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A Good Disk Wiper Tool/Utility



 
 
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  #1  
Old October 3rd 17, 11:24 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
No_Name
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 326
Default A Good Disk Wiper Tool/Utility

Hi,

My son, who lives out of state, bought a new computer and wants
to donate his WinXP desktop PC to Good Will or other.

I told him that he should "wipe" (clear his personal data) the hard drive
first.

Can anyone recommend a good "wiper" type program?

Thank You in advance, John

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  #2  
Old October 3rd 17, 03:05 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
J. P. Gilliver (John)[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,679
Default A Good Disk Wiper Tool/Utility

In message ,
writes:
Hi,

My son, who lives out of state, bought a new computer and wants
to donate his WinXP desktop PC to Good Will or other.

I told him that he should "wipe" (clear his personal data) the hard drive
first.

Can anyone recommend a good "wiper" type program?

Thank You in advance, John

You don't really need a multi-overwrite utility these days, unless
there's something on it you really don't want to fall into the hands of
the security services. Just delete all the data (including emptying the
recycle bins), then fill the disc with something else so that where the
deleted files are is overwritten, so that they aren't undeletable.
Anything will do. The easiest way _if_ the software/hardware already is
present on the machine is to set it capturing - video is fastest - until
the disc is full (make sure it hasn't left a less-than-4G bit when it
stops though); failing that, just repeatedly copying some big file.

The important thing (well, another important thing) is to make sure he's
removed all his personal data from the various places it hides - wifi
keys for a trivial example.

The totally simplest way is to just format the hard drive (in another
machine) - not a quick format, a full one. But I assume he wants to
donate it as a working machine, which probably precludes that. (Needs to
be activated and have relevant drivers for the hardware.)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"I'm very peachable, if people know how to peach" - Sir David Attenborough (on
being asked if he was tired of being described as impeachable), on Desert
Island Discs, 2012-1-29.
  #3  
Old October 3rd 17, 03:40 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Paul[_32_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 11,873
Default A Good Disk Wiper Tool/Utility

wrote:
Hi,

My son, who lives out of state, bought a new computer and wants
to donate his WinXP desktop PC to Good Will or other.

I told him that he should "wipe" (clear his personal data) the hard drive
first.

Can anyone recommend a good "wiper" type program?

Thank You in advance, John


https://sourceforge.net/projects/dba...an/dban-2.3.0/

dban-2.3.0_i586.iso 2015-06-04 16.7 MB

That makes a bootable CD.

Make sure that only the drives to be erased are
connected to the machine when you boot that. People
have deleted their "backup" drive with that by
accident.

*******

A Linux LiveCD and a copy of "dd" can do it too.
This does a single pass of zeros, from end to end on SDB drive.

sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdb bs=8192

You can use "sudo gparted" to view the hard drives. Just
as a viewer app. A few of the distros, don't actually
have gparted loaded, so you tyoe just this and
follow the instructions to get it.

gparted

To use "dd" to erase with random data, you'd do

sudo dd if=/dev/urandom of=/dev/sdb bs=8192

Linux has two random number generators. One generates
random numbers from an "entropy pit". The OS has ways
of collecting naturally occurring events, and using
their time stamp, as part of the randomness. The
unfortunate limitation of this source (which is
good for generating crypto keys), is the "pit"
isn't deep enough, to provide data for the entire
erasure run.

A second random number generator, uses mersenne twister
or similar. Which is a pseudo-random number generator,
and perfect for disk erasure. The urandom one, runs
at your disk speed or higher, and should not limit
the erasure speed. Whereas, if you used /dev/random
in the above command, it could "take the entire age
of the universe" to complete. I actually made that
mistake once, and saw progress grind to a halt.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki//dev/random

*******

Windows even has an erasure method.

If you boot a modern installer DVD, you can get to
a Command Prompt window. You can use diskpart
typed into the Command Prompt window. When you run
commands in the Command Prompt from an installer
or rescue CD, you are sufficiently elevated for this.

diskpart
list disk
select disk 2
list partitions --- just for fun
select partition 1
detail partition --- if you weren't sure what will get erased
clean all --- Erases every sector on disk 2 (nuclear).
There is no recovery from this. No Photorec.
No Recuva. This is *not* tossing in Trash.
exit

The only reason I didn't list that one first, is not
everyone has a collection of installer material sitting
around. I've used this quite a few times.

