Low Level Formatting

[TomAJohnson]

I am trying to completely clean out a system and start over. I have used a low level format program included with MicroScope (1993 version). I then try to install an operating system fresh, but keep getting told there is already an operating system on the machine.

How is this possible when have reformatted the hard drive?

Thanks.

Tom

[Doobie]

have you check to see if there is any data on the hard drive? Could the program possible not worked right?

You should make a bootable floppy and use FDISK.

[morriswindgate]

How is this possible> You have a retail computer that came with a Restore Disk instead of a full version of Windows disk. As such the hard drive has a hidden partition that has some windows files on it that recognize the Restore disk and execute the program to run the disk.

[mshirley001]

yes, doobie nailed it IMO. fdisk is your answer.

[glc]

I would not let a low level format program from 1993 near an IDE drive, you should only use the zero fill utility from the hard drive manufacturer or the generic QDI lf.exe on it.

[ThePoor]

glc's right,
Never format your drive using low level format...
go to google and search for bootable disk, then download win98 version and re-partition your hard drive..

[Miz]

Low-level format, a formatting method that creates the tracks and sectors on a hard disk. Low-level formatting creates the physical format that dictates where data is stored on the disk.

Modern hard drives are low-level formatted at the factory for the life of the drive. A PC can not perform an LLF on a modern IDE/ATA or SCSI hard disk, and doing so would destroy the hard disk. Older MFM drives could be low-level formatted to extend the life of the disk, but modern hard drives no longer use MFM technology.

A low-level format is also called a physical format.

Hopefully, all you did was a zero-fill which is usually what's referred to as a "low level format" although they are not the same thing.

[Carl Price]

Originally posted by Miz Low-level format, a formatting method that creates the tracks and sectors on a hard disk. Low-level formatting creates the physical format that dictates where data is stored on the disk. Modern hard drives are low-level formatted at the factory for the life of the drive. A PC can not perform an LLF on a modern IDE/ATA or SCSI hard disk, and doing so would destroy the hard disk. Older MFM drives could be low-level formatted to extend the life of the disk, but modern hard drives no longer use MFM technology. A low-level format is also called a physical format. Hopefully, all you did was a zero-fill which is usually what's referred to as a "low level format" although they are not the same thing.

I won't say this is not true, but most disk software from the harddrive makers include a low level format routines in them. I believe that what you are saying is just a matter of what you call it.
If the manufacturers chose to call it a low level format, then so be it. It is true however that low level format has changed since mfm, rll days.

[rambler]

Originally posted by Carl Price I won't say this is not true, but most disk software from the harddrive makers include a low level format routines in them. I believe that what you are saying is just a matter of what you call it. If the manufacturers chose to call it a low level format, then so be it. It is true however that low level format has changed since mfm, rll days.

I'm not so sure about that - Western Digital say:

Low-level formatting — The process of creating sectors on the disk surface; this permits the operating system to use the regions needed to create the file structure. Also called initialization. Low-level formatting is performed at the Western Digital factory. There is no need for you to low-level format a Western Digital drive.

Other manuf., including Maxtor describe it as a last-resort fix for drives which cannot be formatted normally and can't be fixed in any other way, or have many bad clusters.

[glc]

It's semantics. A true low level can't be done on an IDE drive without ruining it. A lot of people call a zero fill "low level" but that's not exactly true. If you use the utility from the hard drive manufacturer it's safe, as is the generic QDI "LF.EXE".

[Miz]

Quite true...it's all semantics. However, if a "true" low-level format is done on a modern drive, there's a considerable risk that the drive will be rendered useless. Since the original poster mentioned using software from 1993, the chances are it was a "true" low-level format.

Note the last sentence in my first post: "Hopefully, all you did was a zero-fill which is usually what's referred to as a "low level format" although they are not the same thing." I was hoping that would cover the discrepancy between the original meaning of the term "low level format" and the generally accepted meaning today.