Method and apparatus for manufacture test processing a disk drive installed in a computer system

• US 6,950,967 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2001
• Issued: 09/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Maxtor Corporation (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Maxtor Corporation (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Brunnett, Don, Seabury, John L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duncan, Marc M.
• Application Number:
  US09/965,595
• Time in Patent Office: 1,462 Days
• Field of Search: 714/42, 714/40, 714/8, 714/25, 360/31, 360/53, 360/77.04, 369/53.17
• US Class Current: 714/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2221 to test input/output devices or peripheral units

Abstract

A disk drive provides manufacture test processing of itself after it is installed and operating within a computer system. The tests include flaw mapping, embedded runout compensation and final drive verification and do not interfere with normal operations of the disk drive.

Claims

1. An automated manufacture process test system resident upon a disk drive that performs a manufacture test process on the disk drive once the disk drive is installed and operating within a computer system, the test system comprising:

a monitor that determines whether any user command from the computer system is pending or the computer system is idle;

a processing module that performs the manufacture test process on a disk of the disk drive, wherein the manufacture test process is performed on a portion of the disk for the first time and in a particular manner depending on whether the computer system has issued the user command or the computer system is idle, the manufacture test process includes at least one of flaw mapping, embedded runout compensation (ERC) and final drive verification, and the processing module performs the flaw mapping such that a first flaw mapping test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second flaw mapping test is performed when the computer is system is idle; and

a controller that tracks performance of the manufacture test process such that counters stored in a memory of the disk drive indicate which portion of the disk has been processed by the manufacture test process.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first flaw mapping test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the second flaw mapping test is performed by accessing the memory and identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and updating the memory to indicate which of the LBAs have been processed.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing module performs the ERC when the computer system is idle by accessing the memory to determine which cylinder was last processed, performing the ERC on the next cylinder, and updating the memory to indicate completion of the ERC on the next cylinder.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing module performs the final drive verification such that a first final drive verification test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second final drive verification test is performed when the computer system is idle.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the first final drive verification test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the second final drive verification test is performed by accessing the memory and identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and updating the memory to indicate which of the LBAs have been processed.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein a predetermined portion of the disk is processed by the manufacture test process before installation of the disk drive in the computer system, and the portion of the disk drive which has been processed is identified by the controller.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein any major flaw in the disk is detected before the disk drive is installed in the computer system.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the disk includes concentric tracks and the predetermined portion includes a predetermined percentage of the tracks as well as every Nth of the tracks.

11. A method of performing a manufacture test process for a disk drive, comprising:

installing the disk drive in a computer system and employing the disk drive for operations of the computer system after the disk drive leaves a factory;

then

detecting a predetermined condition in the computer system, wherein the detected condition includes a user command pending from the computer system and the computer system is idle;

performing a manufacture test process on a particular area of a disk of the disk drive for the first time in response to the detected condition, wherein the manufacture test process is performed in accordance with information stored in a memory of the disk drive which indicates where the manufacture test process shall begin and end, the manufacture test process corrects errors detected on the disk, the manufacture test process includes at least one of flaw mapping, embedded runout compensation (ERC) and final drive verification, and the flaw mapping includes;

determining the detected condition for the computer system;

if the user command is pending, before performing the user command;

identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) employed as part of performing the user command;

accessing the memory to determine if the identified logical block addresses have been previously processed;

if any of the LBAs are unprocessed performing a write/verify on each of the unprocessed LBAs and reassigning any of the unprocessed LBAs which fail the write/verify; and

updating the memory to indicate which of the unprocessed LBAs have been processed;

if the computer system is idle;

accessing the memory and identifying a next increment of LBAs to process;

performing the write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment;

reassigning the LBAs in the increment which fail the write/verify; and

updating the memory to indicate that the LBAs in the increment have been processed; and

updating the memory to indicate upon which portions of the disk the manufacture test process has been performed.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the ERC includes:

determining the detected condition for the computer system; and

if the computer system is idle;

accessing the memory and identifying a next cylinder to process;

performing the ERC on the next cylinder, and storing in the memory any generated error values; and

updating the memory to indicate that the next cylinder has been processed.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the final drive verification includes:

determining the detected condition for the computer system;

if the user command is pending, before performing the user command;

identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) employed as part of performing the user command;

accessing the memory to determine if the identified logical block addresses have been previously processed;

if any of the LBAs are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the unprocessed LBAs and reassigning any of the unprocessed LBAs which fail the write/verify; and

updating the memory to indicate which of the unprocessed LBAs have been processed;

if the computer system is idle;

accessing the memory and identifying a next increment of LBAs to process;

performing the read/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment;

reassigning the LBAs in the increment which fail the read/verify; and

updating the memory to indicate that the LBAs in the increment have been processed.