The reason I use that, is for "research" purposes.

Say you need a disk in a known state. Like, you zero
it from end to end. Then you use Disk Management to
make a "Dynamic Disk". Well, the metadata is up near
the end of the disk (somewhere), and you want it to
"stand out like a sore thumb". You can use your hex
editor, open the volume, and look up near the end
and easily find it. Since most of the disk is zeroed,
any non-zero material really stands out.

(A hex editor, if you don't have one. Opens files.
Opens whole disks, as Administrator, for a look at
the raw sectors without regard to file system.)

https://mh-nexus.de/en/hxd

*******

"Slaving" the drive, up to another computer, would
also allow erasing it. But I put that even further
down in the list, because a brand new computer bought
today, won't have an IDE connector, to connect the
hard drive from the WinXP PC. And I wouldn't
want anyone to be "disappointed" by the lacking
materials inside a new PC. You might not have
a PCI slot for your old sound card. You won't
have a floppy drive connector. You won't have
an IDE connector. That's the status quo. And while
Intel has tried to expunge the SuperIO and the
Hardware monitor, you'll still find those in one
form or another on a modern PC. For example, my
newest machine (which isn't all that new), it
has a SuperIO with a serial port on it! Which means
one less dongle to buy, and it has a fixed address
in hardware space.

Paul
  #4  
Old October 3rd 17, 07:33 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
VanguardLH[_2_]
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Posts: 10,881
Default A Good Disk Wiper Tool/Utility

jaugustine wrote:

Can anyone recommend a good "wiper" type program?


killdisk.com
A portable application so no install required.

The Gutmann paranoia scheme (35 passes) is not needed, won't effect a
deeper wipe, and just wastes time. That was back for magnetic media for
hard disks that used an ancient technology that has not been applicable
in maybe 2 decades. No one has those drives except for collectors and
the Smithsonian Institute. Even 3 passes is excessive. 2 passes even
of a pseudo-random pattern is sufficient against prying. A single pass
of zeroes (which is what the free version of Killdisk does) is
sufficient for protection when transferring the drive since the next
person is unlikely to incur the expense of the necessary lab equipment
to extract the data.

If you/he wants something more than one pass of zeroes, there's Heidi's
Eraser (https://eraser.heidi.ie/) to use other patterns, like zeroes,
ones, and then pseudo-random, and vary the pass counts. You can use the
portable version if you don't want to install the software
(https://portableapps.com/apps/security/eraser-portable).

There is also Darik's Boot and Nuke (aka DBAN) at https://dban.org/
which is bootable so no install required.
  #5  
Old October 4th 17, 02:02 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
No_Name
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 326
Default A Good Disk Wiper Tool/Utility

SNIP
A Linux LiveCD and a copy of "dd" can do it too.
This does a single pass of zeros, from end to end on SDB drive.

sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdb bs=8192

Hi Paul,

My son is not a computer "savy" person.

Since my son doesn't have any "top secret" information on
the hard drive, I thought about sending him a copy of my
Linux "AntiX" V16.2 CD, with my instructions on how to install
that OS after it Formats the HD. I have installed AntiX on 2
computers so far. The format I believe is Unix.

Note: My son said he does NOT have a WinXP system
CD. Therefore, the PC will have an OS (AntiX) when he donates
his PC.

What do you think?

Again, Thank You in advance, John


You can use "sudo gparted" to view the hard drives. Just
as a viewer app. A few of the distros, don't actually
have gparted loaded, so you tyoe just this and
follow the instructions to get it.

gparted

To use "dd" to erase with random data, you'd do

sudo dd if=/dev/urandom of=/dev/sdb bs=8192

Linux has two random number generators. One generates
random numbers from an "entropy pit". The OS has ways
of collecting naturally occurring events, and using
their time stamp, as part of the randomness. The
unfortunate limitation of this source (which is
good for generating crypto keys), is the "pit"
isn't deep enough, to provide data for the entire
erasure run.

