Caution: Low or Mid Level formatting an ATA (IDE) Drive destroys 100% of the
data on the drive. Make sure the drive is completely backed up before proceeding.
Caution: The Low Level Format options of Disk Manager are the only safe
methods for use with Seagate and Conner hard drives. Some system BIOSs may
include a Low Level Format option; use these at your own risk, as this may
produce undesirable results.
Disk Manager can be downloaded as a part of the DiscWizard package. It includes two low-level format options, partitioning options, and high-level formatting options. Zero Fill writes zeros in each data sector up to the complete capacity of the drive and will clean up some file system defects. The Low Level option performs a track by track initialization for the entire capacity of the drive, but does not spare bad sectors.
The download routine for Disk Manager creates a bootable diskette. Boot from the diskette to start Disk Manager. After startup, Select Advanced Options | Maintenance | Options | Utilities. Select the drive you want to erase, then select Zero Fill or Low Level.
Note: The Zero Fill option runs more quickly and removes data just as thoroughly
as the Low Level option.
Note: Older versions of Disk Manager do not include the Advanced Options
menu, but the Maintenance Options can be reached by pressing Alt+T at the
Main Menu.
When the process completes, reboot the system from a DOS diskette. Run FDISK to partition the drive, then format the drive and begin installing the new Operating System.
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