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Initializing a hard disk
Before you can use a new disk, the disk must be prepared so that the
computer knows where to store information on the disk. This preparation is
called initializing (or formatting) the disk.
When do you need to initialize a hard disk?
The hard disk inside your computer was initialized at the factory, so you
shouldn’t need to initialize it. You need to initialize a hard disk only if one of
the following is true:
m You purchase a hard disk that has not been initialized at the factory.
m Your hard disk is damaged.
If a hard disk needs to be initialized, the disk’s icon does not appear on the
desktop when you start up the computer using another disk.
If the hard disk you want to initialize is not the startup disk, you can use the
Drive Setup program to initialize it. Drive Setup is located on the floppy disk
labeled Disk Tools that came with your computer. If your computer came with
a CD-ROM drive and you didn’t receive floppy disks, you can find Drive
Setup on the CD-ROM disc that contains system software. For instructions,
start Drive Setup and choose Drive Setup Guide from the Guide (h) menu.
If the hard disk you want to initialize is the startup disk, follow the
instructions in this chapter. (First, start up from a CD-ROM disc or a floppy
disk. Then follow the instructions in “How to Initialize a Hard Disk” later in
this section.)
WARNING
Initializing a disk erases any information that may be on it.
Before you initialize a damaged disk, try to repair it as described in
“Repairing a Damaged Disk” later in this chapter.
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Troubleshooting