HDD GURU FORUMS

I thought a low-level format should map out bad sectors so the OS does not "see" them. This does not appear to be happening with your low-level formatting tool.

I formatted a disk using Windows XP disk management and it correctly reports 253,000 KB in bad sectors and a reduction in total disk space, as expected. Then I formated with your low-level formatting tool, Windows XP now reports 0 KB in bad sectors and no reduction in disk space. I think your low-level formatting tool is dangerous and should not be used! If I were to continue using this disk, as-is, I would experience file corruption because the bad sectors were never identified and mapped out by your low-level formatting tool.

My experience with low-level formatting is that you typically execute microcode on the HDD controller which maps out the bad sectors. The result is a reduction in total disk space and the OS reports 0 KB in bad sectors.

I think you should rename your low-level formatting tool to "advanced format tool".

rickelwell wrote: I think your low-level formatting tool is dangerous and should not be used!

I think you shouldn't use it.

I guess for most people your low-level formatting program will work fine if there disk is good. Plus your program is free!! However, I have an old disk that corrupts files due to bad sectors. I need to map out these bad sectors somehow. Hmmm... they're must be a way....

hmmmm
check it...
http://forum.csebd.net/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=44

http://forum.csebd.net/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=19

The idea of this tool is to blank the drive and the data to the maps of bad sectors this allows many of us with software based errors to get a fully working HDD, after using it you use another program to scan for errors like HDDScan. I'm sure it was in the instructions somewhere about this.