PC-3000 Forum

When I run the head test in PC-3000 and do not select "read-only," allowing the software to perform write tests, is there any risk of data being overwritten?

For example, if an end user brings in a drive for logical recovery (e.g., due to accidental format or file deletion), I always run diagnostics to confirm the drive is physically sound before proceeding. Could the write portion of the head test potentially overwrite previously erased data and interfere with future recovery attempts?

With a normal test (implemented in utils), there is no risk of overwriting your data - the test is performed on a non-critical portion of the disk's SA - not the data area...

Unfortunately, there is a risk - when manually writing critical SA areas through damaged heads - you can irreversibly lose communication with the disk - due to the destruction of these areas by weak (damaged) heads...