14. The method of claim 11 including performing the manufacture test process prior to installation of the disk drive in the computer system to identify a major flaw on the disk.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the disk includes concentric tracks and performing the manufacture test process prior to installation of the disk drive in the computer system includes testing a predetermined percentage of the tracks as well as every Nth track of the tracks.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein a program for performing the manufacturing test process is placed in the memory before installing the disk drive in the computer system.

17. A disk drive, comprising:

a disk with spaced tracks for storing information;

a head that reads and writes information to and from the disk;

a memory;

a processing module stored in the memory that performs a manufacture test process on the disk while the disk drive is installed and operating in a computer system, wherein the manufacture test process includes at least one of flaw mapping, embedded runout compensation (ERC) and final drive verification, and the processing module performs the flaw mapping such that a first flaw mapping test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second flaw mapping test is performed when the computer system is idle; and

a controller that executes the manufacture test process on a portion of the disk for the first time in response to a predetermined condition of the computer system configured to control operation of the head when the computer system is idle.

18. The disk drive of claim 17 wherein the memory is a read only memory (ROM).

19. The disk drive of claim 17 wherein the memory is a processed area of the disk.

20. The disk drive of claim 17 wherein the first flaw mapping test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

21. The disk drive of claim 17 wherein the second flaw mapping test is performed by accessing the memory and identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and updating the memory to indicate which of the LBAs have been processed.

22. The disk drive of claim 17 wherein the processing module performs the ERC when the computer system is idle by accessing the memory to determine which cylinder was last processed, performing the ERC on the next cylinder, and updating the memory to indicate completion of the ERC on the next cylinder.

23. The disk drive of claim 17 wherein the processing module performs the final drive verification such that a first final drive verification test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second final drive verification test when the computer system is idle.

24. The disk drive of claim 23 wherein the first final drive verification test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

25. The disk drive of claim 23 wherein the second final drive verification test is performed by accessing memory and identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and updating the memory to indicate which of the LBAs have been processed.

26. The disk drive of claim 17 wherein the disk drive performs the manufacture test process on a predetermined portion of the disk before the disk drive is installed in the computer system.

27. The disk drive of claim 26 wherein the disk drive detects any major flaws in the disk before the disk drive is installed in the computer system.

28. The disk drive of claim 26 wherein the predetermined portion includes a predetermined percentage of the tracks as well as every Nth of the tracks.

29. A disk drive, comprising:

a disk that includes spaced tracks for storing information;

a head that reads and writes information to and from the disk; and

a controller that executes a manufacture test process stored in the disk drive (1) on a first portion of the disk and not a second portion of the disk while the disk drive is manufactured at a factory and before the disk drive is installed and operating in a computer system, and (2) on the second portion of the disk for the first time after the disk drive is manufactured at the factory and while the disk drive is installed and operating in the computer system.

30. The disk drive of claim 29 wherein the manufacture test process includes at least one of flaw mapping, embedded runout compensation (ERC) and final drive verification.

31. The disk drive of claim 29 wherein the manufacture test process includes the flaw mapping.

32. The disk drive of claim 31 wherein the controller executes the flaw mapping on the second portion of the disk such that a first flaw mapping test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second flaw mapping test is performed when the computer system is idle.

33. The disk drive of claim 32 wherein the first flaw mapping test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

34. The disk drive of claim 32 wherein the second flaw mapping test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and updating which of the LBAs have been processed.

35. The disk drive of claim 32 wherein:

the first flaw mapping test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs; and

the second flaw mapping test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and indicating which of the LBAs have been processed.

