Model LXT Maxtor IDE Drives Require Special Low-Level Utility (78898)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows 3.0
- Microsoft Windows 3.1
- Microsoft Windows 3.11
This article was previously published under Q78898 SUMMARY
A low-level format of a Maxtor IDE hard drive with the model letters
"LXT" can only be safely done with a special low-level formatting file
available from the Maxtor Corporation. Using any other low-level format
utility results in unpredictable behavior from the hard drive, including
losing the ability to run Microsoft Windows correctly on the machine.
MORE INFORMATION
Maxtor technical support indicates that there is no inherent Windows
compatibility problem with Maxtor IDE drives that use a data buffer to
transfer information to and from the hard disk. According to Maxtor,
application data transfers to and from the hard drive through the data
buffer or "fast cache" is transparent to the application itself. In effect,
the hard drive completely emulates a ST506 MFM or RLL hard drive for which
Windows is tested. However, if a low-level format is performed by a utility
from another manufacturer, serious problems with the hard drive may result.
The latest version of the Maxtor low-level format utility, MFORMAT2.EXE,
can be downloaded from the Maxtor bulletin board service (BBS).
For additional information about this low-level utility, contact Maxtor
technical support.
The products included here are manufactured by vendors independent of
Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these
products' performance or reliability.
| Modification Type: | Minor | Last Reviewed: | 7/19/2005 |
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| Keywords: | KB78898 |
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