How to produce low-level formatting of a hard disk or flash drive. How to perform low-level SATA or ATA hard disk formatting (IDE)

One of the most popular drives, in our time, is a flash drive. It is convenient because it can not only store the necessary information, and transfer it to another computer, and that this reliable device has the ability to be used repeatedly. But, like the whole other technique, the USB flash drive can wear out, because of what errors occur in reading and writing information. Restore the operation of the device will help low-level formatting.

First of all, low-level formatting is applied if it is impossible to carry out the procedure by other known methods or in the case when the device is protected from recording. Before using this method, be sure to make sure that other well-known methods will not be able to help you solve problems with the drive.

What is low-level formatting

This is the distribution of the flash drive on the sectors to record information. This process erases absolutely all files, and does not leave the ability to restore them. In this regard, you should make sure that the deleted data is not very important for you.

Also, low-level formatting is carried out if you need to clean the flash drive from viral files or when you need to remove secret Information In order to avoid it to get it to third parties, as well as if you need to restore the boot sector.

This procedure is performed using special utilities For formatting. Some of the applications are suitable only for a specific brand of devices, and the use of others is universally for all types of flash drives. The article will consider the most simple to use utilities.

Method 1: HDDGURU HDD Low Level Format Tool

This utility is fully free to use and has all the necessary functionality for formatting. In addition to working with a flash drive, it can also perform a similar procedure and with hard disk Computer. The free version has a limit on the volume of the carrier, but the limit is high enough, so most users have no difficulties.

After the download is completed, the flash drive is formatted, and you can use it again as before. However, it is worth considering that upon completion of the procedure, the flash drive may need to additionally format using Windows functions.

Method 2: Low Level Formatter

This program specializes in working with Flakes of the Silicon brand, but its functionality is distributed to devices from other manufacturers. After connecting the media, the application will automatically determine whether it is supported. Working with the program is quite simple and carried out in just a few steps.

Method 3: D-Soft Flash Doctor

The advantage of this program is that it does not require additional computer resources for its operation, and it is completely in Russian. You do not have to deal with it, as the utility works in portable mode. Perform such actions:

Method 4: JetFlash Online Recovery

The program under consideration works with devices of such brands: JetFlash, Transcend, A-Data. Its advantage is that it is completely portable, it contains just a pair of buttons and gives the minimum load on the PC by interacting with the cloud.

In order to start work, you need to perform only two actions:

As you can see, it is very easy to use the utility and even a beginner user will be able to cope with it.

Regardless of which software is used in operation, the information on the carrier will be removed permanently. In this regard, it is extremely important to make a backup copy of all available data before formatting. Sometimes after the completion of the procedure, the flash drive begins to work slower, in this case it will be enough to make a safe extraction and insert a device to the PC.

To fully clear the section or connected external media from files, often use such a procedure as formatting. Novice users sometimes confuse it with removal, but this is not the same thing. Formatting involves bringing the logical structure of the disk to a specific order, without which the recording, storage and deletion of data are not possible. During the formatting process, the file structure of the media is re-create, the MFT table containing files is reset, whereas with a normal removal or even a variorage of the method of multiple overwriting does not happen.

What is low-level formatting and how it differs from the usual

Formatting can be fast and slow, there is also high-level and low-level formatting. This is the latter just going today. Justice should be noted that the concept of low-level formatting today is somewhat distorted. Previously, it understood the partitioning of the disc to the tracks and the sectors, as well as applying special electronic labels to the magnetic surface of the servometers. All this is done exclusively on special factory equipment (servorateter).

The first HDDs were imperfect, under the influence of temperatures they expanded, because of which the sectors were shifted relative to the reading heads. For this reason, they needed a re-procedure for applying servometers. In new discs, the temperature extension is compensated by the recalibration of the parameters of the disk heads at the program level, and the servometers themselves are applied once. Only such hardware formatting is correctly called low-level, however, over time, the concept has also spread on software formatting.

