System, method and apparatus for selection of reserved area data tracks

1. A method of configuring a hard disk drive (HDD), comprising:

(a) providing a media disk with data tracks comprising a user data region;

(b) assessing a location on the media disk with a highest frequency of adjacent track interference and far track interference (ATI/FTI)-Refresh potential; and

(c) configuring the location to be a reserved area (RA) where no user data is written, the RA having parameters that are read out first before the HDD enters an operation enabled state for user interface.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the RA has a lower magnetic recording density than the user data region.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the RA has a smaller track pitch than a majority of the user data region.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the RA has a smallest track pitch compared to the user data region.

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein a track pitch of the data tracks is varied from an inner diameter of the media disk to an outer diameter of the media disk.

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein a skew angle is defined between a tangent of a data track on the media disk and a direction of a head of the HDD, the skew angle is about zero (0) in a middle diameter (MD) of the media disk, the skew angle increases toward an outer diameter (OD) and toward an inner diameter (ID), the media disk has a MDOD region between OD and MD, and a MDID region between ID and MD, and a track pitch is smallest adjacent the MDOD and MDID.

7. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the RA comprises at least two RAs that are separated from each other by at least a portion of the user data region for writing user data thereto, and each of the RAs has parameters that are read out first before the HDD enters the operation enabled state for user interface.

8. A method according to claim 7 , wherein the at least two RAs comprise a primary RA and a spare RA, and each side of each of the primary RA and the spare RA has a guard band of data tracks.

9. A method according to claim 7 , wherein data is written to every other data track in each of said at least two RAs.

10. A method of configuring an HDD, comprising:

(a) providing a media disk with data tracks comprising a user data region having variable track pitches from an inner diameter (ID) of the media disk to an outer diameter (OD) of the media disk;

(b) assessing a location on the media disk with a smallest track pitch; and then

(c) configuring the location to be a reserved area (RA) where no user data is written, the RA having parameters that are read out first before the HDD enters an operation enabled state for user interface.

11. A method according to claim 10 , wherein the RA also comprises a location on the media disk with a highest frequency of adjacent track interference and far track interference (ATI/FTI)-Refresh potential.

12. A method according to claim 10 , wherein a skew angle is defined between a tangent of a data track on the media disk and a direction of a head of the HDD, the skew angle is about zero (0) in a middle diameter (MD) of the media disk, the skew angle increases toward the OD and toward the ID, the media disk has a MDOD region between OD and MD, and a MDID region between ID and MD, and the smallest track pitch is adjacent the MDOD and MDID.

13. A method according to claim 10 , wherein the RA comprises at least two RAs that are separated from each other by at least a portion of the user data region for writing user data thereto, and each of the RAs has parameters that are read out first before the HDD enters the operation enabled state for user interface.

14. A method according to claim 13 , wherein the at least two RAs comprise a primary RA and a spare RA, and each side of each of the primary RA and the spare RA has a guard band of data tracks.

15. A method according to claim 13 , wherein data is written to every other data track in each of said at least two RAs.

16. A hard disk drive (HDD), comprising:

an enclosure;

a media disk rotatably mounted to the enclosure, the media disk having data tracks for storing data;

an actuator movably mounted to the enclosure and having a slider for reading data from and writing data to the data tracks; and

the data tracks comprise at least two reserved areas (RAs) that are separated from each other by at least a portion of a user data region for writing user data thereto, and each of the RAs has parameters that are read out first before the HDD enters an operation enabled state for user interface, and the RAs comprise locations on the media disk with a highest frequency of adjacent track interference and far track interference (ATI/FTI)-Refresh potential.

17. A HDD according to claim 16 , wherein the RAs have a lower magnetic recording density than the user data region.

18. A HDD according to claim 16 , wherein the RAs have a smaller track pitch than a majority of the user data region.

19. A HDD according to claim 16 , wherein the RAs have a smallest track pitch compared to the user data region.

20. A HDD according to claim 16 , wherein a track pitch of the data tracks is varied from an inner diameter of the media disk to an outer diameter of the media disk.

21. A HDD according to claim 16 , wherein a skew angle is defined between a tangent of a data track on the media disk and a direction of a head on the slider, the skew angle is about zero (0) in a middle diameter (MD) of the media disk, the skew angle increases toward an outer diameter (OD) and toward an inner diameter (ID), the media disk has a MDOD region between OD and MD, and a MDID region between ID and MD, and a track pitch is smallest adjacent the MDOD and MDID.

22. A HDD according to claim 16 , wherein the at least two RAs comprise a primary RA and a spare RA, and each side of each of the primary RA and the spare RA has a guard band of data tracks.