Definition: In a word, compared to high level formatting (disk formatting), the low level formatting, short for LLF formatting, is a technology that is often used to make data recovery impossible, erase and reset hard disk drives, SSDs, external hard drives, USBs and even SD cards, etc., storage devices in a sector by sector level. Low level format will also mark the cylinder and tracks of a target disk drive as blank.
The most famous and renowned low level format tool is HDD Low Level Format Tool, provided by HDDGURU.COM, which receives positive feedback from personal/home users as well as commercial/professional users. This software is now available for both home and personal users to free download on their PC.
Note that HDD Low Level Format Tool has its pros and cons, and you can continue with the next part to learn the details. For a better alternative to replace HDD Low Level Format Tool, take the free partition manager software - EaseUS Partition Master for a try. For more details, refer to HDD Low Level Format Tool Alternative below.
So is the GURU HDD Low Level Format Tool a perfect tool for low-level formatting disk drives? Will it cause any damage while resetting a disk drive to its factory mode? Check the provided review information about this software, and learn how using this tool to fulfill your demands to reset a disk drive:
HDD Low-Level Format Tool is an outstanding disk formatter for low-level hard disk drive formatting and low level format USB. Even a computer novice could make full use of it. Simply follow the guide to Low-level format a USB drive, pen drive, SD card, external hard drive, and more.
Hint: The duration formatting procedure is based on how much data you have stored on the target disk. So wait patiently, and don't disturb the formatting process. Let the program finish formatting your disk naturally.
EaseUS Partition Master Free Edition, as a renowned free partition manager, can also work as a better HDD Low-level Format Tool alternative to help you partition and format disk drives on the low level simply.
The actual procedure of low-level formatting is to write 0 to the selected target disk so as to erase data, remove existing volumes, and reset the file system format of the disk as not initialized. EaseUS Partition Master, with its Wipe Disk feature, makes the hard drive Low-level formatting process easier and faster.
Moreover, EaseUS Partition Master provides you with an easier, more efficient, and more comprehensive low level formatting solution. Format a step-by-step guide, you may refer to this page to learn how to use EaseUS Low Level Format Tool:
So when should I use a HDD low level format tool, and when shouldn't I use such a tool? Check the following two lists, and you'll get a clear answer about when to use and when not to use the HDD low level format tool or its alternatives:
Low-level formatting is recognized as one of the three disk formatting processes, and the others are high-level formatting and creating partitions with formatting. For more information, refer to this link:
It doesn't finish yet after Low-level formatting on your hard drive if you want to put it to normal use. The hard disk must undergo three processing steps: Low-level format, partition, and high-level format (hereinafter formatting) before the computer can use them to store data.
After low-level format, partition, and high-level format, you can perfectly put your hard drive to use even after experiencing a dead moment. For any problem during the process, you can contact our technical support for help via live chat or email support: [email protected].
If you have to do low-level disk formatting, there are three typical approaches, including DOS command, inbuilt disk utility of disc or USB drive, and third-party low-level format tool (demonstrated in this article).
The speed of low level formatting disk drives is highly dependent on the types of your disk interface, which affects the device's reading and writing speed. Also, the times that you set to low level format a target disk could also impact the speed.
The low-level format means clearing all sectors, including partition tables, boot sectors, etc. It is a very long but quite effective way to delete private data, boot sector viruses, C-Dilla data, and a few more. Low-level formatting is a lossy operation, which has a certain negative impact on the life of the hard disk.
Formatting is divided into high-level formatting and low-level formatting. The high-level format simply clears data on the hard disk, generates boot information, initializes the FAT table, and marks logical bad sectors. The low-level format divides the hard disk into cylinders and tracks and then divides the tracks into several sectors, and each sector is divided into an identification part ID, a partitioned area, a GAP, and a data area DATA. The low-level format is a job before the high-level format.
First you need to know what time it is necessary to format your hard drive in the low level. On the one hand, for repair purposes: low-level formatting can be used for shielding the bad sectors on hard disk, so as to prolong its service life, or completely remove stubborn computer virus!