Today, low-level formatting understands the irrevocable destruction of all available on the data carrier, including part of the service information by the method of consistent rewriting of all sectors zeros. The usual now is called fast formatting, in which only the MFT table is cleared, the data itself physically remain on the disk. Low-level, and it is better to say pseudo-level hard disk formatting solves such tasks:

Deleting all user data before selling a computer or media.
Removal of certain types of boot viruses (boutons).
High-quality disc cleaning before reinstalling operating system.
Correction of logical errors, treatment of broken sectors, provided that their appearance is not caused by the wear of the carrier or its breakdown.
Disk prevention, bringing its logical structure in proper condition.

Features of formatting hard disk and flash drive

From a technical point of view between formatting HDD and media based on flash memory, there is a small difference, but it does not have it much. Normal or low-level flash drive formatting is performed by the same software tools that are used to format conventional hard drives. Exceptions are cases when the flash drive fails to format standard means Or even third-party programs that will be briefed below.

If the flash drive is defined as a device with a zero capacity or as an unknown device, it gives read / write errors that cannot be fixed in other ways, it is recommended to use special branded utilities to format it, which can usually be directly from the official site of the manufacturer of the flash device. All of the above is valid for low-level SD card formatting.

Best Low World Formatting Programs

In principle, it is possible to produce such formatting by the tools of Windows itself, running the utility on the command prompt Diskpart. and running for the selected drive command clean All.But it is still better to use special programs for these purposes.

Perhaps the most famous program For low-level formatting HDD / SSD hard drives, flash drives and memory cards. The free utility has a low weight, a simple interface, supports work with SATA, IDE, SCSI, USB and FireWire. Additionally, the program is supported by Ultra-DMA mode, view information about disk and data S.M.A.R.T. In the process of formatting the HDD Low Level Format Tool, all data is completely destroyed on the disk, including the MBR and the contents of the partition table, filling each sector or the memory cell by zeros.

Using the utility is easy. After connecting to a problem of a problem media, you need to select it in the program window and click the "Continue" button. In the next window, you must switch to the "Low-Level Format" tab and click "Format This Device".

The low-level formatting process will be launched. In the course of the case, you can watch progress: how many sectors were processed, how many percent left until the operation is completed, as well as at what speed it is performed. After formatting discs become uninimited.

Seatools for DOS and Seatools for Windows

You can completely clean the disk or flash drive using the Seatools diagnostic tool. The program is sharpened under Seagate discs, but also can work with disks from other manufacturers. The application supports work with sATA interfaces, USB, 1394, PATA, IDE and SCSI, performing a structural media check, test controller and system memory. Formatting acts as an additional function.

To clear the disk or flash drive, select the Seatools menu Advanced - Full Erase, after which low-level formatting will be started, during which all sectors will be rewritten with zeros.

Seatools is distributed in two editions: for dos and for windows. Unlike the second, which is a desktop application, the first edition is boot ISO-image. Both versions support the Russian language, but by default the program interface is English.

WESTERN DIGITAL DATA LIFEGUARD DIAGNOSTICS

Another corporate diagnostic tool that allows you to qualitatively format the digital media.

The program is supported, reading s.m.a.r.t readings, view detailed information about connected media. Use it as a shredder is very simple. Double click on the media utility selected in the Utility window, click "Erase" and then "Start".

As a result, all the disk sectors will be clogged with zeros, that is, its low-level formatting is produced.

Formatting a hard disk - the program process of applying marks to the elements of the memory area of \u200b\u200bthe magnetic plates and the creation of a new file structure of the media. No Labels and File System Structures hDD It is a useless device, write information to which it will not be possible due to the physical and software features of the recording, storage and reading process.

Physically, during the formatting of the hard disk, nothing happens to it, but its logical structure is organized on the carrier on the carrier - a specific order required for recording, storing, editing and deleting data. Otherwise, the logical structure of the disk is called the file system. Depending on the selected file system, the speed of access to information, maximum length File name, number of files in one directory, drive efficiency, search methods, information recording, etc. will differ.

Formatting a hard disk is divided into two types. This is low-level and high-level formatting.

