Re: I/O error with Spotlight

In article <2007042913351883926-jollyroger@nullorg>, Jolly Roger
<jollyroger@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

On 2007-04-29 13:06:38 -0500, Dave Balderstone
<dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> said:

In article <200704291236167708-jollyroger@nullorg>, Jolly Roger
<jollyroger@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

On 2007-04-29 12:08:34 -0500, Dave Balderstone
<dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> said:

In article <2007042911014092459-jollyroger@nullorg>, Jolly Roger
<jollyroger@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

Be sure to do a low-level format so that any bad blocks will be mapped
out.

That only happens with SCSI drives. Not IDE, ATA or SATA. There's no
such thing as a consumer "low level format" of a non-SCSI drive.

"Low level format" of an IDE, ATA or SATA drive *only* happens at the
factory.

Hmm... Some program (I think it was TechTool Pro) reported the hard
drive in my Titanium Powerbook had bad blocks (I had been getting
increasingly-more-frequent spinning beach balls paired with "I/O Error"
entries in my system log for some time). And after I used Disk Utility
to do a "low-level" reformat of the drive, I have not had one error.
Are you saying that blocks that have gone bad do not get mapped out
when you do a low-level reformat of a ATA drive?

There is no such thing as a "low-level format" for ATA drives after the
drive leaves the factory.

Writing zeros to the drive will effectively remap bad blocks, but that
is not a "low-level format".

Ok I see the distinction you are making. I've always used the words
"Low-level" format to mean erasing every bit of data on the drive. I
should stop using that wording and just call it "zero out data", as
Disk Utility calls it.

Regardless of what it's called, I think it's important the OP zero out
data on the drive so that bad blocks are mapped out.

In that case, the OP needs to ensure that whatever software is used
actually writes zeros. In Disk Utility, that option is NOT enabled by
default.

--
I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end.
- Margaret Thatcher
.

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