Abstract: A recording/reproducing apparatus includes: a rotary-type magnetic recording medium including a track pattern with concentric or spiral data recording tracks; a composite magnetic head including a reproducing element that reads magnetic signals from the medium and a recording element that writes magnetic signals on the medium; a control unit that moves the magnetic head over the medium to carry out tracking servo control on the reproducing element or the recording element to keep the element on a desired track; and a storage unit that stores offset information that specifies offsets for calculating an adjustment used to adjust a head position of the magnetic head during tracking servo control. The stored offset information specifies at least two different offsets per revolution of the medium. During tracking servo control, the control unit changes the adjustment at least once per revolution of the medium in accordance with offsets specified based on the offset information.

Abstract: A data storage medium comprises a plurality of data regions, and a plurality of servo regions configured to provide positioning information to a reading device. Each of the plurality of data regions corresponds to more than one of the plurality of servo regions. The more than one of the plurality of servo regions are configured to provide positioning information to the reading device at discrete times corresponding to a data operation of a corresponding data region.

Abstract: A magnetic hard disk drive includes a method for eliminating that portion of track following error by a read/write transducer that is caused by repeatable runout of the disk tracks. The repeatable runout is eliminated by application of an iterative algorithm that calculates feed-forward correction terms based on gain coefficients iteratively calculated from the amplitude and phase portions of a Bode plot characterizing the system. The corrective coefficients can be inserted into the hard disk drive at a summing junction that redefines the centerline of the track, or at a summing junction that causes the actuator to follow the repeatable runout and make non-repeatable runout corrections relative thereto.

Abstract: Provided are a bit patterned medium having a super-track, a method of tracking a track of the bit patterned medium, a head appropriate for the bit patterned medium, and an information recording/reproducing apparatus including the bit patterned medium and the head. The bit patterned medium includes a substrate, and a recording layer comprised of a plurality of bit cells which are formed on the substrate by being separated from each other, along a plurality of tracks. Each of the plurality of tracks includes a super-track comprised of a plurality of sub-tracks. Bit cells formed on a sub-track from among the plurality of sub-tracks in the super-track are disposed so as to deviate from bit cells formed on another sub-track from among the plurality of sub-tracks in the super-track. A track ID (identification) for recognizing the super-track, and a servo burst generating a position error signal when a head tracks the super-track, are arranged in an area of each of the plurality of tracks.

Abstract: A method of writing a servo pattern to a disk, wherein a servo pattern is generated in a processor. The generated servo pattern is then written to a disk. The servo pattern for a servo sector is preferably generated in a single routine.

Abstract: On a magnetic recording medium, M sets of burst patterns are formed along a direction of rotation of a substrate in each burst pattern region. Each burst pattern is formed so as to include two types of burst signal units that have an equal length along a radial direction of the substrate. In a predetermined range, (2M) centers in the radial direction of the burst patterns are present at intervals of (1/N) times the track pitch in the radial direction. The predetermined range has a length along the radial direction of (2M/N) times the track pitch. M or N is a natural number of 2 or higher. The two types of burst signal units are formed of non-recording regions and end regions of the burst signal units overlap in the radial direction in at least one part region of the substrate.

Abstract: A magnetic recording disk has patterned nondata regions that are used for read/write head positioning and data synchronization. The nondata regions contain nondata islands of magnetizable material separated by nonmagnetic spaces with the nondata islands having alternating magnetization polarity in the along-the-track direction. In each nondata region, every other nondata island in the along-the track direction has the same magnetization direction, with adjacent nondata islands having antiparallel magnetization directions. The disk may be either a horizontal magnetic recording disk, wherein the antiparallel magnetization directions are in the plane of the recording layer and parallel to the along-the-track direction, or a perpendicular magnetic recording disk, wherein the antiparallel the magnetization directions are “into” and “out of” the recording layer.

Abstract: In accordance with various embodiments, an angular location of a first servo field along an annular track is determined in relation to a difference between a first code value of the first servo field and a second code value of a second servo field along the track. A radial location of the track is obtained in relation to the determined angular location of the first servo field.