Low-level formatting is a process, which is concluded on the magnetic surface of the polished plates of your HDD, special electronic labels are applied, called servometers. They contain official information on the positioning of the reading heads and the position of the sectors and the tracks of the disk, which determine the physical appliance format. This procedure is performed on special factory equipment, since before that the carrier does not have any information about sectors and tracks of plates (s), due to the lack of which work with the carrier is impossible. Because of the coefficient of volume expansion of materials (which is known to many of the school lessons of physics), from which the HDD plates were manufactured in the past and stepper motors that control the positioning of the heads, sectors and tracks were shifted relative to the reading heads. Thus, when, according to the controller, the head was in the right sector, it could physically be on the next track. Because of this, there were failures in the work of the hard drive and broken (inexpositive) sectors appeared (if the controller believes that the head is in the first sector, and it really is positioning, for example, over the 5th, the first four sectors are unavailable for it). Such hard drives needed multiply low-level formatting throughout the service life that the required and repeated destruction of all the plates / plates of the hard disk of the data.

In the new HDD, this problem was solved by using a sound coil in the reading head mechanism, so that the effect of temperature expansion was compensated by the recalibration of the extraction of the disc head parameters (if it was easier - everything was solved at the programmer level with simple redirection).

Low-level formatting is necessary to solve several problems and is performed in such cases:

on the productive facilities of the manufacturer to create the physical structure of the manufactured hard disk before testing and supplying the end user;
on old hard drives to reset the file system (due to the coefficient of linear expansion of materials when heated during a long functioning HDD head slightly shifts relative to the formed grid of tracks and sectors);
full, reliable and irrevocable erasing of all information stored on Winchester, for example, before selling own computer or the tight disk itself.

High-level HDD formatting is the process of forming a hard disk file structure, which is to create the main boot record, file table, file system structure, and, depending on the formatting option, check the surface of the hard drive of the hard drive for the presence of damaged sectors with their subsequent replacement or deactivation. As a consequence of high-level formatting, the hard drive is prepared for using the operating system for storing data on it.

High-level formatting is divided into two types: fast and complete. In the process of quickly, the file table is updated, in which the names of the files and paths to them are stored, attributes, etc. It is formed by its new structure, and the main boot record of the disk or its logical partition is created. Upon completion of the process, the operating system will determine hard or logical disk As clean, although physically all information on it remains untouched, with the exception of the file table - all data will be marked as non-existent and in the process of operation will be overwritten by new information bits.

Full formatting is the procedure for cleaning the file table, as in time quick formattingBut, with the subsequent overwriting of each sector, zero bits of information. Also, when full, all Winchestera sectors will be checked for performance. In case of detection of the broken sector, it will be replaced with a workable, located in the reserve, or simply excluded, as a result of which the useful amount of HDD will slightly decrease.

High-level formatting hard disks And their sections must be performed in the following cases:

during reinstalling the operating system to zero all the data on them and the formation of a new disk structure;
during the breakdown of the drive to logic disks;
for high-quality verification of magnetic plates for damaged sectors on them;
immediately after low-level formatting to form a file structure of a disk by a manufacturer or user (mandatory procedure);
removing the entire information on the Winchester.

2. Formatting not a system hard disk

Any operating system of the Windows family system is located on the disk or its section, which is indicated as system. It is the main boot record and system windows filesThanks to which the interaction of the software part with the equipment is interacted. There may be several such partitions, but, as a rule, the user has a single operating system, which implies the presence of a single system partition. All other partitions and connected to the computer hard drives are not systemic. Unisendable is the second and subsequent hard drives, because the procedure for formatting them does not differ from the formatting of removable USB drives.

Consider methods of forming a file structure of non-system hard drives through the funds built into the operating system and with the help of foreign software products designed to work with hard drives.

2.1. Formatting with BIOS

One way to format the hard disk is the use of a bootable flash drive or a CD with an installation distribution windows systems, so-called LiveCD or bootable media with one of the information media formatting programs. There are versions of programs such as AcronisdiskDirector, capable of booting directly from the flash drive, which implies their operation without the availability of the operating system. In the latest versions of the Acronis we exist a wizard for creating loading media. Such a flash drive will boot the AcronisdiskDirector program with the BIOS and format the hard disk.

In addition to extraneous programs, the formatting of the hard disk with the BIOS can be performed by booting from the Windows distribution disk using the command line or the operating system installer. More about all these options and will be discussed further.

