Can a single partition be low-level formatted?

You can't low-level format only a partition

Current hard disks all support ACPI, never low-level format an IDE hard disk, unless it's a very old hard disk, for example smaller than 540MB.

PS: Although DM and the like support forcibly low-level formatting a hard disk, it involves the hard disk sector interleave factor issue, so it's very easy to ruin it in formatting (what is the interleave factor? Hehe, I don't really understand it either, it seems to be related to the hard disk's physical storage method)

Right! You can't low-level format only one partition.

The following is quoted from waterz's post at 2003-6-16 22:21:46:
You can't low-level format only a partition

Current hard disks all support ACPI, never low-level format an IDE hard disk, unless it's a very old hard disk, for example smaller than 540MB.

PS: Although DM and the like support forcibly low-level formatting a hard disk, it involves the hard disk sector interleave factor issue, so it's very easy to ruin it in formatting (what is the interleave factor? Hehe, I don't really understand it either, it seems to be related to the hard disk's physical storage method)

The target of a low-level format operation can only be the entire hard disk. Also, as long as you choose the right low-level format software, the damage to the hard disk is very small (or practically none, hard to believe, right?). When a hard disk gets ruined by formatting, most of the time it's because the wrong software was chosen. DM's low-level format and LFORMAT's low-level format do not operate on the hard disk in the same way. Also, every hard disk manufacturer has corresponding low-level format software. Because each manufacturer designs its hard disk circuitry differently, they cannot be mixed (in fact, if you use the wrong one it will give a warning, so there's basically no way to continue),

o:, if low-level formatting fails, you should still be able to format it again, right?
To preserve the data, is it possible to use repair instead? For example, driver fitness test for IBM hard disks has a repair function. Does this function
repair the entire hard disk without damaging the data on the hard disk?

I just formatted an IBM Tenglong 4th gen a few days ago. Feels pretty good, no damage.

Low-level formatting won't damage the hard disk. After all, low-level formatting is also handled by software!

Question:
After my machine failed while moving a partition with Pqmagic6.0 (it reported an error and quit halfway; before that I had tried to install Solaris9,
but it didn't succeed during partitioning, so I didn't continue the installation), then when installing win2000, I just couldn't get the CD writer and CD-ROM to both be connected at the same time.
In the end I had no choice but to remove the CD-ROM before I could install win2000. But later when I connected dual hard disks,
it again caused a blue screen at startup (the same thing happens when the CD writer and CD-ROM are both connected),
just like the screen you get when a hard disk with a win2000 system is put into another machine with a different configuration.
Then I reinstalled it over and over N times. With PQMAGIC6.0, it couldn't even see the disk anymore. Fdisk from the win98se boot CD also
wouldn't run. It gave no message at all, just like a hang,
as if it couldn't find the disk. But format c: /s does work.
When reinstalling win2000, every time after finishing copying files and rebooting, it reports: -miss operate system. I tried low-level formatting it,
but in the end it also said unsuccessful. Could it be that my low-level format program is too old?
Both the program and the hard disk are Seagate.
I've also restored the MBR. When using PQMAGIC, it always reports sector errors,
partition overlap and so on. I didn't remember the exact messages.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Yes. When low-level formatting with old versions of dm, you need to choose whether to low-level format tracks, partitions, or the disk, but it doesn't support large hard disks.

Modern hard disk low-level formatting can only be done at the factory.
The so-called low-level formatting by software like DM is actually zero-filling.

Yes, a single partition can be low-level formatted, but there is no ready-made software, so make one yourself! I'll tell you the method.
First find the absolute starting sector and ending sector of that partition.
In INT 13 interrupt service 5 you can low-level format specified tracks and sectors.
AH=05 AL=number of sectors DL=disk number DH=head number CX high 10 bits=cylinder number CX low 6 bits=sector number
ES：BX=address set of tracks to be formatted
I've typed so much, really hard work!!

Floor1　nanan	Posted 2003-06-16 00:00
初级用户　Posts 19　Credits 185
Can a single partition be low-level formatted?

Floor2　waterz	Posted 2003-06-16 00:00
高级用户　Posts 135　Credits 546
You can't low-level format only a partition Current hard disks all support ACPI, never low-level format an IDE hard disk, unless it's a very old hard disk, for example smaller than 540MB. PS: Although DM and the like support forcibly low-level formatting a hard disk, it involves the hard disk sector interleave factor issue, so it's very easy to ruin it in formatting (what is the interleave factor? Hehe, I don't really understand it either, it seems to be related to the hard disk's physical storage method)

Floor3　wglwx	Posted 2003-06-17 00:00
高级用户　Posts 187　Credits 616
Right! You can't low-level format only one partition.

