24 hour format??

[androo]

My IBM 40GB HD has been formating for 24 hours+ now and i suspect that due to some bad sectors or something it is "trying to recover allocation units". It is currently at about unit 1,500,000 and I was just wondering how many units there are likely to be. It is progressing at about 1 unit a minute but is not trying to recover every unit.
Please help.

 

[edfair]

What operating system? Or better still, what kind of filesystem.
A 2.1Gb FAT16 system will have 65K allocation units but that is also 32K per AU.
With large disk selected that would translate to about 500K allowcation units per each 2.1 Gb so you should be about 30% done. Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[androo]

I used fdisk from the windows ME boot floppy, so I presume its FAT32. Large disk is selected. Would I be faster running fdisk again and having one 2GB drive for windows just to get my computer running again?

 

[edfair]

FAT32 if you chose large disk.
Choice of layout is one like discussing trucks, guns, whiskey, and women with a Texan. Probably goin to get you shot.
My personal choice is nothing over 2.1 and FAT16, no matter how many drive letters it takes. Gives me access with DOS or any other Windows. But I rip systems apart regularly so my needs are different. Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.