36. The disk drive of claim 29 wherein the manufacture test process includes the ERC.

37. The disk drive of claim 36 wherein the controller executes the ERC by determining which cylinder was last processed, performing the ERC on the next cylinder, and indicating completion of the ERC on the next cylinder.

38. The disk drive of claim 29 wherein the manufacture test process includes the final drive verification.

39. The disk drive of claim 38 wherein the controller executes the final drive verification such that a first final drive verification test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second final drive verification test when the computer system is idle.

40. The disk drive of claim 39 wherein the first final drive verification test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

41. The disk drive of claim 39 wherein the second final drive verification test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and indicating which of the LBAs have been processed.

42. The disk drive of claim 39 wherein:

the first final drive verification test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs; and

the second final drive verification test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and indicating which of the LBAs have been processed.

43. The disk drive of claim 29 wherein the controller executes the manufacture test process on the first portion of the disk such that any major flaws in the disk are detected.

44. The disk drive of claim 29 wherein the first portion of the disk includes a predetermined percentage of the tracks as well as every Nth of the tracks.

45. The disk drive of claim 29 wherein the manufacture test process is stored in a random access memory (RAM) in the disk drive.

46. The disk drive of claim 29 wherein the manufacture test process is stored in a read only memory (ROM) in the disk drive.

47. The disk drive of claim 29 wherein the manufacture test process is stored in the first portion of the disk.

48. The disk drive of claim 29 wherein the first portion of the disk is smaller than the second portion of the disk.

49. A disk drive, comprising:

a disk with spaced tracks for storing information;

a head that reads and writes information to and from the disk; and

a controller that executes a manufacture test process stored in the disk drive (1) on a first portion of the disk and not a second portion of the disk while the disk drive is manufactured at a factory and before the disk drive is delivered from the factory and installed and operating in a computer system, and (2) on the second portion of the disk for the first time after the disk drive is manufactured at and delivered from the factory and while the disk drive is installed and operating in the computer system, thereby reducing manufacturing time for the disk drive at the factory.

50. The disk drive of claim 49 wherein the manufacture test process includes at least one of flaw mapping, embedded runout compensation (ERC) and final drive verification.

51. The disk drive of claim 49 wherein the manufacture test process includes the flaw mapping.

52. The disk drive of claim 51 wherein the controller executes the flaw mapping on the second portion of the disk such that a first flaw mapping test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second flaw mapping test is performed when the computer system is idle.

53. The disk drive of claim 52 wherein the first flaw mapping test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

54. The disk drive of claim 52 wherein the second flaw mapping test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and updating which of the LBAs have been processed.

55. The disk drive of claim 52 wherein:

the first flaw mapping test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs; and

the second flaw mapping test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and indicating which of the LBAs have been processed.

56. The disk drive of claim 49 wherein the manufacture test process includes the ERC.

57. The disk drive of claim 56 wherein the controller executes the ERC by determining which cylinder was last processed, performing the ERC on the next cylinder, and indicating completion of the ERC on the next cylinder.

58. The disk drive of claim 49 wherein the manufacture test process includes the final drive verification.

59. The disk drive of claim 58 wherein the controller executes the final drive verification such that a first final drive verification test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second final drive verification test when the computer system is idle.

60. The disk drive of claim 59 wherein the first final drive verification test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

61. The disk drive of claim 59 wherein the second final drive verification test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and indicating which of the LBAs have been processed.

62. The disk drive of claim 59 wherein:

the first final drive verification test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs; and

the second final drive verification test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and indicating which of the LBAs have been processed.

63. The disk drive of claim 49 wherein the controller executes the manufacture test process on the first portion of the disk such that any major flaws in the disk are detected.

64. The disk drive of claim 49 wherein the first portion of the disk includes a predetermined percentage of the tracks as well as every Nth of the tracks.

65. The disk drive of claim 49 wherein the manufacture test process is stored in a random access memory (RAM) in the disk drive.

66. The disk drive of claim 49 wherein the manufacture test process is stored in a read only memory (ROM) in the disk drive.

