::-> All modern diskdrives have automatic error-checking, and in some cases ::-> -correction. And NO modern disk drives are low-level formatted at the ::-> factory. (Just LISTEN to me) There is a bit that can be set that does ::-> block-integrity checking during the period of the FIRST TEN POWER-CYCLES of ::-> the drive. After that there is no block-checking, believe it or not. ::-> ::-> If you do NOT fill up that drive within the first ten power-cycles you will ::-> likely have intermittant, unexplained corruptions. This is true whether you ::-> run Winduds, Linux, whatever. This isn't FUD..it's the biggest bunch of misinformed crap I've ever heard. Please don't spew this kind of misinformation here. It will scare the hell out of the newbies and just isn't correct. -=Ben --=====-----=====-- mailto:ben@whack.org --=====-- If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say that the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little. -GC --=====-----=====--