Abstract: A mark information is recorded in an area which is on a circumference of a magnetic disk corresponding to a last track in which a servo information write is ended or a track, which is one or two in front of the last track in which servo information is not written and the mark information is detected by returning a magnetic head in a radial direction of the magnetic disk by a fine movement stage after the magnetic head is moved to a next aimed track by a coarse movement stage. The servo information write position is detected by the magnetic head and the servo information is written in a servo information write position of a next track by positioning the magnetic head therein by using the fine movement stage.

Abstract: An apparatus, method, and system for providing a fine adjustment for transducing head positioning in a hard disk drive (HDD). The apparatus, method, and system include reading a positioning error field wherein the resulting signal is a substantially sinusoidal position error signal (PES), filtering the PES to remove low frequencies and attenuate high frequencies, sample the filtered PES at a multiple of the channel frequency, filter the higher frequency harmonics, down sample the PES, and provide a signal proportional to the amplitude of the down sampled PES. This signal is the reference signal to the head positioning servo.

Abstract: Systems and techniques to select a framing and determine a waveform polarity of an encoded repeating pattern include, in at least one aspect, operations including: decoding an encoded repeating pattern using multiple framings of signal samples of a signal from a machine-readable medium; correlating the signal samples that indicate pattern transitions, for the multiple framings, with valid pattern transitions as defined by the encoding; accumulating the transition pattern correlations for the multiple framings; selecting one of the multiple framings as a correct framing for decoding based on the accumulated correlations; and determining a waveform polarity for the signal based on the repeating pattern and the selected correct framing.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk having servo data defining a plurality of servo tracks. The servo data comprises a preamble, and a plurality of slanted line servo bursts recorded at a tilt angle with respect to the preamble. The slanted line servo bursts comprises a first plurality of slanted line servo bursts and a second plurality of slanted line servo bursts, wherein the second plurality of slanted line servo bursts are offset radially from the first plurality of slanted line servo bursts. A position error signal (PES) is generated in response to a phase difference when reading the preamble and the slanted line servo bursts.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a disk drive is disclosed which has an offset measuring function for measuring a dynamic offset value necessary to a dynamic offset control using a DTM (discrete track media) type disk. A CPU (microprocessor) included in the disk drive writes offset measuring position information to an optimum position of lands on the disk and calculates a dynamic offset value based on the offset measuring position information.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk having servo data defining a plurality of servo tracks. The servo data comprises a preamble, and a plurality of slanted line servo bursts recorded at a tilt angle with respect to the preamble. At least one of the slanted line servo bursts comprises a first polarity along a first segment of the slanted line and a second polarity along a second segment of the slanted line. A position error signal (PES) is generated in response to a phase difference when reading the preamble and the slanted line servo bursts.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic recording medium to which a signal is recorded by reversing magnetization of a magnetic body, includes: a servo region to which a servo signal is written; a data region configured to include a magnetic region of a track to which data is written, the magnetic region being separated from other magnetic region of other track; and a periodic magnetic pattern region configured to be provided at a head portion of the data region following the servo region, and is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a circumferential direction of the magnetic recording medium, over a predetermined length in a radius direction of the magnetic recording medium.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an information storage medium includes a plurality of sectors arranged in a circumferential direction of a disk-shaped substrate, each sector having a servo pattern that is formed on the substrate and in which information indicating a position in a radial direction of the substrate is magnetically recorded, and a plurality of recording dots that is arranged with a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction of the substrate and in which information is to be magnetically recorded. The servo pattern has a magnetic pattern arranged in the circumferential direction with a pitch having a predetermined integral ratio to the pitch of the recording dots. A recording dot arranged nearest to the servo pattern among the recording dots in each sector is arranged at a position having a constant phase relationship to the pitch of the servo pattern of the sector comprising the recording dots in any of the sectors.

