The reason to do formatting with the final orientation is due to the
slight changes in head positioning that can be caused by gravity. This
helps insure that the head lines up with the formatting marks.

There are two levels of formatting. The normal format that you perform
after partitioning (FDISK), and the low level format that is done prior
to partitioning. The low level is generally done by the factory, and on
modern drives, I don't know if a true low level format even takes place
any more. Anyone want to address that question?

In any case, if the drive hardware is rated for upside down mounting,
then formatting it after installation in that position is definitely
recommended.

Peter
____________________________________________________________
Peter Shkabara - Computer Science Instructor
Columbia College - 11600 Columbia College Drive - Sonora, CA 95370
(209) 588-5156 - [log in to unmask] - http://gocolumbia.org/pesh


-----Original Message-----
 Sometime ago (I think in january), there was a post in this list
about installing a hard drive up side down. There was a reply
(from Mark Barron, I guess) which said that it is ok as long as all
levels of formatting are done in the same orientation.
 I could not understand why this should matter. I thought
it was more of a problem with bearings and stuff. How does the
orientation of the disk affect the formatting? Also, what does
he mean by "all levels of formatting"?

 TIA.
-Satprem

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