Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!crdgw1!rpi!sigma
From: sigma@jec302.its.rpi.edu (Kevin J Martin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: Weird disk problem. Help!!!
Message-ID: <-~`&%Z+@rpi.edu>
Date: 21 Feb 91 18:03:24 GMT
References: <51440007@hpindda.cup.hp.com> <1645@ariadne.csi.forth.GR>
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costis@csi.forth.gr (Costis Aivalis) writes:
>owenc@hpindda.cup.hp.com (Owen Cheung) writes:
>>I have been having problem with creating or replace large file on my harddisk.
>>I ran Norton Utilities' disk doctor and everything was fine.  I have a 105Meg
>>Conner IDE drive with about 43% full, so I have plenty of space.  However,
>>when I tried to install new software, I always get a message, "Can't write
>>to disk: abort, retry, or ignore" (I don't remember the exact wording, but

>Doesn't the handbook of you Conner say whether you are allowed to
>low-level format your disk or not? 
>With RLL drives low-level format is done at the factory.
>Since Norton Disk Doctor DOES low-level format portions of your disk,
>they warn you no to "heal" RLL drives. 

I think you mean "IDE" instead of "RLL" there - this has been discussed
here.  Sometimes low-level formatting an IDE drive with software which is
not aware of how to put the drive into "native mode" (ie, no translation of
addresses) will mislabel some sectors, leading to errors or an unusable
disk.  Solution: use programs which are aware of IDE drives, especially
ones which are aware of your particular model.  Disk Manager comes with
many new drives, and is usually the version for that drive.

Problem:  such programs are very rare, even these days.

-- 
Kevin Martin
sigma@rpi.edu