2.2. Windows formatting

The Windows operating system is all the tools you need to format hard disks. In the proposed section, consider all methods to format the Winchester using Windows tools provided by the Windows operating system.

2.2.1. Through properties

The simplest way to prepare a hard drive to work, clean it from unnecessary information and form new systemis formatting through context menu.

2.2.2. Through "Creating and Formatting Hard Disk Sections"

The second method format the hard disk using the Windows operating system toolkit is tooling "drives", which is in the system management system "Computer".

"Disk Management" - system windows serviceDeveloped to control flash drives, hard drives and their sections. This program allows you to format hard drives connected to a computer in one of three file systems and create new sections on them. Almost all actions are performed without rebooting the operating system, which will not distract the user from the main work.

You can run the "Disk Management" program in one of the following methods.

Through the "Start" menu

Through "My Computer"

Through the "Control Panel"

The "Computer Management" service we launched. Next, you need to go to its subsection called "Disk Management", which, in turn, is in the "Storage Devices" section.

During formatting, you will not see any windows with the progress of the operation of the operation, except for the inscription "" Formatting "in the Status line (see Screenshot).

Our hard disk is formatted in the selected file system and is ready for further operation. You will be notified about it dialog box and system signal.

2.2.3. Command line

In addition to formatting hard drives through graphic interfaces, the operating system, by the time of the console MS-DOS, allows you to form a new hardware system system with deleting all files and, with full formatting, checking its surface to integrity, through the use of system commands entered into the command The console, which is also called the Windows command interpreter.

The command line allows the user to interact with the computer directly, without any intermediaries in the form of an outsider software. It is a window for entering a clear text command operating system with a variety of parameters for direct control of the operating system or computer equipment. Executively, using command line You can quickly format the hard disk. To do this, launch the system console by any of the methods listed or more convenient to you.

Through the "Run" window

Through the "Start" menu

Through the "Explorer" of Windows

The command line is started by calling the "cmd.exe" file located in the System32 folder of the Windows operating system directory. To start the command line, you can go through the path C: \\ Windows \\ System32 \\ cmd.exe or use the label to start the command interpreter.

After running the command line, we will see a black window on the screen, where you can enter text commands that are used for the Windows operating system, starting from its first versions.

If the label was not entered, the operating system will ask you to enter it before formatting or leave a hard disk without a name by clicking on "Enter" (see Screenshot).

The process of formatting the hard drive, depending on the specified parameters and the volume of the drive, can last from a few seconds to several tens of minutes. Formatting is accompanied by an inscription: "Creating file system structures".

At the end of the process in the console window, the inscription will be displayed: "Formatting is over" and the results of the operation will appear.

Now our hard disk is formatted by system console and ready for further operation.

2.3 Disc formatting using the HDD Low Level Format Tool program

HDD Low Level Format Tool or Abbreviated HDDLLFT is designed to carry out low-level hard drive formatting and digital information media based on memory chip. Perfectly copes with the task even in cases where the magnetic surface of the plate is badly damaged.

Conducting a hard disk formatting procedure through the utility does not require any special user knowledge.

Keep in mind that in free version HDD Low Level Format Tool Formatting speed is limited to 50 MB / S, which, with significant volumes of modern hard drives, during full formatting with the test of the drive, the battered sectors may increase in several hours of operation. The second disadvantage of the program is the lack of way to specify the size of the cluster.

3. Formatting system hard disk

Systemic hard disk is, as a rule, high-speed (with a speed of rotation of plates equal to 10,000 revolutions per minute, although it can be with a standard in 7200 rev / min) Winchester on which the operating system is installed. Based on this, format it windows tools will not work. The formatting of the system hard disk is carried out by another method, the essence of which does not differ from the formation of a new file system of a conventional hard drive. The only difference is that the utility for the formation of a new file system will have to run from the installation disk or flash drive.

3.1. Formatting with a boot flash drive or disk

3.1.1. Through the Windows operating system installer

One of the most common methods formatted a hard drive used as a systemic, is the use of removable media or a CD and a Windows installation distribution.