67. The disk drive of claim 49 wherein the manufacture test process is stored in the first portion of the disk.

68. The disk drive of claim 49 wherein the first portion of the disk is smaller than the second portion of the disk.

69. A disk drive, comprising:

a disk with spaced tracks for storing information;

a head that reads and writes information to and from the disk;

a controller that executes a manufacture test process stored in the disk drive (1) on a first portion of the disk and not a second portion of the disk using the head while the disk drive is manufactured at a factory and before the disk drive is installed and operating in a computer system, and (2) on the second portion of the disk for the first time using the head after the disk drive is manufactured at the factory and while the disk drive is installed and operating in the computer system.

70. The disk drive of claim 69 wherein the manufacture test process includes at least one of flaw mapping, embedded runout compensation (ERC) and final drive verification.

71. The disk drive of claim 69 wherein the manufacture test process includes the flaw mapping.

72. The disk drive of claim 71 wherein the controller executes the flaw mapping on the second portion of the disk such that a first flaw mapping test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second flaw mapping test is performed when the computer system is idle.

73. The disk drive of claim 72 wherein the first flaw mapping test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

74. The disk drive of claim 72 wherein the second flaw mapping test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and updating which of the LBAs have been processed.

75. The disk drive of claim 72 wherein:

the first flaw mapping test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs; and

the second flaw mapping test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and indicating which of the LBAs have been processed.

76. The disk drive of claim 69 wherein the manufacture test process includes the ERC.

77. The disk drive of claim 76 wherein the controller executes the ERC by determining which cylinder was last processed, performing the ERC on the next cylinder, and indicating completion of the ERC on the next cylinder.

78. The disk drive of claim 69 wherein the manufacture test process includes the final drive verification.

79. The disk drive of claim 78 wherein the controller executes the final drive verification such that a first final drive verification test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second final drive verification test when the computer system is idle.

80. The disk drive of claim 79 wherein the first final drive verification test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

81. The disk drive of claim 79 wherein the second final drive verification test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and indicating which of the LBAs have been processed.

82. The disk drive of claim 79 wherein:

the first final drive verification test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs; and

the second final drive verification test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and indicating which of the LBAs have been processed.

83. The disk drive of claim 69 wherein the controller executes the manufacture test process on the first portion of the disk such that any major flaws in the disk are detected.

84. The disk drive of claim 69 wherein the first portion of the disk includes a predetermined percentage of the tracks as well as every Nth of the tracks.

85. The disk drive of claim 69 wherein the manufacture test process is stored in a random access memory (RAM) in the disk drive.

86. The disk drive of claim 69 wherein the manufacture test process is stored in a read only memory (ROM) in the disk drive.

87. The disk drive of claim 69 wherein the manufacture test process is stored in the first portion of the disk.

88. The disk drive of claim 69 wherein the first portion of the disk is smaller than the second portion of the disk.

89. A disk drive, comprising:

a disk that includes spaced tracks for storing information;

a head that reads and writes information to and from the disk; and

a controller that executes a manufacture test process stored in the disk drive (1) on a first portion of the disk and not a second portion of the disk while the disk drive is manufactured at a factory and before the disk drive is installed and operating in a computer system, and (2) on the second portion of the disk for the first time in response to automatic initiation by the disk drive after the disk drive is manufactured at the factory and while the disk drive is installed and operating in the computer system.

90. The disk drive of claim 89 wherein the manufacture test process includes at least one of flaw mapping, embedded runout compensation (ERC) and final drive verification.

91. The disk drive of claim 89 wherein the manufacture test process includes the flaw mapping.

92. The disk drive of claim 91 wherein the controller executes the flaw mapping on the second portion of the disk such that a first flaw mapping test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second flaw mapping test is performed when the computer system is idle.

93. The disk drive of claim 92 wherein the first flaw mapping test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

94. The disk drive of claim 92 wherein the second flaw mapping test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and updating which of the LBAs have been processed.

95. The disk drive of claim 92 wherein:

the first flaw mapping test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs; and

the second flaw mapping test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and indicating which of the LBAs have been processed.

96. The disk drive of claim 89 wherein the manufacture test process includes the ERC.

97. The disk drive of claim 96 wherein the controller executes the ERC by determining which cylinder was last processed, performing the ERC on the next cylinder, and indicating completion of the ERC on the next cylinder.

98. The disk drive of claim 89 wherein the manufacture test process includes the final drive verification.

99. The disk drive of claim 98 wherein the controller executes the final drive verification such that a first final drive verification test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second final drive verification test when the computer system is idle.