A second random number generator, uses mersenne twister
or similar. Which is a pseudo-random number generator,
and perfect for disk erasure. The urandom one, runs
at your disk speed or higher, and should not limit
the erasure speed. Whereas, if you used /dev/random
in the above command, it could "take the entire age
of the universe" to complete. I actually made that
mistake once, and saw progress grind to a halt.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki//dev/random

*******

Windows even has an erasure method.

If you boot a modern installer DVD, you can get to
a Command Prompt window. You can use diskpart
typed into the Command Prompt window. When you run
commands in the Command Prompt from an installer
or rescue CD, you are sufficiently elevated for this.

diskpart
list disk
select disk 2
list partitions --- just for fun
select partition 1
detail partition --- if you weren't sure what will get erased
clean all --- Erases every sector on disk 2 (nuclear).
There is no recovery from this. No Photorec.
No Recuva. This is *not* tossing in Trash.
exit

The only reason I didn't list that one first, is not
everyone has a collection of installer material sitting
around. I've used this quite a few times.

The reason I use that, is for "research" purposes.

Say you need a disk in a known state. Like, you zero
it from end to end. Then you use Disk Management to
make a "Dynamic Disk". Well, the metadata is up near
the end of the disk (somewhere), and you want it to
"stand out like a sore thumb". You can use your hex
editor, open the volume, and look up near the end
and easily find it. Since most of the disk is zeroed,
any non-zero material really stands out.

(A hex editor, if you don't have one. Opens files.
Opens whole disks, as Administrator, for a look at
the raw sectors without regard to file system.)

https://mh-nexus.de/en/hxd

*******

"Slaving" the drive, up to another computer, would
also allow erasing it. But I put that even further
down in the list, because a brand new computer bought
today, won't have an IDE connector, to connect the
hard drive from the WinXP PC. And I wouldn't
want anyone to be "disappointed" by the lacking
materials inside a new PC. You might not have
a PCI slot for your old sound card. You won't
have a floppy drive connector. You won't have
an IDE connector. That's the status quo. And while
Intel has tried to expunge the SuperIO and the
Hardware monitor, you'll still find those in one
form or another on a modern PC. For example, my
newest machine (which isn't all that new), it
has a SuperIO with a serial port on it! Which means
one less dongle to buy, and it has a fixed address
in hardware space.

Paul


  #6  
Old October 4th 17, 02:19 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Paul[_32_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 11,873
Default A Good Disk Wiper Tool/Utility

wrote:

Hi Paul,

My son is not a computer "savy" person.

Since my son doesn't have any "top secret" information on
the hard drive, I thought about sending him a copy of my
Linux "AntiX" V16.2 CD, with my instructions on how to install
that OS after it Formats the HD. I have installed AntiX on 2
computers so far. The format I believe is Unix.

Note: My son said he does NOT have a WinXP system
CD. Therefore, the PC will have an OS (AntiX) when he donates
his PC.

What do you think?

Again, Thank You in advance, John


You can download DBAN at your end. Just the ~16MB ISO file.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/dba...an/dban-2.3.0/

Connect a sacrificial hard drive to your test
PC (just one hard drive, a small one), boot the DBAN CD,
and erase the drive. Then, based on the experience,
write up a procedure and send it and the CD to your
son.

I can even do this in a virtual machine, to demonstrate.

https://s1.postimg.org/4v2s35o427/dban.gif

Installing AntiX would be for bonus points. As
otherwise, first you'd have to run AntiX in
Live Mode, thoroughly erase the drive, *then*
start an AntiX install.

Paul
  #7  
Old October 4th 17, 04:42 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
No_Name
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 326
Default A Good Disk Wiper Tool/Utility

SNIP

You can download DBAN at your end. Just the ~16MB ISO file.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/dba...an/dban-2.3.0/

Connect a sacrificial hard drive to your test
PC (just one hard drive, a small one), boot the DBAN CD,
and erase the drive. Then, based on the experience,
write up a procedure and send it and the CD to your
son.