How to create a bootable carrier we will not consider, on this occasion a lot of articles are written on the expanses of the Russian-speaking Internet segment. Immediately proceed to the case.

Insert blood flash drive In the USB jack of your computer or laptop (or CD in its drive).
Reboot or turn on the computer.

Immediately after download base system I / O and Herring Initialization and Testing Equipment We start clicking on the quick selection key of the bootable media.

This key may be "F9" or "F11" (see the instructions of the manual to your motherboard Or a laptop), also this data is displayed during the BIOS boot.

As a device that is controlled by the system management, choose our media (in our case, this is a USB flash drive on 4 GB to load with UEFI).

During the appearance of a similar black screen with the inscription, press any button on the keyboard.

There will be read information from the bootloader program, which the BiosPed control.

Depending on the installation of Windows, select the option of installing the operating system (with a different loader interface, using third-party assemblies, the essence of the process will be unchanged).
Select the installation language. It will naturally be Russian, just like the keyboard layout, time format, etc.

In the next window, just click "Install -\u003e".

We accept operating system operating conditions, preferably familiarized with them.

Stop in the second version, in order to appear in the menu hard settings disk.

Click "Full Installation ...".

Using the keypad and manipulator, the mouse select the required hard disk if several are connected to the computer, and click "Customize the disk".

The toolbar will change slightly.

Click on the "Format" button.

A standard window will appear with a warning that all files and disk programs will be destroyed.

Click "OK" to confirm your intentions.

In the case of cleaning the table of contents, the hard disk will be formatted and ready to install the operating system.

This method is reasonably used in cases where the Windows operating system cannot format the hard drive, for example, in view of which it is used by any application or is a system partition.

3.1.2. Formatting a system hard disk via the command line, booting from the installation disk / flash drive

Another uncomplicated option to format the disk on which the operating system is located - this is using a command line by booting from a disk or flash drive with installation files Windows operating system.

3.2. Acronis Disk Director.

To start the wizard for creating boot drives, go to the tab " Backup and recovery "on the control panel program that is made in the style of ribbons like Microsoft Office., Starting from the 2007th year.
Click on "Create a bootable carrier".
Depending on the version of the program, a window can appear with a proposal to select the type of bootable media. It is recommended to choose the bootloader option to windows database PE. Click "Next".

Select the necessary components, on the basis of which the wizard will create a bootable flash drive.

ACRONISDISKDirector program is quite enough to format the hard disk. If you wish to have a tool for creating backups of sections, also chooseCronistrueimage.

Select the type of acronis bootable carrier created.
Then confirm your intentions to record the program files on the USB flash drive, destroying all the files on it before that, and wait for the end of the recording process.
Perform boot from the created drive.

To do this, reboot the computer and choose our USB flash drive as a bootable media. This is done by changing the priority in the download device list (BOOT menu item) in your BIOS or hot key Download device selection.

In most cases, during the initialization procedure, which occurs before loading the operating system, you must press the F11, F9 key or another to call the download menu. In it, select a USB drive and click "ENTER".
We wait for the program download.

Usually, this procedure lasts a little longer than downloading the Acronis Disk Director program in Windows.
Select our hard disk and call the formatting procedure by any method:
In the dialog box that appears, select the hard disk formatting parameters:
- file system - It is recommended to use NTFS, due to the support of files of more than 4 GB, which is not available for FAT and FAT32;
- the size of the cluster is left "Auto", if you do not have a notion, which is this value. However, it is recommended to select a cluster size of less than 4 KB to store a huge number of small files;
- tom label - Enter the name of the hard disk or leave the field empty.

Specifying all the parameters, we translate into the toolbar located at the top of the screen. Click on the button with the title "Apply waiting operations (1)".

After the non-block download of the operation list will appear a small window from them. detailed description and parameters.

If you are confident in the actions you run, check the correctness of the specified parameters and click on the "Continue" button.

After a few seconds, the operation of the operation will start the procedure for formatting a hard disk.

Be careful, the program will not issue a warning window with a question about confirming the execution of the operation and will not notify the destruction of all the data on the hard disk.

Formatting will occur for a few seconds, since the utility uses the quick formatting algorithm. At the end of the procedure, the window closes automatically, and the hard disk with purified file Table And the new file system will be ready for further operation.