100. The disk drive of claim 99 wherein the first final drive verification test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

101. The disk drive of claim 99 wherein the second final drive verification test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and indicating which of the LBAs have been processed.

102. The disk drive of claim 99 wherein:

the first final drive verification test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs; and

the second final drive verification test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and indicating which of the LBAs have been processed.

103. The disk drive of claim 89 wherein the controller executes the manufacture test process on the first portion of the disk such that any major flaws in the disk are detected.

104. The disk drive of claim 89 wherein the first portion of the disk includes a predetermined percentage of the tracks as well as every Nth of the tracks.

105. The disk drive of claim 89 wherein the manufacture test process is stored in a random access memory (RAM) in the disk drive.

106. The disk drive of claim 89 wherein the manufacture test process is stored in a read only memory (ROM) in the disk drive.

107. The disk drive of claim 89 wherein the manufacture test process is stored in the first portion of the disk.

108. The disk drive of claim 89 wherein the first portion of the disk is smaller than the second portion of the disk.

109. A disk drive, comprising:

a disk with spaced tracks for storing information;

a head that reads and writes information to and from the disk; and

a controller that executes a manufacture test process stored in the disk drive (1) on a first portion of the disk and not a second portion of the disk while the disk drive is manufactured at a factory and before the disk drive is delivered from the factory and installed and operating in a computer system, and (2) on the second portion of the disk for the first time in response to automatic initiation by the disk drive after the disk drive is manufactured at and delivered from the factory and while the disk drive is installed and operating in the computer system, thereby reducing manufacturing time for the disk drive at the factory.

110. The disk drive of claim 109 wherein the manufacture test process includes at least one of flaw mapping, embedded runout compensation (ERC) and final drive verification.

111. The disk drive of claim 109 wherein the manufacture test process includes the flaw mapping.

112. The disk drive of claim 111 wherein the controller executes the flaw mapping on the second portion of the disk such that a first flaw mapping test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second flaw mapping test is performed when the computer system is idle.

113. The disk drive of claim 112 wherein the first flaw mapping test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

114. The disk drive of claim 112 wherein the second flaw mapping test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and updating which of the LBAs have been processed.

115. The disk drive of claim 112 wherein:

the first flaw mapping test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs; and

the second flaw mapping test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and indicating which of the LBAs have been processed.

116. The disk drive of claim 109 wherein the manufacture test process includes the ERC.

117. The disk drive of claim 116 wherein the controller executes the ERC by determining which cylinder was last processed, performing the ERC on the next cylinder, and indicating completion of the ERC on the next cylinder.

118. The disk drive of claim 109 wherein the manufacture test process includes the final drive verification.

119. The disk drive of claim 118 wherein the controller executes the final drive verification such that a first final drive verification test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second final drive verification test when the computer system is idle.

120. The disk drive of claim 119 wherein the first final drive verification test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

121. The disk drive of claim 119 wherein the second final drive verification test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and indicating which of the LBAs have been processed.

122. The disk drive of claim 119 wherein:

the first final drive verification test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs; and

the second final drive verification test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and indicating which of the LBAs have been processed.

123. The disk drive of claim 109 wherein the controller executes the manufacture test process on the first portion of the disk such that any major flaws in the disk are detected.

124. The disk drive of claim 109 wherein the first portion of the disk includes a predetermined percentage of the tracks as well as every Nth of the tracks.

125. The disk drive of claim 109 wherein the manufacture test process is stored in a random access memory (RAM) in the disk drive.

126. The disk drive of claim 109 wherein the manufacture test process is stored in a read only memory (ROM) in the disk drive.

127. The disk drive of claim 109 wherein the manufacture test process is stored in the first portion of the disk.

128. The disk drive of claim 109 wherein the first portion of the disk is smaller than the second portion of the disk.

129. A disk drive, comprising:

a disk with spaced tracks for storing information;

a head that reads and writes information to and from the disk;

a controller that executes a manufacture test process stored in the disk drive (1) on a first portion of the disk and not a second portion of the disk using the head while the disk drive is manufactured at a factory and before the disk drive is installed and operating in a computer system, and (2) on the second portion of the disk for the first time using the head in response to automatic initiation by the disk drive after the disk drive is manufactured at the factory and while the disk drive is installed and operating in the computer system.

