Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!uc!cs.umn.edu!ux.acs!clarson
From: clarson@ux.acs.umn.edu (Chaz Larson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Re: Boot partition - was: Re: boot volume woes...
Message-ID: <2070@ux.acs.umn.edu>
Date: 15 Aug 90 14:21:45 GMT
References: <3928@crash.cts.com> <6268@milton.u.washington.edu> <8950@ur-cc.UUCP>
Reply-To: clarson@ux.acs.umn.edu (Chaz Larson)
Organization: Iron City, USA
Lines: 51

In article <8950@ur-cc.UUCP> carlo@cvs.rochester.edu (Carlo Tiana) writes:
>In the most recent MacUser/MacWorld, there is an article about 'getting
>ready for system 7. In it, the author suggests keeping system <7 on a
>separate hard disk from system >=7 and keeping the applications (for the 2
>system versions) separate. I seem to remember that it is also mentioned
>somewhere that you need to reformat your HD for sys 7. 
>...
>but more generally what is it about sys 7 that requires reformatting, if
>this is indeed tha case? Would this not be a first for a MacOS upgrade?

Reformatting the HD is _not_ a System 7 requirement, and the author doesn't
imply that it is.

Quoting without permission:

_Make Room for System 7_ by Thom Hogan

[Thom is listing the steps involved in installing Sys 7 on an HD]

"1. Back up the files currently on your hard-disk drive.
 ...
 2. Reformat your hard disk.
    Yes, reformat it. And I don't mean by selecting the Erase Disk command
    from the Finder's Special menu.  Use the low-level formatting utility
    that came with your hard disk.  Doing this often cathces the marginal or
    defective sectors that can cause major problems later.  This is especially
    important if you use your Mac in an environment that changes dramatically
    [because of temperature or humidity extremes, for example] during the year.
    Temperature changes can affect the exact placement of the head mechanism
    by minute amounts that can show up as problems writing to disk.
    ....[Thom discusses the physical reasons for this, giving a "worst-case-
    scenario" example]...
    The solution is to reformat and repopulate the hard-disk drive 
    periodically.  Since you're about to install a new System, now is as good
                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    a time as any to do so.
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 3. Install System 7.
 4. Add fonts, DAs, and INITs.
 5. ...[yadi yadi yadi - rest deleted]..."

Nothing there about reformatting being a _requirement_ for System 7. Just a
good idea, and a convenient time to do it.

<chaz>

-- 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
       "Must think...bubble pipe will relax me and I think..."
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clarson@ux.acs.umn.edu                                 AOL:Crowbone