3.3. Paragon Partition Manager.

Paragon. Partition Manager. - It is the most powerful free software distributed software for working with hard drives. Naturally, with it, you can format any hard drive or its partition. In addition, the utility can work with backups, change and create logical partitions, set several operating systems to disk and so on.

We download the LiveCD or the installation distribution of the Windows operating system, which includes the Paragon Partition Manager program.
Record the image on the removable media and boot from it by specifying the highest loading priority from the flash drive or by selecting the Paragon Partition Manager storage drive as the loading device.
Choose our program using the mouse cursor or the cursor keys and the "ENTER" buttons, depending on the graphics menu and the bootloader used to create a LiveCD.
The main menu of the utility, where you select "Partition Manager" in the list on the left, and then in its right frame.
In the next window in the list of your hard drives, choose the one you want to format.

You can do this in the tab "Disc Panel" and in the lower frame called "List of sections".
Call the context menu of the magnetic drive and select the "Format" command in it, which is located on one of the first places.
Indicate file System and a new label of hard drive.
Click "Advanced Parameters" if you want to change the number of sectors in one cluster. Also here you can specify, formatting through the built-in in Windows Team "Format" with which we acquainted during disk formatting from the command console, or use your own developer algorithm.
Click "format".

The program does not request confirmation of the operation, but will not run the execution of the command indicated by it.

To do this, click on the button "Apply the outlined changes", which is located in the toolbar under the main menu.

To view the set changes, use a button in the form of a magnifying glass.
In the dialogue agree to make changes by clicking "Yes."
We prompted warning about the completion of the program.

The same thing is done through the main menu of the program.

4. Possible errors and ways to solve them

One of the many problems faced by users during hard disk formatting is the use of outdated software. Happened due to the fact that the user for several years does not update the program of working with disks that trusts. Also, the use of requests like "download hackedacronis" often leads to the most popular sites, which for many months are in the first places search engines and contain irrelevant software versions.

Follow the relevance of the versions of your hard drive programs, especially if you use one of recent versions Windows.

The second problem is an error when trying to attempt the drive used, it usually concerns system sections. Also, some application can use the hard drive or its partition, let it even in the read mode, while the user tries to format it. Exit from the situation will be used bootable LiveCD. or carriers with a Windows distribution.

Error in the process of formatting a hard disk In view of a huge number of damaged sectors, it occurs when you try to complete the format of the hard drive, the surface of which is replete with damaged memory cells. Run the HDD check, such as the Victoria utility, with the reassignment of damaged areas or their exception from the area of \u200b\u200binformation used.

I am sure that not all you know about the brittleness and vulnerability of the hard disk. Despite your big weight and dimensions of some models, it is very simple to deal with hard drive. It is enough to shake it a bit, overheat or quit a slanting look - the hard disk is already covered by the "Bad blocks", which, believe me, will soon bring it out of the order and the information stored on the hard disk will not be saved.

Most important moment, in case of failure in hard work Disc - try to keep all the information available on it. But, there is a considerable opinion that after such a crash, a hard drive can still be suitable for life. After conducting a low-level formatting procedure, a hard disk can be used again. Today we will find out whether such a "master" will help the Winchester and whether to carry out this procedure.

Low-level formatting, what is it?

Low-level formatting or Low Lewel Format, to date, is not the wrong operation that it is in reality. Such formatting in the original is possible only in the factory for the manufacture of hard drives. This is one of the steps when they are assembled.

All information that is on the hard disk is stored in a certain order. Each unit of data falls a unique address, in fact, according to which it can be found. Creating areas for writing data on a clean magnetic surface and assigning addresses to them - and there are low-level formatting.

More precisely - this is the process of physical breakdown of the surface of the disc on tracks (circles or tracks along which the read / write heads are moving), their sectors (parts of the tracks - the smallest storage areas for information on disk drive from own address) and intersectoral intervals. And also - application of servometers - service entries between sectors and inside them, according to which the head control system (HDD servosystem) can position the latter.