I can even do this in a virtual machine, to demonstrate.

https://s1.postimg.org/4v2s35o427/dban.gif

Installing AntiX would be for bonus points. As
otherwise, first you'd have to run AntiX in
Live Mode, thoroughly erase the drive, *then*
start an AntiX install.

Paul


Hi Paul,

After I posted my last message about sending my son a copy of
Linux, AntiX, I decided to take your suggestion about dban and
I downloaded it.

I am sending my son an email with the link you provided plus
some information about "burning" a CD with that .ISO image file.

I also told him, if he is unsure how to "burn" an image file
onto a CD, I will do it and mail it to him.

In the same email, I told my son, "After you "wipe" the hard drive, put
a note on the computer to indicate that "This computer has NO Operating System
Installed" before you donate it to Good Will or other. Somebody will buy it
if he/she has a OS system disk eg. Windows, Linux, etc."

Again, Thanks, John

PS, Also, Thanks again to Vanguard & J.P. Gilliver for your suggestions.








  #8  
Old October 4th 17, 06:14 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
VanguardLH[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 10,881
Default A Good Disk Wiper Tool/Utility

jaugustine wrote:

Since my son doesn't have any "top secret" information on
the hard drive, I thought about sending him a copy of my
Linux "AntiX" V16.2 CD, with my instructions on how to install
that OS after it Formats the HD. I have installed AntiX on 2
computers so far. The format I believe is Unix.


Formatting does not erase the clusters on a hard disk. Installing any
software, OS or otherwise, only overwrites a portion of the disk while
the rest remains untouched. What are you going to do about wiping the
rest of the disk (that was used but won't be with just an OS install)?

Note: My son said he does NOT have a WinXP system CD. Therefore, the
PC will have an OS (AntiX) when he donates his PC.


Why does there have to be an OS on the hard disk to donate it? Why not
leave the choice of an OS to whomever gets the old computer?
  #9  
Old October 4th 17, 07:13 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
J. P. Gilliver (John)[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,679
Default A Good Disk Wiper Tool/Utility

In message , VanguardLH
writes:
[]
Formatting does not erase the clusters on a hard disk. Installing any


A quick format doesn't; I think a full one does.
[]
Why does there have to be an OS on the hard disk to donate it? Why not
leave the choice of an OS to whomever gets the old computer?


If he's donating it to a charity, or similar, not for their own use but
to sell, they'd probably appreciate having a working computer, not just
a box of parts - unless they have a refurbisher on staff. Might be worth
asking them before doing anything.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

The main and the most glorious achievement of television is that it is killing
the art of conversation. If we think of the type of conversation television is
helping to kill, our gratitude must be undying. (George Mikes, "How to be
Inimitable" [1960].)
  #10  
Old October 5th 17, 02:38 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
VanguardLH[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 10,881
Default A Good Disk Wiper Tool/Utility

J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

VanguardLH WROTE:

Formatting does not erase the clusters on a hard disk. Installing
any


A quick format doesn't; I think a full one does.


Nope hence the availability of utilities to rescue partitions and files.

Why does there have to be an OS on the hard disk to donate it? Why
not leave the choice of an OS to whomever gets the old computer?


If he's donating it to a charity, or similar, not for their own use
but to sell, they'd probably appreciate having a working computer,
not just a box of parts - unless they have a refurbisher on staff.
Might be worth asking them before doing anything.


Using your argument, what's the chance the donee will be a Linux
educated user? Yeah, whoop-de-do, about 3% chance. So there is a 97%
chance the donee, as far as they are concerned, is only getting hardware
(a box of parts) and will also have to ensure they wipe the drive or do
a fresh Windows install and then wipe free space.

https://www.netmarketshare.com/opera...10&qpcustomd=0

Since the son is the "not too bright" type per the OP's description, why
would the son be getting a new computer devoid of an OS (and, in this
case, very likely a pre-installed instance of Windows)? Yeah, his new
computer will already have Windows on it with its separate licensing.
The license for Windows XP on his old computer can go with that donated
computer. In fact, consider the user description, it is also likely
that it is an OEM license of Windows on that old computer so there's no
point in trying to hang onto the old license since it got locked to that
old computer where it got installed. If it is a name-brand computer, it
might have a hidden partition: use the boot menu to use that hidden
partition to restore the OS to factory state. Else, and due to missing
CDs, the manual might describe how to run a utility provided by the OEM
that creates the bootable CDs to do a fresh OS install (from an image or
run a setup program).