130. The disk drive of claim 129 wherein the manufacture test process includes at least one of flaw mapping, embedded runout compensation (ERC) and final drive verification.

131. The disk drive of claim 129 wherein the manufacture test process includes the flaw mapping.

132. The disk drive of claim 131 wherein the controller executes the flaw mapping on the second portion of the disk such that a first flaw mapping test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second flaw mapping test is performed when the computer system is idle.

133. The disk drive of claim 132 wherein the first flaw mapping test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

134. The disk drive of claim 132 wherein the second flaw mapping test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and updating which of the LBAs have been processed.

135. The disk drive of claim 132 wherein:

the first flaw mapping test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs; and

the second flaw mapping test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and indicating which of the LBAs have been processed.

136. The disk drive of claim 129 wherein the manufacture test process includes the ERC.

137. The disk drive of claim 136 wherein the controller executes the ERC by determining which cylinder was last processed, performing the ERC on the next cylinder, and indicating completion of the ERC on the next cylinder.

138. The disk drive of claim 129 wherein the manufacture test process includes the final drive verification.

139. The disk drive of claim 138 wherein the controller executes the final drive verification such that a first final drive verification test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second final drive verification test when the computer system is idle.

140. The disk drive of claim 139 wherein the first final drive verification test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

141. The disk drive of claim 139 wherein the second final drive verification test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and indicating which of the LBAs have been processed.

142. The disk drive of claim 139 wherein:

the first final drive verification test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs; and

the second final drive verification test is performed by identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and indicating which of the LBAs have been processed.

143. The disk drive of claim 129 wherein the controller executes the manufacture test process on the first portion of the disk such that any major flaws in the disk are detected.

144. The disk drive of claim 129 wherein the first portion of the disk includes a predetermined percentage of the tracks as well as every Nth of the tracks.

145. The disk drive of claim 129 wherein the manufacture test process is stored in a random access memory (RAM) in the disk drive.

146. The disk drive of claim 129 wherein the manufacture test process is stored in a read only memory (ROM) in the disk drive.

147. The disk drive of claim 129 wherein the manufacture test process is stored in the first portion of the disk.

148. The disk drive of claim 129 wherein the first portion of the disk is smaller than the second portion of the disk.

149. An automated manufacture process test system resident upon a disk drive that performs a manufacture test process on the disk drive once the disk drive is installed and operating within a computer system, the test system comprising:

a monitor that determines whether any user command from the computer system is pending or the computer system is idle;

a processing module that performs the manufacture test process on a disk of the disk drive, wherein the manufacture test process is performed on a portion of the disk for the first time and in a particular manner depending on whether the computer system has issued the user command or the computer system is idle, the manufacture test process includes at least one of flaw mapping, embedded runout compensation (ERC) and final drive verification, and the processing module performs the final drive verification such that a first final drive verification test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second final drive verification test is performed when the computer system is idle; and

a controller that tracks performance of the manufacture test process such that counters stored in a memory of the disk drive indicate which portion of the disk has been processed by the manufacture test process.

150. The system of claim 149 wherein the processing module performs the flaw mapping such that a first flaw mapping test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second flaw mapping test is performed when the computer is system is idle, and the first flaw mapping test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

151. The system of claim 149 wherein the processing module performs the flaw mapping such that a first flaw mapping test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second flaw mapping test is performed when the computer is system is idle, and the second flaw mapping test is performed by accessing the memory and identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and updating the memory to indicate which of the LBAs have been processed.

152. The system of claim 149 wherein the processing module performs the ERC when the computer system is idle by accessing the memory to determine which cylinder was last processed, performing the ERC on the next cylinder, and updating the memory to indicate completion of the ERC on the next cylinder.

153. The system of claim 149 wherein the first final drive verification test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

154. The system of claim 149 wherein the second final drive verification test is performed by accessing the memory and identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and updating the memory to indicate which of the LBAs have been processed.

155. The system of claim 149 wherein a predetermined portion of the disk is processed by the manufacture test process before installation of the disk drive in the computer system, and the portion of the disk drive which has been processed is identified by the controller.

