Hi there,

lately I found this note on a webpage which explained the linux command "dd":

> How to rejuvenate a hard drive:
> This will sometimes cure input/output errors experienced
> when using dd. Over time the data on a drive, especially a
> drive that hasn't been used for a year or two grows into larger
> magnetic flux points than were originally recorded.
> This makes it hard for the drive heads to decipher these
> magnetic flux points. This results in read/write errors.
> Also, sometimes sector 1 goes bad resulting in a useless drive.
> All you need to do is:

> dd if=/dev/sda of=/dev/sda

> to rejuvenate the drive. The process rewrites all the data
> on the drive in nice tight magnetic patterns that can then
> be read properly. The procedure is perfectly safe, and saves
> one a lot of money on HDDs.

My question:
Is this really still a good idea to do with a todays harddisk or is
this tip a relict of something which might have been a good idea
to do with a harddisk in the early 1990s?

I am not talking about the risks involved when using such a low-level
command as "dd", which can easily overwrite and destroy data on
the harddisk if not proper used. My question only addresses the issue,
whether this action (if properly executed) really has a positive effect
on a todays harddisk or not (so really rejuvenates the bits on the
rotating magnetic disk).

I got a harddisk which I only use like once a year for some backup and
my main concern with this disk is to retain the data on it for as many
years as possible.

Thanks for your answers.

well, I am interested in this question too. Anyhow, the command "DD" is logical rearrangement of disk section.

It can not stop me thinking about the Defragement. From my humble opinion, it's kind of easy system utility code of hard disk manufacturer.

I am looking forward to more answers for this question.

Best Regards

Laura

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SalvationDATA--Profesionnal Hard drive solution Provider. MSN: sales.laura@salvationdata.com