Myth #16 :

Bad sectors can be repaired just by reformatting the hard disk drive.

Truth :

A bad sector is a sector that cannot be written to or read from properly. It can be due to a software related issue, resulting in a logical bad sector. These bad sectors can be restored by formatting or using a logical bad sector repair utility.

In the worst case scenario, the problem may be due to eroded media or direct physical damage to the media. Such physical bad sectors cannot be repaired by any software and formatting will not restore them. However, formatting can replace these bad sectors with spare sectors reserved for that very purpose.

Myth #17 :

There is nothing to worry about bad sectors because you can "erase" them by formatting the hard disk drive.

Truth :

True, formatting can replace bad sectors with good sectors on the spare tracks that are part of every hard disk drive. However, performance suffers because the heads have to seek to the spare tracks for those replacement sectors.

In addition, there are only a limited number of spare sectors available on any hard disk drive. Once you run out of spare sectors, formatting will not be able to replace them.

Finally, bad sectors are a sign that something is wrong with the hard disk drive. Even if it was due to a single head crash, that traumatic event would have created debris within the platter compartment and a damaged head. The debris can gradually cause scratches and erosions on other parts of the platter while a damaged head will not be aerodynamically stable and will be more likely to crash in the future.

In other words, if you have critical data, it would be a smart thing to back up your data and replace the hard disk drive when you start detecting bad sectors. The hard disk drive may go on for a long time without more bad sectors appearing but the risk of it dying is real and should not be ignored.

Myth #18 :

You must format your hard disk drive every <insert duration of choice> to improve performance.

Truth :

This is yet another common fallacy, probably borne from the experience of users who noted improved responsiveness of their PCs after formatting and reinstalling their operating systems. However, this is due the freshly-installed operating system which has not yet been saddled by software that have to be loaded at start-up.

Formatting your hard disk regularly will NOT improve your hard disk drive's performance. If you notice a significant degradation in your hard disk drive's performance after several months, this is because the data in the drive has become so fragmented that the read/write heads have to seek all over the platters while reading or writing data. Try defragmenting your hard disk drive, instead of simply formatting it.

Myth #19 :

Truth :

Current hard disk drives can be installed in any position - horizontal, vertical, even upside down!

Myth #20 :

Truth :

Current hard disk drives will work in any position. You do NOT need to reformat it before using it in vertical position or even upside down!