156. The system of claim 155 wherein any major flaw in the disk is detected before the disk drive is installed in the computer system.

157. The system of claim 155 wherein the disk includes concentric tracks and the predetermined portion includes a predetermined percentage of the tracks as well as every Nth of the tracks.

158. A method of performing a manufacture test process for a disk drive, comprising:

installing the disk drive in a computer system and employing the disk drive for operations of the computer system after the disk drive leaves a factory;

then

detecting a predetermined condition in the computer system;

performing a manufacture test process on a particular area of a disk of the disk drive for the first time in response to the detected condition, wherein the manufacture test process is performed in accordance with information stored in a memory of the disk drive which indicates where the manufacture test process shall begin and end, the manufacture test process corrects errors detected on the disk, the manufacture test process includes at least one of flaw mapping, embedded runout compensation (ERC) and final drive verification, and the final drive verification includes;

determining the detected condition for the computer system;

if the user command is pending, before performing the user command;

identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) employed as part of performing the user command;

accessing the memory to determine if the identified logical block addresses have been previously processed;

if any of the LBAs are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the unprocessed LBAs and reassigning any of the unprocessed LBAs which fail the write/verify; and

updating the memory to indicate which of the unprocessed LBAs have been processed;

if the computer system is idle;

accessing the memory and identifying a next increment of LBAs to process;

performing the read/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment;

reassigning the LBAs in the increment which fail the read/verify; and

updating the memory to indicate that the LBAs in the increment have been processed; and

updating the memory to indicate upon which portions of the disk the manufacture test process has been performed.

159. The method of claim 158 wherein the detected condition includes a user command pending from the computer system and the computer system is idle.

160. The method of claim 158 wherein the ERC includes:

determining the detected condition for the computer system; and

if the computer system is idle;

accessing the memory and identifying a next cylinder to process;

performing the ERC on the next cylinder, and storing in the memory any generated error values; and

updating the memory to indicate that the next cylinder has been processed.

161. The method of claim 158 including performing the manufacture test process prior to installation of the disk drive in the computer system to identify a major flaw on the disk.

162. The method of claim 158 wherein a program for performing the manufacturing test process is placed in the memory before installing the disk drive in the computer system.

164. The method of claim 161 wherein the disk includes concentric tracks and performing the manufacture test process prior to installation of the disk drive in the computer system includes testing a predetermined percentage of the tracks as well as every Nth track of the tracks.

163. A method of performing a manufacture test process for a disk drive, comprising:

performing a manufacture test process on a disk of the disk drive prior to installation of the disk drive in a computer system to identify a major flaw on the disk, wherein the manufacture test process is performed in accordance with information stored in a memory of the disk drive which indicates where the manufacture test process shall begin and end, the manufacture test process corrects errors detected on the disk, the disk includes concentric tracks, and performing the manufacture test process prior to installation of the disk drive in the computer system includes testing a predetermined percentage of the tracks as well as every Nth track of the tracks;

then

installing the disk drive in the computer system and employing the disk drive for operations of the computer system after the disk drive leaves a factory;

then

detecting a predetermined condition in the computer system;

performing the manufacture test process on a particular area of the disk for the first time in response to the detected condition; and

updating the memory to indicate upon which portions of the disk the manufacture test process has been performed.

165. The method of claim 163 wherein the manufacture test process includes at least one of flaw mapping, embedded runout compensation (ERC) and final drive verification.

166. The method of claim 165 wherein the detected condition includes a user command pending from the computer system and the computer system is idle.

167. The method of claim 165 wherein the ERC includes:

determining the detected condition for the computer system; and

if the computer system is idle;

accessing the memory and identifying a next cylinder to process;

performing the ERC on the next cylinder, and storing in the memory any generated error values; and

updating the memory to indicate that the next cylinder has been processed.

168. The method of claim 163 wherein a program for performing the manufacturing test process is placed in the memory before installing the disk drive in the computer system.

