10-03-2006, 05:11 AM
> writing to sectors should, in thoery, map out bad sectors. i think the "write zeros" option
> does something more intensive to get rid of the intermitent blocks.
Writing zeros does nothing more than write zeros.
It's not like a low-level format a la SCSI at all.
It doesn't map out bad sectors, but it *might* overwrite a region that the OS had trouble writing to before, it *might* get rid of some corrupt data in the boot block and additionally, it makes it a trifle harder for a data recovery tool to snag your deleted data.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107437
> does something more intensive to get rid of the intermitent blocks.
Writing zeros does nothing more than write zeros.
It's not like a low-level format a la SCSI at all.
It doesn't map out bad sectors, but it *might* overwrite a region that the OS had trouble writing to before, it *might* get rid of some corrupt data in the boot block and additionally, it makes it a trifle harder for a data recovery tool to snag your deleted data.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107437