Abstract: A method and apparatus for manipulating a magnetic disk to provide adaptive track pitch. A manufacturing station measures the actual radial width of an annular surface of the disk, which may include extra space. Wider-than-nominal track widths are then computed and utilized for writing data onto the disk.

Abstract: A method for adaptively controlling the write inhibit signal in a disk drive apparatus. The disk drive apparatus include magnetic disks manipulated such that the total space that is to be allocated for storing data has been measured and recorded such that the tracks for storing data have been servo written at a wider spacing than a nominal track spacing. The drive's operational circuitry includes access to modified write inhibit threshold data that is based on the drive's nominal design track misregistration allowance, plus any track width increase gained by adaptively controlling the track pitch. The modified write inhibit threshold essentially facilitates an acceptable delay in activating a write inhibit signal. The data tracks on each of the magnetic disks have been servo written utilizing the wider track spacing while maintaining the track misregistration allowance that corresponds to the nominal track spacing.