Xref: utzoo comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware:5792 comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc:6770 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!seismo!dimacs.rutgers.edu!dorm.rutgers.edu!medici From: medici@dorm.rutgers.edu (Mark Medici) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc Subject: Re: Reformat hard disk when moved from 386 to 486? Message-ID: Date: 21 Feb 91 18:14:42 GMT References: <12979@ccncsu.ColoState.EDU> Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 26 olender@handel.cs.colostate.edu (Kurt Olender) writes: >I have just upgraded from a 386 to a 486 machine and just moved my >hard disk over from the 386 to the 486. Since then I've had some >intermittant problems with the disk that causes the machine to crash. > >I've been told that I should reformat the hard disk when moving it from >a slower machine to a faster one to get the disk sectors properly done >for the new machine speed. You normally will need to perform a new low-level format on a hard disk whenever you change hard disk controllers. If you brought the hard disk and controller over from your old system, no low-level format should be needed. However, disks do sometimes need to have thier low-level formatting refreshed. After time, the heads will no longer line-up precisely over the tracks laid down during the original format. It might be coincidence that this started being a problem after your upgrade. -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark Medici ** Systems Programmer III * Rutgers University Computing Services medici@elbereth.rutgers.edu * medici@cancer.BITNET * !rutgers!elbereth!medici My opinions are not necessarily my employers'. *Reality is context-sensitive.