[Kaps]

I have an internal hard drive (Seagate 5.5 GB SCSI) that I need to re-initialize (long story). Originally, it was initialized with FWB. Do I need to re-initialize it with FWB (which I still have) or can I initialize it with Drive Setup? Are there any benefits to keep on using FWB? I know there is a disadvantage that I have to keep updating FWB to update the drivers, whereas new versions of Drive Setup are free.

Also, the drive currently has four partitions. Can I just initialize one of them, or do I have to do the whole drive?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[Ph.D.]

Hello,

If you want to reinitialize, go ahead and use Drive Setup.

I would not recommend FWB at this point, assuming you
bought this drive some time ago. It's not that I have anything
against FWB (I used it years and years ago), but I just
think Drive Setup is just fine and trouble-free.

I think you must reinitialize the whole drive - you can't
just initialize one partition. I'd do a low-level format
and check.

-Ph.D.

[jeromep]

I hope I don't end up talking out of the wrong side of my body, but this is what I currently know.

Drive Setup will only format drives which it recognizes as Apple OEM hard drives.

Since you are messing around with drives, I will assume that you have seen the case labeling of an Apple OEM drive. Apple's hard drives are made by major manufacturers, but Apple contracts with them to make minor adjustments in the controler board of the drive to indicate to Drive Setup that the drive is an Apple drive. The labeling of the drive will indicate the brand and type, and usually the drive is or was available for over the counter purchase, but there is an additional label or indication that the drive was made specificall for Apple. If Drive Setup does not see the drive as being an Apple drive, it will recognize the drive as there, but will not allow for formatting.

There are some occasions where Drive Setup will recognize a third party drive and will format it. These are rare. The only reason I can think of is that the drive somebody purchases over the counter and formats, carries a controller which Apple had blessed at some point in time in the past and therefore Drive Setup accepts it as one of Apple's OEM drives.

I have used FWB for some time to format third party drives and found its performance to be very satisfactory. I will continue to use it with third party devices.

[Gregory]

FWB HDT 4.5.2 DOES NOT SUPPORT 10.1.3. If you have Drive Setup 2.07, you'll have less trouble and it does support even the latest Seagate 10k and X15 drives as well as any non-Apple ROM OEM (which went out some times ago).

Disk Utility (part of OS X 10.1) is probably the best formatting tool. And you have to initialize the whole drive. HDT can delete a volume, update a drive (if there is room on the drive to do so, same is true of Drive Setup).

Depends. What OS? And check the Seagate web site but I can't recall anything that size. Maybe 4.5GB? or 9.1GB. Model number? You might want to invest in a newer Seagate drive too.

[Walter J. Ferstl]

Hello,

I would recommend a current version of Apple's Drive Setup to initialize/format any drive that is being recognized by it.

The most recent versions of Drive Setup did recognize all of the IBM hard drives I bought the last four years or so. None of these drives is labeled as an Apple OEM drive. I think that Apple's tools has made some progress in this field.

Of course, in case Drive Setup does not "know" the drive, FWB would be the choice.

Regards,

Walter.