169. A disk drive, comprising:

a disk with spaced tracks for storing information;

a head that reads and writes information to and from the disk;

a memory;

a processing module stored in the memory that performs a manufacture test process on the disk while the disk drive is installed and operating in a computer system, wherein the manufacture test process includes at least one of flaw mapping, embedded runout compensation (ERC) and final drive verification, and the processing module performs the final drive verification such that a first final drive verification test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second final drive verification test when the computer system is idle; and

a controller that executes the manufacture test process on a portion of the disk for the first time in response to a predetermined condition of the computer system configured to control operation of the head when the computer system is idle.

170. The disk drive of claim 169 wherein the memory is a read only memory (ROM).

171. The disk drive of claim 169 wherein the memory is a processed area of the disk.

172. The disk drive of claim 169 wherein the processing module performs the flaw mapping such that a first flaw mapping test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second flaw mapping test is performed when the computer system is idle, and the first flaw mapping test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

173. The disk drive of claim 169 wherein the processing module performs the flaw mapping such that a first flaw mapping test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second flaw mapping test is performed when the computer system is idle, and the second flaw mapping test is performed by accessing the memory and identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and updating the memory to indicate which of the LBAs have been processed.

174. The disk drive of claim 169 wherein the processing module performs the ERC when the computer system is idle by accessing the memory to determine which cylinder was last processed, performing the ERC on the next cylinder, and updating the memory to indicate completion of the ERC on the next cylinder.

175. The disk drive of claim 169 wherein the first final drive verification test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

176. The disk drive of claim 169 wherein the second final drive verification test is performed by accessing memory and identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and updating the memory to indicate which of the LBAs have been processed.

177. The disk drive of claim 169 wherein the disk drive performs the manufacture test process on a predetermined portion of the disk before the disk drive is installed in the computer system.

178. The disk drive of claim 177 wherein the disk drive detects any major flaws in the disk before the disk drive is installed in the computer system.

179. The disk drive of claim 177 wherein the predetermined portion includes a predetermined percentage of the tracks as well as every Nth of the tracks.

180. A disk drive, comprising:

a disk with spaced tracks for storing information;

a head that reads and writes information to and from the disk;

a memory;

a processing module stored in the memory that performs a manufacture test process on the disk while the disk drive is installed and operating in a computer system; and

a controller that executes the manufacture test process on a portion of the disk for the first time in response to a predetermined condition of the computer system configured to control operation of the head when the computer system is idle;

wherein the disk drive performs the manufacture test process on a predetermined portion of the disk before the disk drive is installed in the computer system, and the predetermined portion includes a predetermined percentage of the tracks as well as every Nth of the tracks.

181. The disk drive of claim 180 wherein the memory is a read only memory (ROM).

182. The disk drive of claim 180 wherein the memory is a processed area of the disk.

183. The disk drive of claim 180 wherein the manufacture test process includes at least one of flaw mapping, embedded runout compensation (ERC) and final drive verification.

184. The disk drive of claim 183 wherein the processing module performs the flaw mapping such that a first flaw mapping test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second flaw mapping test is performed when the computer system is idle, and the first flaw mapping test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

185. The disk drive of claim 183 wherein the processing module performs the flaw mapping such that a first flaw mapping test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second flaw mapping test is performed when the computer system is idle, and the second flaw mapping test is performed by accessing the memory and identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and updating the memory to indicate which of the LBAs have been processed.

186. The disk drive of claim 183 wherein the processing module performs the ERC when the computer system is idle by accessing the memory to determine which cylinder was last processed, performing the ERC on the next cylinder, and updating the memory to indicate completion of the ERC on the next cylinder.

187. The disk drive of claim 183 wherein the processing module performs the final drive verification such that a first final drive verification test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second final drive verification test when the computer system is idle, and the first final drive verification test is performed by identifying logical block addresses (LBAs) on the disk to which information is to be written, determining whether the identified LBAs have been processed, and if the identified LBAs have not been processed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs.

188. The disk drive of claim 183 wherein the processing module performs the final drive verification such that a first final drive verification test is performed when a user command for operating the disk drive is pending and a second final drive verification test when the computer system is idle, and the second final drive verification test is performed by accessing memory and identifying an increment of logical block addresses (LBAs) which are unprocessed, performing a write/verify on each of the LBAs in the increment, and updating the memory to indicate which of the LBAs have been processed.

189. The disk drive of claim 180 wherein the disk drive detects any major flaws in the disk before the disk drive is installed in the computer system.