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From: j@bonnie.tcd-dresden.de (J Wunsch)
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions
Subject: Re: Format (for netbsd): where is it???
Date: 17 Sep 1993 13:14:44 +0200
Organization: Textil Computer Design GmbH Dresden, Germany
Lines: 36
Message-ID: <27c674INNs1r@bonnie.tcd-dresden.de>
References: <CCv3rq.1DG@speakez.com> <1993Sep07.193017.11923@crash>
NNTP-Posting-Host: bonnie.tcd-dresden.de
warelock@crash.cts.com (Tom Zacharoff) writes:
>I think I may have the solution (but I haven't tried it yet). I think
>what I need to do is use the bios media analysis (ami bios) and formatting
>commands to beat up the hard disk and mark all the bad spots. I'm guessing
>that my ide drive will then only report good, working sectors to netbsd.
If your IDE drive has really bad sectors, throw it into the trash-bin.
H/W formatting an IDE drive gives two known opportunities:
. The dangerous one: the drive does real formatting, thereby destroing
its bad-sector remapping table, and possibly even its firmware
. The recent drives' way: write some distinct byte over each sector
>Someone sent me mail saying that scsi AND ide drives are supposed to make
>their media appear as flawless. I think scsi is supposed to handle this
>all by itself but I think with ide you have to do it yourself.
Both do it theirselves.
I've been working with two IDE's and one SCSI for a time. No problems.
The only problematical drive has been an ESDI disk. But: the ESDI
disk's BIOS has a h/w formatting tool. You only have to boot msdog
and jump to ESDI BIOS' address 5 with a debugger.
>If not, I will seriously consider getting a scsi drive.
Together with a proper controller, this would be much better, though
(faster).
--
in real life: J"org Wunsch | ) o o | primary: joerg_wunsch@tcd-dresden.de
above 1.8 MHz: DL 8 DTL | ) | | private: joerg_wunsch@uriah.sax.de
| . * ) == |
``An elephant is a mouse with an operating system.''