kinda stupid question, but oh well :) whats low level format ?

[ZL1]

Hi

guys I got a stupid question, whats low level format ? (like in old bioses and in scsi card bioses)
any different from a dos format ?

had this thing with me for years so I had to ask



Thanks
Dan

[Atomic Rooster]

There are no stupid questions. I wasn't even sure of the answer myself. This will help you: http://networking.webopedia.com/TERM/F/format.html

[Eladijaz]

Hi ZL1,
Not a stupid question ....
Low level formatting is a process of designating the physical areas of the disk (tracks and sectors) to enable them to recieve data. DOS formatting then takes these areas and decides how it would like to use them (logical partitioning). Without LLF DOS formatting would have no physical areas designated on the disk for writing it's own format - the disk is just blank.
New disks do not need LLF (apart from in the factory) because their components are well designed, but older disks sometimes needed a LLF because of thermal expansion of components causing errors due to the heads looking at slightly the wrong spot on the disk.
Cheers,
The helpful Mouse.

[ZL1]

Originally posted by Atomic Rooster
There are no stupid questions. I wasn't even sure of the answer myself. This will help you: http://networking.webopedia.com/TERM/F/format.html

Hi

well thats why so many smiles around
+ I was a bit ashamed since Im a DOS-gen1 (I was once excited about upgrading dos3 to dos4 )

Thanks for the link man, I'll check it out



Dan

[joker_927]

I have no clue what the answer is.

Interesting...

[ZL1]

Originally posted by Eladijaz
Hi ZL1,
Not a stupid question ....
Low level formatting is a process of designating the physical areas of the disk (tracks and sectors) to enable them to recieve data. DOS formatting then takes these areas and decides how it would like to use them (logical partitioning). Without LLF DOS formatting would have no physical areas designated on the disk for writing it's own format - the disk is just blank.
New disks do not need LLF (apart from in the factory) because their components are well designed, but older disks sometimes needed a LLF because of thermal expansion of components causing errors due to the heads looking at slightly the wrong spot on the disk.
Cheers,
The helpful Mouse.

Thanks man !!!

so many years had this in the back of my head, you know like one of those questions you keep forgeting to ask and today I was playing with my scsi raid array configurator and I saw it and I decided I'll finnaly ask someone even if its way past its time

[ZL1]

hey who voted "get lost newb" ?

[Gait_Keeper]

The only stupid question is the one you don't ask.

the mouse got the answer

[ZL1]

Originally posted by Eladijaz
Hi ZL1,
Not a stupid question ....
Low level formatting is a process of designating the physical areas of the disk (tracks and sectors) to enable them to recieve data. DOS formatting then takes these areas and decides how it would like to use them (logical partitioning). Without LLF DOS formatting would have no physical areas designated on the disk for writing it's own format - the disk is just blank.
New disks do not need LLF (apart from in the factory) because their components are well designed, but older disks sometimes needed a LLF because of thermal expansion of components causing errors due to the heads looking at slightly the wrong spot on the disk.
Cheers,
The helpful Mouse.

by the way if you low level a newer hdd you kill the data of course, but do you kill it more than a normal format would ? I mean is it completely unrecoverable ?


Thanks
Dan

[ZL1]

Originally posted by Gait_Keeper
The only stupid question is the one you don't ask.

I completely agree, but I thought Id bring out some smiles around here
I tend to do that for some reason


D