Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!aplcen!samsung!sdd.hp.com!hplabs!hpda!hpcuhc!hpspcoi!dlow
From: dlow@hpspcoi.HP.COM (Danny Low)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: Norton Utilities 5.0 won't low-level-format my disk
Message-ID: <15160009@hpspcoi.HP.COM>
Date: 25 Sep 90 16:49:25 GMT
References: <120997@linus.mitre.org>
Organization: HP Lovecraft Division
Lines: 19

>(David H. Friedman) 
>In short, Calibrate
>will not attempt a low-level format on disks with sector-translating, ESDI
>and other "funny" controllers, although it will perform diagnostic functions.
>  My question now is, what do I do further down the road when my disk starts
>to show signs of needing a SpinRite-style low-level format? 

All the disk repair programs such as Spinrite et. al. will NOT handle
controllers that are "intelligent" and allow logical I/O (e.g. SCSI
controllers). You have a funny semi-intelligent controller from your
posting. If it is popular, one of the disk repair programs might
support it as a special case. Unfortunately, this lack of a feature
is not well publicized and the list of exceptions that are handled
tend to be very short.

			   Danny Low
    "Question Authority and the Authorities will question You"
	   Valley of Hearts Delight, Silicon Valley
     HP SPCD   dlow%hpspcoi@hplabs.hp.com   ...!hplabs!hpspcoi!dlow