How do i Low level format my HDD? - Club CDFreaks

Ch5Micky · 27-08-2001

Hi does any1 no how i can low level format my Hard drive and what tools i might need to do it.

Thanx in advance.

ZaGhost · 28-08-2001

Low level formatting for IDE drives is done at the factiory ...once...
and user attempts can easlity kill the drive permanetly....

SCSI may be different, not sure......

in either case... be very careful

crest · 28-08-2001

Don't. Why should you do that. Normal format is OK. If you have bad clusters your harddisk is not ok. You probably have a 3 year warranty.

Ch5Micky · 28-08-2001

thanx 4 the info guys, but its for a friend of mine and he really need to do this is there a tool he can use to acheive this.

Thanx.

mr_claypole · 28-08-2001

wtf is on the disk that you are willing to possibly destroy it to erase the data????

anyway, if you really want to kill your HD there are usually downloads on the manufacturers websites to do this......

such as

http://www.storage.ibm.com/hdd/support/download.htm

good luck. mwahahahaha

Ch5Micky · 28-08-2001

Hey mr_claypole dont jump all over me it's not my hard drive, i wouldnt dream of low level formatting any of my hdd, but he wants to and if he choses to ignor my warning then its his funeral and his money if he has to buy a new one.

Thanx 4 the link btw.

ZaGhost · 28-08-2001

If he's adamant about doing it , check the manufacturers site...
some have specific tools for attempting this..all with the same warnings we have voiced....

be sure to tell him several times that it may kill the drive... we don't him blaming us for killing it

Black Diamond · 28-08-2001

Oh boy!
Talk about distorting the facts.
Low level formatting does not, will not and never has destoyed any drive.
Low level formatting will renew the mapping information on a drive and will also mark any growth bad sectors as being bad, thereby preventing the O/S from having access to them.
If the original low level data has degraded in strength it will be refreshed and any 'bad' sectors that aren't will be recovered.
If low level format fails then the drive is too stuffed to worry about.

mr_claypole · 28-08-2001

sorry Ch5Micky, didn't mean to jump on ya about it. seems a quite a lot of trouble when a normal dos format would do the job........

!¬)

Ch5Micky · 28-08-2001

No worries mr_claypole i agree with u i think its suicide but i have one of those friends who thinks he knows better than any1 else. I told him if he does this and it goes wrong his HDD is trash but if he wants to buy a new HDD he'll have to learn the hard way. Lol

Ch5Micky · 28-08-2001

Thanx 4 all ur warnings guys, i have passed it onto him its up 2 him if he wants try it though.

27-08-2001	#1 (permalink)
Ch5Micky CD Freaks Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: London, England (UK) Posts: 394	How do i Low level format my HDD? Hi does any1 no how i can low level format my Hard drive and what tools i might need to do it. Thanx in advance. __________________ Regards Ch5 Micky

28-08-2001	#2 (permalink)
ZaGhost CD Freaks Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 51	Low level formatting for IDE drives is done at the factiory ...once... and user attempts can easlity kill the drive permanetly.... SCSI may be different, not sure...... in either case... be very careful __________________ C'ya ZaGhost ZaGhost's UT Page ICQ 3839381

28-08-2001	#4 (permalink)
Ch5Micky CD Freaks Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: London, England (UK) Posts: 394	thanx 4 the info guys, but its for a friend of mine and he really need to do this is there a tool he can use to acheive this. Thanx. __________________ Regards Ch5 Micky

28-08-2001	#5 (permalink)
mr_claypole CD Freaks Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: near London. UK Posts: 108	wtf is on the disk that you are willing to possibly destroy it to erase the data???? anyway, if you really want to kill your HD there are usually downloads on the manufacturers websites to do this...... such as http://www.storage.ibm.com/hdd/support/download.htm good luck. mwahahahaha __________________ Mr C

28-08-2001	#6 (permalink)
Ch5Micky CD Freaks Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: London, England (UK) Posts: 394	Hey mr_claypole dont jump all over me it's not my hard drive, i wouldnt dream of low level formatting any of my hdd, but he wants to and if he choses to ignor my warning then its his funeral and his money if he has to buy a new one. Thanx 4 the link btw. __________________ Regards Ch5 Micky

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28-08-2001	#3 (permalink)
crest CD Freaks Member Join Date: Sep 1999 Posts: 144	Don't. Why should you do that. Normal format is OK. If you have bad clusters your harddisk is not ok. You probably have a 3 year warranty.

28-08-2001	#7 (permalink)
ZaGhost CD Freaks Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 51	If he's adamant about doing it , check the manufacturers site... some have specific tools for attempting this..all with the same warnings we have voiced.... be sure to tell him several times that it may kill the drive... we don't him blaming us for killing it __________________ C'ya ZaGhost ZaGhost's UT Page ICQ 3839381

28-08-2001	#8 (permalink)
Black Diamond CD Freaks Senior Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Aus Posts: 446	Oh boy! Talk about distorting the facts. Low level formatting does not, will not and never has destoyed any drive. Low level formatting will renew the mapping information on a drive and will also mark any growth bad sectors as being bad, thereby preventing the O/S from having access to them. If the original low level data has degraded in strength it will be refreshed and any 'bad' sectors that aren't will be recovered. If low level format fails then the drive is too stuffed to worry about.

28-08-2001	#9 (permalink)
mr_claypole CD Freaks Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: near London. UK Posts: 108	sorry Ch5Micky, didn't mean to jump on ya about it. seems a quite a lot of trouble when a normal dos format would do the job........ !¬) __________________ Mr C

28-08-2001	#10 (permalink)
Ch5Micky CD Freaks Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: London, England (UK) Posts: 394	No worries mr_claypole i agree with u i think its suicide but i have one of those friends who thinks he knows better than any1 else. I told him if he does this and it goes wrong his HDD is trash but if he wants to buy a new HDD he'll have to learn the hard way. Lol __________________ Regards Ch5 Micky

28-08-2001	#11 (permalink)
Ch5Micky CD Freaks Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: London, England (UK) Posts: 394	Thanx 4 all ur warnings guys, i have passed it onto him its up 2 him if he wants try it though. __________________ Regards Ch5 Micky

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