I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

[sam_sam_sam]

Is there a free good format-ing tool out that will work on most hard drives manufactures and you would recommend

[Per Hansson]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

It is not possible to low level format a modern drive.
There is an abstraction layer between the data on the drive and the interface.
The only thing you can do is write zeros or some other pattern to overwrite the data there now.
dban (open source) is one such popular tool.
For wiping SSD's it is better to use a tool that deletes the cryptographic key. (Called Secure Erase).
One problem with this is that it is hard to find a tool that works with many systems and different drives.
For DOS there exists HDDErase but it works with very few systems.

For my personal use the most successful tool is made by Lenovo for my Thinkpad T530 called:
"ThinkPad Drive Erase Utility for the Resetting the Cryptographic Key and the Erasing the Solid State Drive"

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

It is not possible to low level format a modern drive.
There is an abstraction layer between the data on the drive and the interface.
The only thing you can do is write zeros or some other pattern to overwrite the data there now.
dban (open source) is one such popular tool.
For wiping SSD's it is better to use a tool that deletes the cryptographic key. (Called Secure Erase).
One problem with this is that it is hard to find a tool that works with many systems and different drives.
For DOS there exists HDDErase but it works with very few systems.

For my personal use the most successful tool is made by Lenovo for my Thinkpad T530 called:
"ThinkPad Drive Erase Utility for the Resetting the Cryptographic Key and the Erasing the Solid State Drive"

Thanks for the information that will help

[Hondaman]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

Please do not attempt to low-level format an IDE drive (or any drive after that). Making sure the heads float EXACTLY over the magnetic traces (for a spinning disc) involves factory-only equipment/calibration.

Once upon a time I read a paper leaflet that suggested you can low-level format a Travan-3/4 tape cartridge but I suggest that information may have been false. And I have no idea why anyone would want or need to low-level format a Travan cartridge.

In the old days, hard drive partitions could only end at the end of a cylinder. Of course, even as early as my 546 meg IDE drive, drives often secretly had different "zones" with more sectors per cylinder toward the outside of the platters and fewer sectors toward the inside. So the OS thought the partition ended at the end of a physical cylinder but maybe it actually ended somewhere in the middle of a cylinder -- only the drive's firmware knew for sure.

Later (above the 132 GB barrier?), I think the partition table listed the absolute sector number where each partition starts, so I guess "cylinders" were now completely irrelevant. I'm not sure how GPT works, that might display partition table data in yet another way.

If you want to obscure and overwrite data, dban is a good idea. Rescue CDs often contain GPARTED (GNU partition table editor, like the old "Partition Magic" tool from years ago). You can create a single large partition your computer can understand, then use a script to copy large files (file0001, file0002, file0003, etc) but dban is faster. Rescue discs also usually have the ability to test RAM.

I'm not sure how well rescue discs have migrated to USB sticks.

Also, it might be unnecessary or unhelpful to record zeros and ones over each bit/byte of an SSD more than one time. Back in the old days, it was said the American CIA could move the heads of a spinning drive just a small amount, and read magnetic traces of what was supposed to be deleted, and reconstruct the information. But SSDs don't have heads, so this won't be a concern.

And remember that in the old days, some IDE drives were secretly made to be incompatible with other brands, so you might have to use a CD/USB stick with only one drive in the system (the one you are trying to erase). I think CONNER hard drives were often guilty of this. And please note I am not sure how well "undelete" utilities work with old SCSI equipment. Making lots of copies of large files may be a good choice with SCSI. Of course, SCSI drives might be so rare now that nobody will try to steal data from them -- the same way car thieves stay away from the manual gearbox cars.

Hope this helps, and good luck !

[eccerr0r]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

basically any hard disk that has a faster than 30ms average access time cannot be low level formatted. The hard disks with 80ms average access times are stepper motor disks and they can be LLF'ed.

Undelete will work the same way on SCSI disks, SCSI is just a physical layer difference versus SATA nowadays. Undeleting on a SSD that had the blocks trimmed, however, is a different story and this is significantly harder to recover from.

There are some good reasons to LLF a disk past security delete of existing data... having the disk remap reallocated sectors more efficiently would be nice, as well as perhaps some sectors simply had a bad format and thus can't be written to - and LLF would repair that.

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

So what is the solution for a hard drive that becomes very severely corrupt by what ever means does this mean that the drive becomes unusable or is there any remedy for this situation

Because in the past there was low level formatting was the answer now days what is the answer now

[diif]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

I'd find out why it's become corrupted first but then just delete the partitions and reinstall Windows.

[eccerr0r]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

corruption as in data read wrong or corruption as in unreadable sectors.
The latter usually means these "modern" faster than 30ms disks end up in the round file if it persists after its internal remapping.

[Per Hansson]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

So what is the solution for a hard drive that becomes very severely corrupt by what ever means does this mean that the drive becomes unusable or is there any remedy for this situation

Because in the past there was low level formatting was the answer now days what is the answer now

First you have to fix the root cause: if it is a mechanical (platter) issue the drive is trash.
But see this thread for example: Hard drives with oxidized HDA contacts.
Then you realize even if you fix the root cause you still need access to the drives firmware and proper commands to delete the growth defect list.
And if you don't have that you can either live with the reduced performance or buy a new drive.
HDD manufacturers prefer the latter option

[eccerr0r]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

Before: low level format
Now: throw disk away.