AppNee provides the HDD Low Level Format Tool Home/Personal/Commercial Edition multilingual full installers and portable versions, along with all versions universal license codes (no speed limit, free lifetime updates) for Windows 32-bit & 64-bit.
Application: HDD Low Level Format Tool
Category: Utilities
Description: HDD Low Level Format Tool Portable is a utility for low-level hard disk drive formatting. Free for personal/home use (speed is capped at 180 GB per hour which is 50 MB/s). It can erase and Low-Level Format a SATA, IDE, SAS, SCSI or SSD hard disk drive. Will also work with any USB and FIREWIRE external drive enclosures as well as SD, MMC, MemoryStick and CompactFlash media.
I can't download it from hddguru. The error message is about user rights and it says the user has disallowed access to it. I can't copy the message, because my antivirus blocked the page immediately after I tried to download the software.
May be your antivirus block the connection between portable installer and the hddguru website. I test the installation and it work without problem. Please disable your antivirus and try again or manually download the HDD LLF from here, put the portable installer and downloaded HDD LLF both in one folder and run the portable installer.
HDD Low-Level Format Tool is a tool that will allow us to format a hard drive using Low-level Formatting (LLT). There are two ways to format a hard drive, Low-level Formatting and High-level Formatting (also known as File System Formatting). The system used greatly depends on the circumstances, even though the most used by the general users is the file system formatting, after which it is possible to write on the hard drive.
Physical formatting consists of placing small marks on the magnetic surface to divide it into sectors, these can later be used to find a specific location on the disc. Once finished, the hard drive will have to go through a high-level formatting process to be able to save files on it, because if we don't it will lack a file system.
HDD Low Level Format Tool as well as allowing us to apply low-level formatting to hard drives will also allow us to apply this format system to flash memories, thus leaving them completely without format. This process can be carried out by USB or by means of a card reader.
With a degree in History, and later, in Documentation, I have over a decade of experience testing and writing about apps: reviews, guides, articles, news, tricks, and more. They have been countless, especially on Android, an operating system... Antony Peel
I was given two old Western Didital HDD's that I can use in my Sega Teradrive PC, but they both have lots of problems or bad clusters. One is a WDL-330P (30MB) and the other is a WDL-320 (20MB). How does one goes about doing a low-level (or physical) format on these drives?. I remember a so called "Everex Everdisk" software that could do this on the fly but can't seen to find it anyware. Any help or ideas are greatly appreciated.
Once upon a time, I had a Seagate ST-251-1 HDD connected to a Western Digital WD1003V-MM2 controller. The controller BIOS contained a low-level format program that you could run in the DOS debugger from a boot floppy. The command in DEBUG.EXE was "g=c800:5", but I think the entry address can vary depending on the controller brand/model and BIOS version.
A quick note for those who use the HDD controller on a MFM or RLL drive to do a low level format. Depending on the size, it can take a REALLY long time. I had to do it quite a bit in the 80's and some drives like say 40MB could take a good 36+ hours. Worked like a charm, but is a very slow method. The very rare ADRT required any RLL drive hooked up to it be low level formatted but was very quick at the job. I remember doing several 30-80 MB drives in less than a couple hours each. Well worth it if you can find one, but don't use an MFM drive with it. It will work, but the life of the drive will drop like mad. I found that out the hard way.
On a side note, you can still use that debug command with one other little option (I'm not going to say what it is), to start a low level format on a modern IDE drive and make it so the drive cant be read under any normal recovery. To fix it so it will read again, one has to pull the platters out and use a special machine used in crashed HDD recovery labs while known what the problem is to correct it. I actually had a job back in the 90's where I had to do this to many drives to prevent data from ever being read form them. In essence it destroys the drive unless you are willing to spend $5,000.00+ to fix it and even know what the problem is as well as the solution. It was the perfect way to leave a drive functioning but show it had a "mysterious" crash. I was not at all pleased with that job to say the least.
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