text: how do i low level format a hdd.  never did this before.  i need a place for softwre and instructions.? i live in panama and do not have the access you have.  diffcult to even find the stuff and i have language barrier.  techs here are change artists.  change for equal. so, no to e-bay, swap meets and joe next door.  i either have to repair or buy new local.  can i run 80 gigs on 98se? will i have a cmos problem with 80 gigs?  have 256m ram.  233mhz cpu.  if you haven't lived in a foreign country, do not assume it is like usa. so many things are not available here, need to go to panama city, 14 hr round trip. customs is like irs.  charge what they want, you prove they are wrong; they win! duty sometimes up to 150% of their value. not all packages make it to me. losses 30 %. shock test a hd, they try.  so i need to fix it or buy new, where i get a 30 day warrenty.   thats all folks.  actually  i need to learn how to do a low level format on hd.  never too old to learn. any info welcome!  thanks for your patience and help. the size of the hd may well be limted by such an older system as you list. to know for sure we would need the motherboard model.  i know what you are talking about with customs and such down that way. we shipped two boxes of paperwork to an office in ecudor i think and the customs guys put them in cold storage and charged us an arm and a leg to get it back out.  best bet to low level a hd is to get the drive tools from whoever made the drive. here are some links: