TOPIC
When should I use the update driver function of my disk formatting software?
DISCUSSION All Macintosh hard disks contain a small partition containing low level drive support code instructions that are loaded into memory at start up time to support the functions of the hard disk. If your hard disk does not mount on the desktop normally, updating the driver with your formatting utility may be the solution. You are strongly encouraged to run Disk First Aid (or equivalent 3rd party utility) before updating the hard disk's driver. If the utility program cannot repair the damage, then update the driver. Updating a corrupted disk's driver could lead to data loss, so backup all data before updating the driver. If updating the driver fails to correct the issue, then you may need to reformat the hard drive. Again, backup all data, as reformatting the hard drive will erase all data. Updating the hard disk drivers can, sometime clear up other strange or unexplainable problems with hard drives. As a general rule, you should use the same formatting utility to update the drivers as you used to format the disk originally. If you are updating drivers with a different utility, you should backup existing data when possible and consult the vendor of the new utility to see if their new driver can safely replace the old drivers. Drives with multiple partitions could be at risk of data loss. |
| Document Information | |
| Product Area: | Apple Software |
| Category: | Utility Software |
| Sub Category: | Hard Disk Setup Software |
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