Abstract: A technique for determining a position of a read/write head relative to a magnetic disk includes the steps of providing the magnetic disk having a plurality of odd servo sectors and a plurality of even servo sectors, reading a first gray code pattern in an odd servo sector from the plurality of odd servo sectors on the magnetic disk, reading a second gray code pattern in an even servo sector from the plurality of even servo sectors on the magnetic disk, the even servo sector adjacent to the odd servo sector on the magnetic disk and determining the position of the read/write head only in response to the first gray code pattern and the second gray code pattern.