Low Level Formatting

Low Level Formatting

This document describes how to Low Level Format your hard drive…

Warning: The Low-Level Formatting process is a data destroying process. Back up all data before beginning this process otherwise all data will be lost!

Also, DO NOT attempt to do a Low Level format unless advised by a trained technical professional, or if you are having severe problems with your hard drive!

A low level format is designed to delete EVERYTHING from your hard drive.

This process rewrites all sectors on the hard drive to zeros and once complete, it’s like receiving a new hard drive.

First you need to start with a Debug:

CREATE A CLEAN BOOT DISK WITH FDISK, FORMAT, AND DEBUG ON THE DISK. BOOT TO THE DISK, RUN FDISK, AND REMOVE THE PARTITION. REBOOT FROM THE FLOPPY. TYPE:
DEBUG (ENTER)
ONCE YOU SEE THE DEBUG DASH PROMPT (-) TYPE IN THE FOLLOWING:

A (ENTER)
DEBUG WILL NOW OUTPUT A SERIES OF LETTERS AND NUMBERS. NOW ENTER:
MOV AX,330 (ENTER)
MOV CX,1 (ENTER)
MOV DX,80 (ENTER)
MOV BX,3800 (ENTER)
MOV ES,BX (ENTER)
INT 13 (ENTER)
INT 3 (ENTER)
(ENTER)
G (ENTER)
Q (ENTER)

YOU SHOULD NOW BE BACK AT AN A: PROMPT.
YOU WILL NEED TO REBOOT.

Next, you will need to do an Fdisk: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q255867

Now, you will need to go to my Formatting write-up to format your hard drive.