Bad Sector..

coookies

hi..

is there a way to low level format a 40gig hdd?

any tool? and to check if a hdd is going to die?

janmike

It's not recommended that you low-level format a HDD, but I know that there is software that let you do that, although I'm not familiar with it at the moment.

If you have a bad sector, part of the formatting process will check the integrity all sectors and mark the bads so that they will not be used.

There are also disk utillities that will monitor HDD integrity and warn of impending problems, but again, I don't use them and am not at all versed in them.

More often than not, the warning of HDD failure comes in the form of increased HDD noise--whining, clicking, etc.

Myself, I'd just format it and let the process "heal" it, if it's not too far gone. Good luck.

jchahn

I know of a program called Recover it All. It has an option to "Strip Physical Drive." This takes a HD back to ground zero. Nothing is on it, period. It is identical to the way it was when it was purchased.

Let me explain, even when you format a HD using, for example, the DOS program FORMAT.COM , there is still specialized software that will "pull up" "deleted" files. (The FBI uses it to catch child **** people and hackers.) Supposedly, running the utility Recover it All and "Striping" a physical drive actually completely removes everything bit by bit, making it as though it is fresh out of the factory. Good for selling a used HD on ebay, etc. I have Recover it All on a floppy. It's small enough to fit on 1 floppy.

Also, sometimes when a HD is on the verge of dying it will get to the point where you can't read or write to it, but you can look through the directories and search around on the drive. This Recover it All software will allow you to go through the HD bit by bit and extract files from it to put an another HD before it completely dies. Good for getting important documents backed up before they are lost for good.

coookies

Hi..

your right.. there is a software where in you can lowlevel format a hardisk.. and luck hit me last night.. the program is powermax from maxtor where in you can diagnose your hardrive.. and there was this option to lowlevel it..

Ive been looking or this tool for a week.. grrrr...

right not im formating my hdd and its in 65%.. yahoooo..
hoping it will finish formating without any problem..

Thanks guys...

2lazybutsmart

So are you telling me that with all the advancements in OS technologies there is no place you can go to on the BIOS and low-level your HD?..... Boy oh boy, they must've forgotten that feature.

You know... this is one of things I see when I look at what technology has done for us. I remember low-leveling my HD 8 times in a single day when I first bought my 486DX. There was this simple menu on my AMI BIOS screen so it was probably the easiest task I could carry out on a machine.

~end rant.
2lbs.