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![Hard Hard](http://support.seagate.com/kbimg/4672-5.jpg)
Nov 09, 2017 SeaTools for Windows tests SATA, USB, 1394, ATA (PATA/IDE) and SCSI drives. It installs onto your system and allows you to select a specific test. If the drive passes SeaTools for Windows, your troubleshooting efforts can move to other areas. Download the.
Time Needed: several hours (varies with size and speed of disk)
Software: Hard disk utility software from your drive vendor
Media: blank CD, flash drive or floppy disk
Software: Hard disk utility software from your drive vendor
Media: blank CD, flash drive or floppy disk
Although writing zeroes across the entire hard drive surface ('zero-filling') is not sufficient to meet government data sanitation (disk wiping) standards overwriting the entire hard disk prevents most types of data recovery from being successful. The only way to recover data would be with professional high end expensive data recovery software.
Here's where to get zero-fill software from hard disk vendors:
Western Digital
Data Lifeguard Diagnostics
http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?lang=en
Use Write Zeros to drive to zero-fill your hard disk
Data Lifeguard Diagnostics
http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?lang=en
Use Write Zeros to drive to zero-fill your hard disk
Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostics Screenshot, other manufacturer utilities below look very similar.
Seagate and Maxtor
SeaTools for DOS
http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/seatools
Use Full Erase to zero-fill your hard disk
SeaTools for DOS
http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/seatools
Use Full Erase to zero-fill your hard disk
Samsung
HUtil
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/hdd/support/utilities/Support_HUTIL.html
Use Tool, Erase HDD to zero-fill your hard disk
HUtil
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/hdd/support/utilities/Support_HUTIL.html
Use Tool, Erase HDD to zero-fill your hard disk
Hitachi
Drive Fitness Test
http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#DFT
Select the Erase Drive feature to zero-fill your hard disk
Drive Fitness Test
http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#DFT
Select the Erase Drive feature to zero-fill your hard disk
Definetly the DBAN method mentioned on the previous page is the preferred and most secure method but these tools are available as an alternative.
Knowledge About Low-Level Format (LLF)
Low-level formatting is recognized as one of the three disk formatting processes, the rest of which are partitioning and high-level formatting.
By wiki's explanation, low-level formatting marks the surfaces of the disks with markers indicating the start of a recording block and other information like block CRC to be used later, in normal operations, by the disk controller to read or write data. This is intended to be the permanent foundation of the disk and is often completed at the factory.
Pros
Low-level formatting is extremely helpful and significant when hard disk drive or some removable storage devices developed bad tracks, such as track 0 bad, or Windows was unable to complete the format due to write protection. Besides, severe computer virus infection.
Cons
Low-level formatting does damage to the hard drive and accelerates its death. What's more, it's incredibly time-consuming. It is estimated that low-level format a hard drive of 320GB takes about 20 hours or even longer.
Approaches
Do you know how many ways of low-level formatting a hard drive? In conclusion, there are three typical approaches, including DOS command, inbuilt disk utility of disc or USB drive, and third-party low-level format tool.
Best Low-Level Format Tool
Here comes to the crucial part, what's the best low-level format tool that facilitates a low-level formatting manner? Regardless of 5-star reviews from CNet download site, HDD Low Level Format Tool from HDDGURU receives positive feedbacks from personal/home users as well as commercial/professional users, which both promote it as the best low level format software for the most popular hard drive brands, like Seagate, Samsung, Western Digital, Toshiba, Maxtor, etc.
By using the HDD Low-Level Formatting tool, the low-level formatting shall become easier and faster. Even a computer novice could make full use of it. It can erase and low-level format a SATA, IDE, SAS, SCSI or SSD hard disk drive, and will also work with any USB and firmware external drive enclosures as well as SD, MMC, MemoryStick and CompactFlash media.
Simply follow the guide to low-level format an entire drive:
Step 1: Google 'HDD Low-Level Format', pick up an official site or CNET download site to download and install it on PC.
Step 2: Plug your HDD or USB drive into the computer and launch the low-level format tool.
Step 3: Select the desired drive and click Continue. Confirm the option by clicking Yes.
Step 4: Select 'Low-Level Format' in Tab to start the low-level formatting process.
How to Use HDD, USB Drive or Memory Card After Low-Level Formatting
The purpose of complete low-level formatting of a hard drive is to zero-filling it so that erased data can never be restored. So, behave cautiously while choosing this type of formatting process.
It didn't finish yet after low-level format your hard drive as long as you decide to put it in normal use. For your information, the low-level format is the previous action before the high-level one. In other words, only by high-level formatting, you can use the drive for data storage after performing a low-level format.
Hence, take one more step after using the best low-level format tool to bring your troublesome hard drive back to its life. You need EaseUS free partition manager to format your hard drive with a file system, such as NTFS or FAT32, to make it usable on a specific device.
Step 1: Run EaseUS Partition Master, right-click the hard drive partition you intend to format and choose 'Format'.
Step 2: In the new window, set the Partition label, File system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3), and Cluster size for the partition to be formatted, then click 'OK'.
![Seagate Seagate](http://support.seagate.com/kbimg/4672-13.jpg)
Step 3: Then you will see a warning window, click 'OK' in it to continue.
Step 4: Click the 'Execute Operation' button in the top-left corner to review the changes, then click 'Apply' to start formatting the partition on your hard drive.
By combining both low-level format and high-level format, your hard drive can be perfectly put in use even after experiencing a dead moment. By the way, apart from disk formatting, EaseUS Partition Master offers more hard drive management solutions, such as disk partitioning, disk wipe, etc.
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