Abstract: A disk drive manufacturing system and process which includes head to disk interference equipment, servo writing equipment, formatting and controlling firmware. The system servo writes a varying number of data tracks per disk surface while sensing when the head is positioned over the transition and/or landing zones of the magnetic disk surface. The servo writing of tracks continues as far as possible on each disk surface, and stops just before the transition zone region of the landing-zone is encountered. Each disk processed has a varying number of data-tracks per surface, which variable data-track information is factored and utilized in a further step of formatting the disk in accordance with the changed boundaries of the data zone and in accordance with instructions received from a disk drive's formatting and controlling firmware.