valley@gsbsun.uchicago.edu (Doug Dougherty) (05/21/91)
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)
jcburt@ipsun.larc.nasa.gov (John Burton) (05/23/91)
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| +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
rdippold@cancun.qualcomm.com (Ron Dippold) (05/23/91)
In article <1991May21.152036.9366@midway.uchicago.edu> valley@gsbsun.uchicago.edu (Doug Dougherty) writes: >G22QC@CUNYVM.BITNET writes: >> 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. It sounds like he was running it through maximum depth testing, which puts each sector through an incredible amount of tests and takes forever. If you do minimum testing it whips right through it. SpinRite really wasn't made to be your primary low-level formatter but rather a maintenance tool. -- Standard disclaimer applies, you legalistic hacks. | Ron Dippold
mewilson@convex.cl.msu.edu (Margaret Wilson) (05/23/91)
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