How do set up a hard-drive to do low-level format? Erase(zeros) or randomize all data on the whole hard drive. It will attempt to overwrite even bad sectors or else skip them. I usually use the dvd ‘gparted’. I’m somewhat familiar with Yast-Partition Editor.
What is the best method? GUI or Command Line.
Application from yast?
Assume, a new hard drive formatted with ‘opensuse leap 15’ running. The old hard drive connected to an extra port on the motherboard.
On Thu 01 Nov 2018 01:06:03 AM CDT, lord valarian wrote:
How do set up a hard-drive to do low-level format? Erase(zeros) or
randomize all data on the whole hard drive. It will attempt to overwrite
even bad sectors or else skip them. I usually use the dvd ‘gparted’. I’m
somewhat familiar with Yast-Partition Editor.
What is the best method? GUI or Command Line.
Application from yast?
Assume, a new hard drive formatted with ‘opensuse leap 15’ running. The
old hard drive connected to an extra port on the motherboard.
Thanks.
Hi
A failing hard drive… I give to my son to dismantle for the
magnets, then safety glasses and a hammer, or his BB gun
Would look at the HDD manufacturers website, normally they have tools
and/or bootable iso images.
Could use dd and /dev/zero from the command line until it finishes…
–
Cheers Malcolm °¿° SUSE Knowledge Partner (Linux Counter #276890)
SLES 15 | GNOME Shell 3.26.2 | 4.12.14-25.22-default
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Partitions tools do, as an extension to the real partitioning, often also the creation of file systems. This file system creation (writing superblock and inodes, etc) is from the Microsoft PC heritage often called “formatting”.
Formatting, the writing of tracks, blocks and alternative tracks for those on bad sports, is from the Microsoft PC heritage often called “low level formatting”.
IMHO the confusion comes from the fact that on floppy disks both formatting and file system creation was done in one action.
Thus to the OP: when you want to (lowlevel) format your disk, neither gparted, nor YaST > Partitioner, not even fdisk/gdisk will help you. Nor will dd.
As suggested above, the manufacturer may have something, but as suggested also, destroying the hardware (for security/privacy) and acquiring a new one might be the best.
When you only want to destroy the data on the used tracks, then