Epson 20020, 20040 Physically Formatting a Hard Disk, Appendix D, FORMAT)

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

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