Model LXT Maxtor IDE Drives Require Special Low-Level Utility

• Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.0, 3.0a, 3.1, 3.11

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.

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