After the disk marking passed, its surface thoroughly scan on the detection of the magnetic layer defects, possibly after the broken procedure was formed physically "broken" sectors. They need to be excluded from the addressing. After testing, a sheet of defects and a translator will be formed. Latest tables of correlation Logical sectors. This procedure is also carried out under factory formatting.

A similar procedure, a long time ago it was possible to fulfill on your home computer via BIOS. But today the computers of this kind, like hard drives, is practically no left. Modern hard drives are arranged in such a way that it is impossible to carry out a physical breakdown without special equipment and software. Therefore, the concept of low-level formatting is the operation of "clogging" of the logic space by zeros (without access to the service areas in which the translator is stored).

After formatting this type, the following will happen:

Winchester will be cleared of all information other than the service.
A custom sheet defect will be created with the addresses of "patients" sectors that will be in exceptions to read and write.
Defective sectors are replaced by "healthy" from the backup area (Remap).

"Home" low-level formatting is the solution of all problems?

This formatting method must be carried out if:

You are going to pass the use of the computer in other people's hands. It is done so that the new PC host can recover old files.
To correct software (logical) and outlined Bad'ov, which cannot be removed by non-destructive ways.
To solve problems that arose due to the bootable virus.

This formatting is effective in cases:

If a bied sectors It did not appear due to the malfunction of the mechanical and electrical components of the hard disk. For example, the problem areas appeared after not a long-term overheating of the screw or a sudden turning off the power of the computer.
Small number of defects.

You can use the HD TUNE utility to identify unstable sectors. After scanning Harddisk, you will see problem areas:

Step-by-step instructions for formatting at home.

In order to fill the surface of the hard drive with zeros and replace broken sectors, you must use the special utility. Even the one that produced the manufacturer of another hard disk model was made.

Operations of overwriting and remapping are launched by a standard algorithm that understands all disk controllers (the final decision on the reassignment of failure sectors is received by the controller).

All these utilities are configured only at one thing, so they cannot be harmful to your hard disk. Even if you are confused when performing this procedure, you can always start first, without fearing for the integrity of the disk.

The question consists in another, what is the utility best to use. The high probability that the native utility may not be so useful as standard. In any case, if you could not do anything with one utility, you need to repeat the attempt on the other. You definitely do not make worse disk, and multiple attempts can lead to success and cure your hard drive. Everything will depend on damage to the disc block. Sometimes it requires several attempts to correct it.

Using universal HDD Low Level Format Tool (HDDLLFT) for Windows.

First of all, you need to connect a problem hard disk to a computer on which Windows is installed.

We find, download and install the HDDLLFT application. Through the installation, you will see a pop-up window in which you want to select "Continue for Free".

Download this application can .

After installation, you start the program and select the hard disk and click "Continue \u003e\u003e\u003e" in the menu.

Now you need to go to the "Low Level Format" section and click on "Format This Device".

Reaffirm our actions and wait for the end of the program.

SeaTools for DOS for HDD Seagate

Seatools for Dos can most often find in ISO format to record disk, flash drive or floppy disk. After you write the image of this program and run it on the computer, you will see the main Utility window. Before use, we recommend that you transfer the program into Russian. This can be done in the upper left menu "Language". After that, we note in the list in the main window of our problem hard drive and go to the menu " Additional functions (Advanced Features) ", then click on" Erase All (Erase All) ".

Windows Data LifeGuard Diagnostics for Winchesters WD

Windows Data Lifeguard Diagnostics is a branded application from Western Digital, which allows you to conduct a low-level disk formatting procedure. Also, the formatting procedure can be done using the Data LifeGuard Diagnostics for DOS utilities (boot image for DVDs and flash drives) and Acronis True Image WD Edition.

Well, the sectors (hard drives, hard drives, HDD) are unusually spanted devices. It is worth a little shake, overlay, Kosos to see - and the disk has already been covered with terrible "bad blocks", which threaten to him, and all the information on it in an imminent death.

In the situation of disk failures, the valuable data is most important. But what to do then with their carrier? Is it possible to use it in the future? They say, one medicine helps from all such "sores": low-level hard disk formatting. Let's deal with what it is for the "pill" and when there is a need to prescribe it.

