of Win handle [partition types that most versions of MS/PC/DR-DOS won't be able to cope with] fine.
"Modern versions of Win" are not DOS, of course.
What was being disucssed was using DOS just for the format of the drive.
Post by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
No it was not [M. Bryce's point].
I'm confident that if asked xe would state xyrself that it was.
Your confidence is completely irrelevant.
Post by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
What xe wrote wasn't particularly unclear.
It wasnt unclear that what was being discussed was JUST using DOS for the format of the drive.
Post by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
Only fools run dinosaurs like that.
Whether it's foolish to run MS/PC/DR-DOS is besides the point.
No it is not.
Post by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
The premise is that one is, and the consequence of the premise is that it's difficult to handle today's disc sizes
with MS/PC/DR-DOS, given their comparatively small partition size limits
No such limit exists with JUST using DOS to format the drive.
Post by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
and the 2TiB limit of the old MBR partitioning scheme (the only partitioning scheme that they understand) itself.
That isnt relevant to the drive he wants to format.
Ed Light
2010-02-16 23:40:31 UTC
Permalink
Post by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard
Post by Rod Speed
Only fools run dinosaurs like that.
Whether it's foolish to run MS/PC/DR-DOS is besides the point. The
It looks like you may be answering Rod Speed. Most of us have him
filtered out, and it's quite clear sailing!
--
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