Since Windows XP is already installed, why not leave it there?
Obviously those disk clusters are nothing to be keep secret (that's code
from Microsoft that every user of Windows XP has). Just delete all his
data files, uninstall any apps whose licenses he want to move to his new
computer (provided they aren't OEM licenses), and then do a wipe of just
the free space on the disk. That would have a 97% chance that the donee
gets a working computer and not just a "box of parts" (since Linux is
extremely likely to also provide the donee with just a "box of parts").

A wipe is still recommended but the user could do the factory restore
and then use a tool that just wipes the free space (quicker than a full
wipe). Or leave OEM licensed Windows XP installed, delete the data
files, uninstall the apps to use on a new computer that have movable
(retail, non-OEM) licenses, and wipe the free space.
  #11  
Old October 5th 17, 09:27 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
J. P. Gilliver (John)[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,679
Default A Good Disk Wiper Tool/Utility

In message , VanguardLH
writes:
J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

VanguardLH WROTE:

Formatting does not erase the clusters on a hard disk. Installing
any


A quick format doesn't; I think a full one does.


Nope hence the availability of utilities to rescue partitions and files.


OK. What _does_ a non-quick format do then, that a quick one doesn't?
[]
If he's donating it to a charity, or similar, not for their own use
but to sell, they'd probably appreciate having a working computer,
not just a box of parts - unless they have a refurbisher on staff.
Might be worth asking them before doing anything.


Using your argument, what's the chance the donee will be a Linux
educated user? Yeah, whoop-de-do, about 3% chance. So there is a 97%
chance the donee, as far as they are concerned, is only getting hardware
(a box of parts) and will also have to ensure they wipe the drive or do
a fresh Windows install and then wipe free space.


My point exactly.
[]
computer. In fact, consider the user description, it is also likely
that it is an OEM license of Windows on that old computer so there's no
point in trying to hang onto the old license since it got locked to that
old computer where it got installed. If it is a name-brand computer, it


That's also my point.

might have a hidden partition: use the boot menu to use that hidden
partition to restore the OS to factory state. Else, and due to missing


That would be a good idea. (Does doing _that_ wipe free space though?)
But only assuming the donor is capable.
[]
Since Windows XP is already installed, why not leave it there?


That was my thought. (But read on.)

Obviously those disk clusters are nothing to be keep secret (that's code
from Microsoft that every user of Windows XP has). Just delete all his
data files, uninstall any apps whose licenses he want to move to his new


And remove assorted hidden settings that might not have been thought of
(such as wifi keys).

computer (provided they aren't OEM licenses), and then do a wipe of just
the free space on the disk. That would have a 97% chance that the donee

[]
A wipe is still recommended but the user could do the factory restore


That would be the best, _if_ it's available (and the donor can do it).

and then use a tool that just wipes the free space (quicker than a full


The wipe could be just filling the disc with innocuous files.

wipe). Or leave OEM licensed Windows XP installed, delete the data
files, uninstall the apps to use on a new computer that have movable
(retail, non-OEM) licenses, and wipe the free space.

--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

science is not intended to be foolproof. Science is about crawling toward the
truth over time. - Scott Adams, 2015-2-2
  #12  
Old October 5th 17, 09:39 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Paul[_32_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 11,873
Default A Good Disk Wiper Tool/Utility

J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:


OK. What _does_ a non-quick format do then, that a quick one doesn't?


Reads all the sectors.

Updates $BADCLUS based on the results.

(Segregates bad clusters so the file system doesn't use them.)

That's my understanding at least. I don't think I've
ever fired up any forensic tools to see what it's doing.