What is it really

Low Level Format today (LOW LEVEL FORMAT) today is not the wrong operation that it is in reality. In fact, it is one of the stages of making disk drives, and it is carried out in the factory.

As you know, all. Each unit of data has a unique address for which it can be found. Creating areas for writing data on a clean magnetic surface and assigning addresses to them - and there are low-level formatting.

If more precisely is the process of physical breakdown of the disk surface on tracks (circles or tracks along which read / write heads are moving), their sectors (parts of the tracks - the smallest areas of information storage on the disk drive with their own address) and intersectoral intervals. As well as - application servometers - service entries between sectors and inside them, for which the head control system ( servosystem HDD) will be able to position the latter.

After the markings, the disc surface is subjected to thorough scanning to identify the defects of the magnetic layer (physically "broken" sectors), which must be excluded from the addressing. According to the results of the test, a sheet of defects and a translator are formed - the correlation table of good physical sectors is logical (numbered). This is also part of factory formatting.

For a long time, this whole procedure could be performed by the BIOS home PC. Today, there are practically no such computers and drives. Modern HDDs are not amenable to physical recycling without special equipment and software, and low-level formatting is called the operation of the "clogging" of the logic space zeros (without access to the service areas in which the translator is stored).

As a result of this formatting:

All information (except for service) is deleted from the hard drive.
A custom-defect sheet is created with addresses of bad sectors that will be hidden - excluded from subsequent read and write operations.
Defective sectors are replaced by "healthy" from the backup area (Remap).

What problems helps to solve pseudo-level formatting

Operation apply:

To prepare a computer to transfer to other people's hands so that the new owner cannot restore the files of the previous one.
For correction that cannot be removed by non-destructive ways.
For the treatment of certain types of boot viruses.

It is effective:

If the appearance of the "broken" sectors is not associated with the malfunction of the mechanical and electrical components of the hard drive. For example, they were formed after short-term overheating of the disk or a sudden power outage of the computer, and their number is not growing.
If defects are relatively few.

An example of the detection of several unstable sectors when scanning a hard HD TUNE utility:

It is useless:

If HARD suffered from falling, drowning, depressurization of the housing (humbling).
If it makes it in turning on, crosses, knocks, grunts and other unnatural sounds or poorly determined by the computer (periodically disappear).

The main area of \u200b\u200bthis disk occupy unreadable sectors. Treatment with homemade "low-level" formatting, he will most likely not help:

What and how to conduct "low-level" formatting at home

With the surface of the hard disk with zeros and replace the "broken" sectors with normal as a utility that is intended for this. Even created by the manufacturer of the hard drives of another brand. Operations of overwriting and remapping are launched by a standard algorithm that understands all disk controllers (the final decision on the reassignment of failure sectors is received by the controller). There are no opportunities to use narrow specialty technological commands from these utilities, so they are not harmful to the device.

What utility will cope with the task you need better? It is not a fact that your relative to your hard work more precisely than the universal. Did not help alone - run another. There will be no harm to this, and the benefit is possible, since to correct one defective block it is sometimes necessary to take several attempts.

We'll figure it out how to conduct a "low-level" formatting HDD using three free utilities.

Universal HDD Low Level Format Tool (HDDLLFT) for Windows

Connect a problem disk to a PC running Windows.
Download and install the application HDDLLFT.. After installation, choose " Continue.forfree."(Continue for free).

Note in the list of drives the one that is going to format and click the button " Continue.>>>».

In the next window, we turn to the section " Low.level.Format."And click" Format.tHISdevice.»

I will confirm the operation and wait for its ending.

SeaTools for DOS for HDD Seagate

S Eatools.forDOS. Released in format image of ISO. To record on boot DVD., flash drives and floppy disks. After launching a computer from such a carrier, the main window of the utility immediately opens. For convenience, we switch it to Russian, note the problem drive in the list, go to the menu " Additional functions"(Advanced Features) and Click" Erase"(Erase All).

Windows Data LifeGuard Diagnostics for Winchesters WD

W Indus Data Lifeguard Diagnostics is one of the branded Western Digital applications with the "low-level" disk formatting feature. In addition to it, this feature is supported by utilities.