"Barry OGrady" <god_fre_jones@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:qfeggv0i6pb94ltsst0fop3qdmpvkq73o9@4ax.com...
Sigh! I said I didn't want to get into it deeply (partly cos I'm out of my
depth!), so what are the LLF options in the Maxtor diags then? Like I said
elsewhere, if these are just erase utilities that write lots of zeroes, then
whatever.

"Li'l ol' me" <richie42@***SPAMOFF**eidosnet.co.uk> wrote in message news:be9emc$90g$1@news8.svr.pol.co.uk...
You cant ignore the basics.

Most of the time when a diag like that claims to do a LLF, they're
actually talking about manually initiated defect management.

They call it that because some do have a vague
understanding of what a LLF is, just like you do.

Samsung did at one time claim that clearhdd did a LLF.
They now say much more clearly that all it does is write
zeros thru the first few hundred tracks on the drive.

It isnt hard to prove that particular question if you have a drive
with a real problem. Just try a ute that certainly does just write
zeros thru the drive, see if the error message goes away in the
case of your Maxtor example. If it doesnt, try the Maxtor ute.
If it then goes away, its clearly doing more than just writing zeros.

Sigh! Then quit throwing out the technical terms if you don't know what they
mean. LLF is generally only done at the HD manufacturer's site. It is not an
option for computer users.

So, along with the FORMAT and FDISK commands, use the diagnostic program
(if any) that came with your HD - or go to the manufacturer's website and
download it. Otherwise use the Google search engine to find a suitable
downloadable diagnostic program. Forget LLF, remove it from your vocabulary.

Thanks for your reply (even if it was a little patronising). I was well
aware that 'modern' HDs were not able to be LLFd in the same manner as older
ones, but never claimed to know why or what the difference is. I *was*
trying to establish what a modern so-called LLF did and whether it was worth
using one as a last resort.

If you've been following the cat-fights among the threads I started, it
seems none of the 'expert' regulars on these pages knows exactly what an LLF
does! At least I admit it, which is why I asked for help in the first
place.

"Papa" <bikingis@my.fun> wrote in message
news:L%1Pa.92663$Io.7997322@newsread2.prod.itd.ear thlink.net...

"Papa" <bikingis@my.fun> wrote in message
news:L%1Pa.92663$Io.7997322@newsread2.prod.itd.ear thlink.net...
| Sigh! Then quit throwing out the technical terms if you don't know what they
| mean. LLF is generally only done at the HD manufacturer's site. It is not an
| option for computer users.
|
After servo writing in the clean room, the drive is assembled.

Then you write the whole disk and verify it. This is exactly what IBM DFT
does. Who cares what it is called, anyone can do it.

| So, along with the FORMAT and FDISK commands, use the diagnostic program
| (if any) that came with your HD - or go to the manufacturer's website and
| download it. Otherwise use the Google search engine to find a suitable
| downloadable diagnostic program. Forget LLF, remove it from your vocabulary.
|
Nobody with a clue uses fdisk & format. DOS based Windows is dead.

Hardly. Both FDISK and FORMAT will be around for a very long time.
|

"Li'l ol' me" <richie42@***SPAMOFF**eidosnet.co.uk> wrote in message news:beiaqv$kkq$1@newsg3.svr.pol.co.uk
Of course not. We would have insider knowledge on the drives firmware
if we actually knew what it "exactly" does.

"Papa" <bikingis@my.fun> wrote in message news:L%1Pa.92663$Io.7997322@newsread2.prod.itd.ear thlink.net
Thanks for showing that you have no idea what it means either.

Sensible advice. Apply it to yourself.