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From: mewilson@convex.cl.msu.edu (Margaret Wilson)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.misc
Subject: Re: Looking a faster low-level format software
Message-ID: <1991May22.203636.26916@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>
Date: 22 May 91 20:36:36 GMT
References: <91141.003017G22QC@CUNYVM.BITNET> <1991May21.152036.9366@midway.uchicago.edu> <1991May22.173915.4052@news.larc.nasa.gov>
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jcburt@ipsun.larc.nasa.gov (John Burton) writes:

>In article <1991May21.152036.9366@midway.uchicago.edu> valley@gsbsun.uchicago.edu (Doug Dougherty) writes:
>>G22QC@CUNYVM.BITNET writes:
>>
>>>Hi,
>>
>>>  I've tried SpinRite II to low-level format my hard disk, but I
>>>don't like it because it takes too much time (38 hrs. for a 42MB
>>						^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ (WOW!)
>>>hard disk).  Can anyone name me a or a few faster low-level format
>>>software?  I know that those software will still take a lot of
>>>time.  Thanks in advance.
>>
>>
>>Assuming that's not a misprint, it works out to about an hour per
>>megabyte.  That's just crazy.  There must be something wrong somewhere.
>>
>>I've been getting a lot of practice lately LL formatting old 10 meg drives
>>and have noticed that when I do it with DEBUG (g=c800:5), it takes a
>>while (about 10 minutes), but that when I do it with QAPLUS, it seems to
>>take forever (like about an hour to an hour and a half).  I remain
>>unconvinced that QAPLUS does any better of a job...
>>--
>>
>>	(Another fine mess brought to you by valley@gsbsun.uchicago.edu)



>Using DEBUG (g=c800:5) generally assumes you're using a Western Digital
>Disk controller (thats the starting location for the WD formating/setup
>program that is installed in firmware on the card).

>38 hours *IS* totally out of line...formatting a 65meg RLL using 
>the WD firmware routine (c=g800:5) takes < 1 hr (not sure how much less,
>I ate dinner while it was formatting and it was finished when I returned)
>Using ONTRAC's Disk Manager, it took *about* the same time as the WD
>routine. I *did* have a low level format take several hours once, but
>then again the disk was flakey and I never was able to use it properly...

>Formatting a 40 meg disk should NOT take 38 hours regardless of the 
>software you're using...if it does, I'd begin to suspect a problem
>with the disk or controller...

>John

>+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
>| John Burton                                                        |
>| G & A Technical Software                                           |
>| jcburt@gatsibm.larc.nasa.gov                                       |
>| jcburt@cs.wm.edu                                                   |
>|                                                                    |
>| Disclaimer: Hey, what can I say...These are *my* views, not those  |
>|             of anyone else, be they employer, school, or government|
>+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

I've used SpinRite II 2.0 on my ~68MB RLL MicroScience drive.  Whine I use the
most rigorous testing (I think it's 84 different test patterns) and low-level
format all partitions, the job is done overnight.  I set my batch job running
in the evening, and it's finished by morning.
--
----
Margaret Wilson                   |  mewilson@msu.bitnet
Network Services, Computer Lab    |       ...@ibm.cl.msu.edu
Michigan State University         |       ...@convex.cl.msu.edu