:-(

[Topcat]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

For wiping SSD's it is better to use a tool that deletes the cryptographic key. (Called Secure Erase).

I've seen a few SAS controller firmwares that have options called 'secure erase'; assuming that's what it does.

[jiroy]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

Low level format would destroy the MBRs in 99% of cases ..I Use "HDD Regenator" for corrupted and bad sectors . Spinrite is good too .

[eccerr0r]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

usually the contents of the MBR don't matter when we need to LLF a disk ... it's the option of last resort just before the disk belongs in the round file, when the value of the disk is higher than of the value of the data stored upon it.

[Per Hansson]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

Before: low level format
Now: throw disk away.

:-(

This makes no sense: modern drives don't need low level format.
That was a requirement of old drives due to the less accurate servo systems being used.
Basically after a few years the data on the disk would be unreadable and a "low level format" would make the disk usable again.
That does not happen with modern drives, something I am thankful of!

Case in point:
Not forgotten: MFM hard drives

MFM drives are really unreliable

Let's try to revive some MFM hard drives!

[eccerr0r]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

This makes no sense: modern drives don't need low level format.
That was a requirement of old drives due to the less accurate servo systems being used.
Basically after a few years the data on the disk would be unreadable and a "low level format" would make the disk usable again.
That does not happen with modern drives, something I am thankful of!

First off: as always people find ways read into ways to think another is wrong, but actually they were right. Old ancient hard drives as a last resort you can low level format to rewrite critical data on the disk, but newer modern disks - they were low level formatted at the factory - and simply cannot be low level formatted and thus need to be thrown away when they lose the format for whatever reason.

Case in point: Take a strong magnet and rub it directly over the platters of a modern disk, eventually you'll destroy the low level format (i.e. tracking information). You simply cannot rewrite this data on a modern disk.
On the other hand on an old stepper motor disk you can rewrite low level data, and you can use the disk once more after the low level format. While using a magnet to destroy the data is a contrived example as well as the fact the recording mode is not MFM on newer disks and the read amplifiers are not as sensitive to DC bias erasures, you can still have theoretically recoverable write failures that could be repaired on an old disk but not on a new one (think temporary thermal and power/rotational issues that could affect any disk).

Yes the chances of needing low level formats are much lower due to higher magnetic coercivity on newer disks as well as other advancements to prevent damage to it. But it's still possible to have the low level data on the disk corrupted or invalidated, and when that happens, the entire disk needs to be thrown away.

Note: We are not talking about data recovery here, rather just the continued use of the hardware.
Note 2: I do not accept youtube of any kind as valid references.

[ChaosLegionnaire]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

archlinux wiki has a page that explains the procedure for using the ata secure erase command for wiping a ssd's mem cells for returning the drive to its factory default empty data cell state. ArchWiki - Solid state drive Memory cell clearing

occasionally, the command can also be used on some modern self-encrypting hard drives to instantly erase the drive by discarding the encryption key. some drive manufacturers call it instant sanitize erase or some such. im not sure how securely this wipes a hd or ssd such that even the gov fbi or cia cant recover the data... privacy is priceless indeed!

[Per Hansson]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

Note 2: I do not accept youtube of any kind as valid references.

You can find much contradictory information regarding this topic. Hard drive manufacturers themselves don't like to talk about it. But generally, hard drives are much more resistant to big magnets than expected. The hard drive coating usually provides a high level of coercivity. This means you would have to bring a very large magnet very close to a hard drive in order to delete files. As long as you don't unscrew the top cover of the hard drive, you won't be able to get close enough. A strong magnetic field, however, can damage mechanical components of the hard drive. A magnet can, for instance,

• block the motor of the reading head
• influence the position of the writing head or
• damage the writing head

All the above may lead to irreparable damages.

Hard drives of PC’s, laptops and notebooks: A magnet is hardly a danger for hard drives built into a desktop computer because you cannot get close enough. Compact hard drives of laptops and notebooks, on the other hand, are more vulnerable to permanent magnets as they are generally located near the bottom cover plate. We cannot provide safe distances due to lack of data and different hard drive designs, but even our biggest magnet should not be able to damage a hard drive at a distance of 20 cm.

Intentional deleting: If you intend to permanently erase data on a hard drive, using a permanent magnet is not a suitable method. Instead, you should use special file deletion software that completely overwrites the hard drive multiple times.

Source: https://www.supermagnete.de/eng/faq/...ces#hard-drive

[eccerr0r]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

Even if it's difficult to use a magnet to explicitly erase the platters -- it better be as there's a big neodymium magnet inside all VC hard drives hence mentioning you had to get it directly over -- it still does not negate the fact that low level format needed to be done at some point in its lifetime (i.e. during manufacture) and if it ever needs it again for whatever reason, including temperature shifts, power fluctuations, reliability of recording over the years, or other reason, it's still impossible to do it on VC disks. Because this is impossible, VC hard disks are still trash if it ever loses the tracking data.

[brethin]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

I have actually LLF many newrer drives using the old manufacturer tools specific to the drive I'm working on. To do this they need to be attached to a pata port (aka ide) so I use ide to sata adapters to connect sata drives to pata ports. I also use this to wipe and reset Western Digital and Seagate drive smart info so I can get a fresh list of anything wrong after the wipe.

[brethin]

Re: I am looking for a DOS based low level format-ing hard drive and SSD drive

If it is mechanical, aka a bad head etc then it shows up fast and I just recycle the drive.