where to download a low level formatting program???

[they call mr big]

it's for a fujitsu hard disk and I can't seem to find any low level formatting utils for it

 

[DAM]

try a generic one or one from another manufacturer, thats what i do, i think i use one from seagate to format all types of drives. ill have to search around through my files i think i have one. but it might take a long time to find, hope youre not in too much of a hurry.






dam(blahr)

 

[they call mr big]

I need one this weekend to do my friends machine, thanks anyway. I heard of a program called zero fill, do you know where to download it from???

 

[GAZZA]

i know most of the big drive manufacturers have their own software for low level formatting , maybe try their web site and see what they have to offer.

 

[MrJoe]

This might be a stupid question, but how does "Low" lever formating differ from just typing format c: ????

 

[TatSteeL]

in most cases its right in your CMOS well as atleas it is for my old pentium I a while ago.

 

[IamDavid]

Why do you need to low level format? In some cases it can cause harm to your HDD. Inless there is a reason for doing so I wouldn't bother.

 

[Dark]

Funny, I was looking for one myself. I have some problems with some Aopen mobo that keep detecting the hdds as 8G eventhough the bios see them correctly. I tried Fujitsu, Maxtor (a bunch of them), quantum, same thing
Anyway, here is the link for the format utility: Fujitsu LLF

 

[SuperSix]

DO NOT use the low-level utility in BIOS, it can destroy your HDD.

Why do a low-level? To reset the status of the media back to brand new. Gets rid of non-DOS partitions, virii, anomalies that FDISK can't erase. Some even write 0's to the drive, ensuring that there is no data left on it. Good for security as well.

There's no reason NOT to low-level if the drives condition requires it, just make sure you use the correct low-level utility from the correct manufacturer. If it isn't available from that manufacturer, Seagate's SeaTools seems to work with other manufacturers, and if I remember correctly, Maxtor's MaxBlast Plus works with other manufacturer's drives as well.

 

[DAM]

i too am a big advocate of low level formatting, i got used to it when job requires it for computers that are being surplused (working for the goverment and all)


great way to get your hd squeeky clean.





dam(*M)

 

[JokerF15]

ok, me being the idiot i am, i lowleveled from the scsi bios and it formatted the WRONG SIZE!!! AHHH!! now the drive wont work rite. it's a seagate drive. i just got it back from rma and dont want to send it back. iz there a way that i can low level it again using seatools or somehting else. Seatools can only detect it as a drive in the system, but when it tried to test for functionalbilty it wont work.

thx for the help.

 

[DAM]

cant you just re-reformat from the BIOS, to my knowledge all scsi drives come with a low level reformat function on the bios.







dam()

 

[andri]

Low-level formatting is IMPOSSIBLE with IDE hard drives. Most BIOSen do a "regular" format or just fill the disk with zeros, others do nothing.

"Low-level formatting" means marking new tracks on the hard disk physically, and while SCSI disks can do it IDE hard drives don't have the mechanics to do it.

 

[JokerF15]

the scsi bios on the adpatec card formatted it with the WRONG information. It did an 8gb format instead of a 9.1, and now the drive is not recognized by fdisk or anything. I was looking for a low level program that would find the disk (sea tools does) and be able to rewrite it's tracks.

 

[Dan]

they call mr big: I just e-mailed you a zero-fill utility. Hope it helps.

 

[johnlog]

Norton System Works 2000 comes with a utility called NORTON WIPE-INFO.

Here is what it says:

"Norton Wipeinfo can remove all traces of a file or folder from your hard drive. Be very certain you want to do this because once it is done, it cannot be undone.

Norton Wipeinfo can also clear all the free space on a hard disk. This will remove any traces of previoiusly deleted files and folders."

Then it gives you three choices:

"What would you like to wipe:

Files
Folders
Free space"

Then if you accept any of those choices and cick on Next you have done and wiped out all info of the type you have selected from that menu.

Good luck.

JohnL