Abstract: A magnetic storage medium has tracks and guard bands magnetically separating adjacent tracks. The tracks and the guard bands are alternately and concentrically disposed. The tracks includes a plurality of data tracks in which data can be written and from which data can be reproduced and servo patterns disposed between the data tracks and allowing reproduction of positional information of the data tracks. The magnetic storage medium includes an offset-amount measurement area in which traverse tracks are formed so as to traverse adjacent tracks via each of the guard bands so that writing regarding offset measurement data for measuring an offset amount between a storage element and a reproducing element of a magnetic head unit is allowed at a center position of the storage element.

Abstract: A method of measuring a track value is shown. The track value is related to track mis-registration, and is compared to a track value limit to assess a condition of the track. In example embodiments, the track value is determined as a function of multiple position error signals from previous wedges in the track. During a self servo writing operation, the track value and the track value limit are used to selectively perform a recovery action. In example embodiments, the track value limit is dynamically adjusted.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk including a plurality of servo tracks defined by a plurality of servo sectors, wherein each servo sector comprises a plurality of servo bursts. The disk drive further comprises a head actuated over the disk. A servo sector is read to generate a read signal which is processed to demodulate the servo bursts into a position error signal (PES) representing an offset of the head from a target radial location on the disk. The read signal is also processed to decode the servo bursts into a Gray codeword representing at least part of a servo track address, wherein the servo track address represents a servo track the head is over.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk, a head, and an actuator for actuating the head over the disk. The disk drive further comprises a state variable memory for storing a plurality of state variable sets, wherein each state variable set comprises a plurality of state variables and each state variable set corresponds to a task object. A coefficient memory for stores a plurality of coefficient sets, wherein each coefficient set comprises a plurality of coefficients and each coefficient set corresponds to a task object. A task object is executed by initializing a base state register to address a selected one of the state variable sets in the state variable memory, and initializing a base coefficient register to address a selected one of the coefficient sets in the coefficient memory.

Abstract: A control method includes determining whether a size of write data specified by a command supplied from a host is smaller than a size of a physical sector of a recording medium, lowering priority of the write data when the size of the write data is smaller than the size of the physical sector, continuously reading, when a plurality of commands for write data having lowered priority are supplied, data in physical sectors specified in the plurality of commands, and executing a modify write process on the basis of a result of continuously reading the data.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk, and a head actuated over the disk. The head is positioned at a radial location over the disk, and a servo burst is written at the current radial location. The servo burst is read to generate a read signal, and the read signal is processed to generate a position error signal (PES). The head is moved radially in response to the PES, and the process is repeated multiple times to form a spiral track spanning at least one revolution of the disk.

Abstract: A bit patterned media (BPM) encoded recordable medium includes a servo control field including servo bits. Each servo bit is represented by a servo bit pattern of dots and gaps on the recordable medium. In the servo bit patterns, substantially no two dots are placed immediately next to one another, and substantially all servo bit patterns start with a gap and/or substantially all servo bit patterns end with a gap.

Abstract: A magnetic disk includes: a data recording region having first magnetic parts; the first magnetic parts being arranged in a circumferential direction in the nonmagnetic region and form tracks, and the tracks being arranged in a radial direction at a track pitch Tp; and a burst pattern region having burst patterns making a magnetic head follow the first magnetic parts, the burst patterns having second magnetic parts, the second magnetic parts forming base units arranged at a pitch Sp in a radial direction of the disk, the pitch Sp being more than large as the track pitch Tp, the base units including a plurality of base units arranged in a circumferential direction of the disk, and the base units adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction being displaced from each other by the pitch Sp in the radial direction of the disk.

Abstract: A recordable medium according to some embodiments includes a servo control field having a bit patterned media (BPM) pattern. The pattern includes a plurality of isolated magnetic islands or dots arranged in a down-track orientation and in a cross-track orientation. A phase of dots arranged on the medium in the servo control field varies in a first cross-track direction. The dots arranged on the medium may include a first phase pattern that has a first phase gradient in the first cross-track direction and a second phase pattern that has a second phase gradient, different from the first phase gradient, in the first cross-track direction. The dots may include a plurality of dot composites including a plurality of dots.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a magnetic disk device and a method for production thereof, the magnetic disk device being characterized in that the magnetic disk therein permits a plurality of tracks thereon to record correction data when necessary without decreasing its storage capacity. According to one embodiment, the magnetic disk device is characterized in that the magnetic disk has the first tracks and the second tracks formed thereon, the first tracks having servo data regions arranged cyclically, with a portion of a region between them being the correction data region and the remaining regions being the user data region, and the second tracks having the servo data regions arranged cyclically, with the region between them being the user data regions, and the multiprocessing unit (MPU) switches the servo extraction timing of the position information sampler depending on whether the track for servo reproduction by the magnetic head is the first track or the second track.