Floor4　冰水遥	Posted 2003-06-18 00:00
高级用户　Posts 118　Credits 524
*The following is quoted from waterz's post at 2003-6-16 22:21:46:* You can't low-level format only a partition Current hard disks all support ACPI, never low-level format an IDE hard disk, unless it's a very old hard disk, for example smaller than 540MB. PS: Although DM and the like support forcibly low-level formatting a hard disk, it involves the hard disk sector interleave factor issue, so it's very easy to ruin it in formatting (what is the interleave factor? Hehe, I don't really understand it either, it seems to be related to the hard disk's physical storage method) The target of a low-level format operation can only be the entire hard disk. Also, as long as you choose the right low-level format software, the damage to the hard disk is very small (or practically none, hard to believe, right?). When a hard disk gets ruined by formatting, most of the time it's because the wrong software was chosen. DM's low-level format and LFORMAT's low-level format do not operate on the hard disk in the same way. Also, every hard disk manufacturer has corresponding low-level format software. Because each manufacturer designs its hard disk circuitry differently, they cannot be mixed (in fact, if you use the wrong one it will give a warning, so there's basically no way to continue),

Floor5　nanan	Posted 2003-06-18 00:00
初级用户　Posts 19　Credits 185
o:, if low-level formatting fails, you should still be able to format it again, right? To preserve the data, is it possible to use repair instead? For example, driver fitness test for IBM hard disks has a repair function. Does this function repair the entire hard disk without damaging the data on the hard disk?

Floor6　FreshBird	Posted 2003-06-19 00:00
初级用户　Posts 1　Credits 105
I just formatted an IBM Tenglong 4th gen a few days ago. Feels pretty good, no damage.

Floor7　禅宗	Posted 2003-06-19 00:00
元老会员　Posts 300　Credits 1,019　From 广东
Low-level formatting won't damage the hard disk. After all, low-level formatting is also handled by software!

Floor8　sickhead	Posted 2003-06-26 00:00
初级用户　Posts 3　Credits 105
Question: After my machine failed while moving a partition with Pqmagic6.0 (it reported an error and quit halfway; before that I had tried to install Solaris9, but it didn't succeed during partitioning, so I didn't continue the installation), then when installing win2000, I just couldn't get the CD writer and CD-ROM to both be connected at the same time. In the end I had no choice but to remove the CD-ROM before I could install win2000. But later when I connected dual hard disks, it again caused a blue screen at startup (the same thing happens when the CD writer and CD-ROM are both connected), just like the screen you get when a hard disk with a win2000 system is put into another machine with a different configuration. Then I reinstalled it over and over N times. With PQMAGIC6.0, it couldn't even see the disk anymore. Fdisk from the win98se boot CD also wouldn't run. It gave no message at all, just like a hang, as if it couldn't find the disk. But format c: /s does work. When reinstalling win2000, every time after finishing copying files and rebooting, it reports: -miss operate system. I tried low-level formatting it, but in the end it also said unsuccessful. Could it be that my low-level format program is too old? Both the program and the hard disk are Seagate. I've also restored the MBR. When using PQMAGIC, it always reports sector errors, partition overlap and so on. I didn't remember the exact messages. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Floor9　dos00001	Posted 2003-07-26 00:00
初级用户　Posts 1　Credits 102
Yes. When low-level formatting with old versions of dm, you need to choose whether to low-level format tracks, partitions, or the disk, but it doesn't support large hard disks.

Floor10　kk130	Posted 2003-07-27 00:00
初级用户　Posts 14　Credits 156
Modern hard disk low-level formatting can only be done at the factory. The so-called low-level formatting by software like DM is actually zero-filling.

Floor11　qb45	Posted 2003-09-15 00:00
高级用户　Posts 194　Credits 677
Yes, a single partition can be low-level formatted, but there is no ready-made software, so make one yourself! I'll tell you the method. First find the absolute starting sector and ending sector of that partition. In INT 13 interrupt service 5 you can low-level format specified tracks and sectors. AH=05 AL=number of sectors DL=disk number DH=head number CX high 10 bits=cylinder number CX low 6 bits=sector number ES：BX=address set of tracks to be formatted I've typed so much, really hard work!!

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