Paul
  #13  
Old October 5th 17, 10:11 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
J. P. Gilliver (John)[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,679
Default A Good Disk Wiper Tool/Utility

In message , Paul
writes:
J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

OK. What _does_ a non-quick format do then, that a quick one
doesn't?


Reads all the sectors.


Ah - just a read. I'd assumed it did a write.

Updates $BADCLUS based on the results.

(Segregates bad clusters so the file system doesn't use them.)

That's my understanding at least. I don't think I've
ever fired up any forensic tools to see what it's doing.

Paul


--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

What a strange illusion it is to suppose that beauty is goodness. -Leo Tolstoy,
novelist and philosopher (1828-1910)
  #14  
Old October 5th 17, 09:23 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
VanguardLH[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 10,881
Default A Good Disk Wiper Tool/Utility

J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

VanguardLH WROTE:

J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

VanguardLH WROTE:

Formatting does not erase the clusters on a hard disk.

A quick format doesn't; I think a full one does.


Nope hence the availability of utilities to rescue partitions and
files.


OK. What _does_ a non-quick format do then, that a quick one doesn't?


A full format is similar to running "chkdsk.exe /r drive:". It makes
sure all clusters are readable, not just those that are currently
allocated in the file system. That a cluster is readable does not mean
it is stable. It may be weak but just enough readable to pass the test,
like a C-grade student getting a diploma versus a straight-A student
getting one.

https://support.wdc.com/knowledgebas...r.aspx?ID=1217

Note: "files are removed" is misleading. The records for those files
are deallocated in the file system. Not even those records are wiped,
just deallocated (the clusters for those files are freed up for reuse).
Also, some files are so small (under 4K in size) that the file system
doesn't bother allocating separate clusters for those files. Instead
those files are stored right inside that 4K file record in the MFT. Why
waste clusters outside the MFT when the small file will fit inside the
file record that has the space for the file? Deallocating a file record
does not wipe the MFT file record nor wipe the clusters of the file that
are outside the MFT. "Removing" a file from the file system does not
wipe where it is stored.

More simply, Quick Format deallocates the clusters for the files while
Full Format does the same but also scans ALL sectors to look for any
that are unreadable. However, that software-based check will perform
multiple retries to overcome transient errors, plus the firmware on the
disk will perform multiple retries for each of those software-based
retries. So, in effect, a sector on the platter may get read many times
trying to return one successful read (the number of software tries times
the number of firmware tries). A long time back, I found a full format
or chkdsk /r was doing 5 retries and the drive that I had back then was
doing its own 3 retries (on each software retry), so the sector on the
platter might be tried 15 times to get 1 success for the sector to get
passed as OK. That's why I used SpinRite back then to be a better test
of not just bad sectors but also to find weak sectors. Retentivity
wanes over time (dipole stress) so a sector never rewritten, even with
the same data, will become unreliable. SpinRite has its Refresh option
to compensate for that; however, that doesn't need to be ran for many
years, and by then I've bought a newer drive that was either bigger or
used newer technology to be faster. For the price of Spinrite, I could
buy a new drive but it makes sense in a tech's toolbox that has to
support all of a company's workstations.

While I schedule "chkdsk /f drive:" on all my drives to ensure file
system integrity has not deteriorated, I only run "chkdsk /r drive:"
when I suspect problems, put in a new disk (with a partition that I'll
keep rather than do a full format), or when I'm bored and spend some
time maintaining the hardware, OS, and apps.

While you could do a low-level format on MFM and RLL drives of old, you
cannot do that with IDE or SATA drives. Those drives don't grant access
to that level of physcial control. The disk maker does their own
low-level format at the factory to find bad sectors and masks them out
in a table stored with the firmware (so the firmware knows to skip those
sectors). That is, what you get is not the maximum capacity of the disk
but something less because bad sectors got masked out so nothing can
access them. A low-level format is a physical format. The software-
based format that you do is is a logical format to place a file system
atop that physical format (and optionally scan for bad clusters which is
the allocation unit size of the file system).
 




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