Abstract: A method for operating a head testing apparatus or, more generally, a host hard disk drive using a mounted hard disk that has had its servo track information pre-written in an external servo-writing apparatus rather than in the head testing or host apparatus itself. The method eliminates repeatable errors and repeatable runout by effectively replacing the pre-written servo tracks, which are eccentric, with new track profiles that are tracked like circular tracks. The problem of repeatable errors is caused by repeatable runout superimposed upon written-in position errors when a disk written in one machine is transferred to another. This problem is eliminated by forming IRON (Iterative Repeatable Runout Nulling) profile tracks from the initially pre-written servo tracks, where the IRON profile tracks are effectively tracked as concentric circular tracks and generate no PES.

Abstract: In a magnetic recording medium including a servo pattern region having a servo pattern formed of a concave/convex pattern having convex portions and concave portions and a data recording region, the region having a data track pattern, the convex portions are formed in an address pattern region of the servo pattern region such that the maximum opening lengths, which are located in the respective same radius regions of the respective opening lengths along the rotating direction of a substrate of the concave portions constituting the concave/convex pattern are set to first lengths that are double the minimum opening lengths along the rotating direction of the concave portions in the respective same radius regions. With this arrangement, the magnetic recording medium can securely read a magnetic signal and has a servo pattern having excellent surface smoothness.

Abstract: A method for correcting a track pitch error in servo tracks written on a magnetic recording media coupled with a disk surface, by using a subsequent servo-write pass, comprises propagating servo tracks across the magnetic recording media in a previous servo-write pass. The servo tracks have radial positioning servo code. The servo tracks enable a magnetic transducer to be positioned to at least one radial position on the magnetic recording media. At least one corrected radial reference point is calculated for the track pitch error written on the magnetic recording media, by identifying at least one inconsistency between a mechanical response of an actuator and the track pitch. A corrected location for at least one servo track is identified. At least one new servo track at the corrected location is propagated with the subsequent servo-write pass. Optimum data track distribution across the disk surface and optimum reading and writing of data to and from the magnetic recording media is enabled.

Abstract: A rotary-type magnetic recording medium has servo patterns formed in servo pattern regions on a substrate by patterns including recording regions and non-recording regions. Burst signal units composed of the recording regions or the non-recording regions are formed in burst pattern regions in the servo pattern regions. The burst signal units are formed so that for at least one edge out of both edges along a direction of rotation of the magnetic recording medium, a center in the direction of rotation is positioned closer to the other edge than both ends in the direction of rotation, and a ratio of a length along a radial direction of the magnetic recording medium between both ends and the center of the one edge to a length along the radial direction between both ends of the one edge and both ends of the other edge is in a range of 0.2 or below.

Abstract: A magnetic disk apparatus includes a magnetic disk, a magnetic head, a servo reproduction signal generator and a magnetic head controller. The disk includes a data recording area and a servo-pattern area. The data recording area includes a non-magnetic area scattered with magnetic regions, and the servo-pattern area includes uniformly magnetized magnetic regions larger than the magnetic regions in the recording area. The magnetic head reciprocates radially of the disk, giving a magnetization direction to the magnetic regions in the data recording area and reading the magnetization direction of the magnetic regions in the data recording area and the servo-pattern area. The servo reproduction signal generator reads the servo-pattern area, using the magnetic head, via an absolute-value calculation circuit to generate a servo reproduction signal before the recording or reading with respect to the data recording area.

Abstract: Servo patterns and associated methods of fabricating servo patterns are described. For patterned storage media, data sectors and servo sectors may be patterned using self-assembly. In one embodiment, self-assembly is used to form a first array of islands and a second array of islands in servo sectors that are track-wise offset. A servo writing process is then performed to write a desired servo pattern in the arrays, such as for burst fields, synchronization fields, etc.

