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Appendix D
Physically Formatting a Hard Disk
This appendix describes how to physically format a hard disk.
Sometimes called a low-level or hard format, this procedure
should not be confused with the logical format performed by the
MS-DOS FORMAT command. The physical formatting of a
hard disk is a separate step that is usually done at the factory by
the disk manufacturer.
The hard disk in your computer has already been physically
formatted, partitioned, and formatted for MS-DOS; so you
should not need to do anything to prepare it for use. You need
to format the hard disk only if one of the following is true:
The hard disk is producing numerous read/write errors or
you are having other serious problems with the disk.
Sometimes, after a hard disk has been used for a long time,
the magnetic signals on the surface of the disk begin to
weaken and this causes the disk to frequently produce
errors. You may need to reformat the disk in this case.
You have installed a different hard disk in your computer
that has never received the low-level format.
WARNING
Physically formatting the hard disk erases any data it
contains.
If
you have any data
on
the disk or you are unsure
if
formatting is necessary, contact your
Epson
Customer
Care
Center
first. Someone there can advise you on the best
procedure to follow.
In addition to destroying all the data on the disk, formatting
also removes any partitions defined on the disk by FDISK as
well as the logical formatting performed by the SELECT (or
FORMAT) command. Therefore, whether you are formatting a
Physically Formatting a Hard Disk D-1