Abstract: A defect management system is disclosed for disc storage systems which avoids the access latency associated with conventional linear replacement techniques by dispersing spare segments throughout each track at a regular interval and buffering sectors inbetween a defective sector and the corresponding spare segment during read and write operations. In one embodiment, a spare segment is an entire sector which replaces a defective data sector; and in an alternative embodiment, a spare segment stores only the defective portion of a data sector which is more efficient, but also more complicated in implementation. In both embodiments, the defect management system comprises a defect locator for locating a defective segment within a data sector. Once located, the defect management system maps the defective sector (or the defective portion thereof) to the nearest available spare segment.