olender@handel.cs.colostate.edu (Kurt Olender) (02/19/91)
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. Does this sound like a probably cause of timing problems and machine crashes caused by the disk and a reasonable way to cure the problem? Is a DOS or OS/2 level format all that is required, or would I need to do a low-level reformatting as well? On a related note, if you change the bus speed via setup, do you need to reformat then as well? I'd like to get some confirmation that I need to do this before I go to the hassle of reformatting the disk. Thanks for any information you can give me!
medici@dorm.rutgers.edu (Mark Medici) (02/22/91)
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.
davidsen@sixhub.UUCP (Wm E. Davidsen Jr) (02/24/91)
In article <12979@ccncsu.ColoState.EDU> 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. Sounds like controller to me. If you changed controller brands or models you should always LL format. If the new bus is faster than the old, or just because the CPU can look at the status registers a hair faster, you may have a controller which is marginal in the new system. | 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. I have moved disks and controllers (as a package) at work from systems as varied as 16MHz SX to 33MHz 486, and never had a problem. That doesn't mean you couldn't, but at the same bus speed you shouldn't have any problem which will be solved by LL format. | Does this sound like a probably cause of timing problems and machine | crashes caused by the disk and a reasonable way to cure the problem? It doesn't sound like LL format would help, but miracles do happen. If you can either slow the bus or add a w/s I'd try that first. Also, did you change to a new BIOS (if you're running DOS)? | Is a DOS or OS/2 level format all that is required, or would I need | to do a low-level reformatting as well? | | On a related note, if you change the bus speed via setup, do you need to | reformat then as well? As I said, I never do. If the bus speed is too fast I've had best luck with slowing it down or replacing the controller (and LL format with the new controller *if* you change brand or model). I have put later revs of WD1006 and WD1007 in without LL format and run for 6-8 months without problems. -- bill davidsen - davidsen@sixhub.uucp (uunet!crdgw1!sixhub!davidsen) sysop *IX BBS and Public Access UNIX moderator of comp.binaries.ibm.pc and 80386 mailing list "Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me