Przeglądając dokumentację Seagate, znalazłem wyczerpujące wyjaśnienie zagadki formatowania niskopoziomowego.
Oczywiście wszystkie współczesne dyski podchodzą pod punkt 3, tak więc użycie na nich programów do foramtowania niskopoziomowego zaowocuje jedynie wyzerowniem dysku, tak jak np. przy pomocy WDClear, nie ma to jednak wpływu na bad-sectory remapowane przez SMART ani na fizyczny układ ścieżek i sektorów na dysku. Prawdziwy LLF jest możliwy tylko w przypadku dysków pracujących w trybie Normal/CHS (bez translacji) i o stałej ilości sektorów na ścieżkę.
In the case of ATA (IDE) drives:
ATA (IDE) drives can be divided into three separate scenarios: Early,
Swift and ZBR.
1. EARLY: When ATA interface drives (aka IDE - integrated drive
electronics, but so are SCSI's) were first introduced (ST157A family),
we strongly warned and cautioned against any attempt to lo-level
format the drives because 1) the factory written defect-mapping files
might be erased on reserved areas of the drive, and 2) the optimized
interleave and skewing values used would be forfeited giving slow
transfer rates. At this stage of development, SGATFMT4 lists these
drives only as a fall back option, in lieu of a factory repair format.
If the drive has somehow lost its original format, or the partition
structure been corrupted by a virus etc., SGATFMT4 could be used to
reformat _without_ the benefit of the defect mapping files. Any
defects will need to be "rediscovered" again; first, by the DOS high
level format and second, by a third-party disk scanning utility. These
utilities are quite likely to locate all of the hard errors, but
unlikely to find the soft errors. The only way to completely evaluate
a drive for both hard and soft error is by a factory repair with
extremely sophisticated diagnostic equipment. (See the glossary
section for HARD and SOFT ERRORS.)
2. SWIFT: As the ATA interface products became more sophisticated
with new technology and the introduction of the Swift drives (models
like ST1239A, ST1201A etc), lo-level formatting became pretty much
"half" of a problem. When these drives are in translation mode
(non-physical geometry definitions), a lo-level format is harmless to
the factory defect-mapping files and optimized skewing (albeit
destructive to user data) since it doesn't re-sector the drive. If,
however, the Swift drive is in true physical mode, then the lo-level
format will re-sector the drive.
3. ZBR: Finally, today's ATA interface drives (like the ST-1144A and
ST-3144A) are often Zone Bit Recorded (ZBR). ZBR drives, have variable
sectors per track, depending on the zone of the drive. The outside
tracks, being larger in circumference (i.e. track length is longer),
are able to hold more sectors than the innermost tracks. In this
scenario, it is IMPOSSIBLE to define the drive in CMOS setup with true
physical values. Cylinders and heads, yes.... but not the sectors per
track. Therefore, these drive are ALWAYS in translation mode and
immune to a re-sectoring lo-level format. On ZBR ATA interface drives
(Seagate, at least... others UNK), the factory defect mapping files
are fully protected, and since the drive is always in translation, the
optimized skewing is also protected.
As to defect management, most ATA interface drive's show 0 bytes in
bad sectors under CHKDSK. This is a courtesy reallocation or
"slipping" of bad sectors by the factory format, and not part of the
interface definition.
There are a few good reasons to consider a lo-level format for a ZBR
ATA/IDE drive. Because a lo-level will "data-scrub" all the sectors,
this may be the only way to delete a corrupted partition record, or
partition record from another operating system, or even a virus
infection. If a new defect surfaces, maybe from a head slap
(earthquake!), SGATFMT4 is able to find and lock out the offending
sector, provided the defect is not in the ID portion of the sector. In
this method, a kind of mid-level format, the locked out sector will be
found again during the DOS hi-level format and will indicate as "bytes
in bad sectors" at the conclusion.Oczywiście wszystkie współczesne dyski podchodzą pod punkt 3, tak więc użycie na nich programów do foramtowania niskopoziomowego zaowocuje jedynie wyzerowniem dysku, tak jak np. przy pomocy WDClear, nie ma to jednak wpływu na bad-sectory remapowane przez SMART ani na fizyczny układ ścieżek i sektorów na dysku. Prawdziwy LLF jest możliwy tylko w przypadku dysków pracujących w trybie Normal/CHS (bez translacji) i o stałej ilości sektorów na ścieżkę.
bez poprawek to niezłe jaja wyprawia ET np.batman=ordynans,a opcja shuffle w winampie jest tłumaczona "winamp szura nogami" 