Abstract: Timing recovery and synchronization for data communication is utilized. A pilot sequence of signals can be selected to improve recovery of a phase offset and a frequency offset in a communication system. Sampling instances can further be adjusted based on pilot sequences within a user data portion.

Abstract: On a rotary-type magnetic recording medium, servo patterns are formed in servo pattern regions on one surface and the other surface of a disk-shaped substrate by patterns including recording regions and non-recording regions. In the servo pattern regions on both the one surface and the other surface, plural functional regions are defined in order in a direction of rotation of the magnetic recording medium. In the pattern formed in at least one region out of the plural functional regions on the one surface, the non-recording regions are formed at formation positions on the one surface corresponding to formation positions of the recording regions on the other surface and the recording regions are formed at formation positions on the one surface corresponding to formation positions of the non-recording regions on the other surface.

Abstract: A magnetic storage medium has tracks and guard bands magnetically separating adjacent tracks. The tracks and the guard bands are alternately and concentrically disposed. The tracks includes a plurality of data tracks in which data can be written and from which data can be reproduced and servo patterns disposed between the data tracks and allowing reproduction of positional information of the data tracks. The magnetic storage medium includes an offset-amount measurement area in which traverse tracks are formed so as to traverse adjacent tracks via each of the guard bands so that writing regarding offset measurement data for measuring an offset amount between a storage element and a reproducing element of a magnetic head unit is allowed at a center position of the storage element.

Abstract: A disk drive comprising a moveable head, a disk, and a servo controller that implements servo control techniques to preserve PES continuity during track following operations is disclosed. The disk includes a plurality of tracks in which a substantial majority of the tracks include a plurality of servo sectors having a plurality of servo bursts that are utilized in track following operations. The servo controller controls track following operations with the moveable head and implements operations to preserve PES continuity during track following. These operations include: dividing tracks of the disk into a plurality of zones wherein each zone includes zone boundaries; and utilizing a PES equation for each zone to generate a PES value based upon read servo bursts wherein each zone PES equation includes a normalizing factor to account for boundary conditions associated with zone boundaries to preserve PES value continuity between zones.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising control circuitry for self servo writing a disk. An estimated reader/writer offset is initialized, servo bursts in a first servo track are read, the head is moved radially using the estimated reader/writer offset, and propagated servo bursts are written to a target servo track. The propagated servo bursts are read from the target servo track to generate a read signal, the read signal is processed to generate a burst crossing signal (BCS), and the estimated reader/writer offset is adjusted in response to the BCS.

Abstract: A disk drive correctly recognizes newly written data when a plurality of readable data exist on the same sector of the same track, by comparing AGC values of each of the readable data, comparing error rates generated by Viterbi decoding, or both. An offset value determining means determines whether an offset value when the data is read has exceeded a predetermined value when the data is read. An offset control means controls the head, on the basis of the determination result of the offset value determining means, to conduct the offset operation on the opposite side of the track when the data is read the first time, and a selecting means selects the new data recorded in the sector by comparing the results obtained for both sets of data.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention help to achieve a read error recovery, and suppress decreases in the capacity of the disk drive device and degradation in performance. In one embodiment, a hard disk drive (HDD) performs following control without use of repeatable run-out (RRO) compensation information on a magnetic disk in a normal reading process. When an error occurs in a normal reading process, the HDD moves a read element to a position different from a target position of the normal reading process. At the position where the read element has been moved, the read element reads out the RRO compensation information. In a recovery procedure for the reading process where the error has occurred, the HDD performs following control with compensation by the servo compensation information read out by the read element.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of estimating repeatable runout (RRO) for a disk drive. The method includes: determining a plurality of position error signal (PES) values for a plurality of servo wedges of a track of a disk; and estimating repeatable runout (RRO) in the PES values for the servo wedges of the track by averaging determined PES values over a pre-determined number of revolutions of the disk of the disk drive and scaling the averaged PES values by a pre-determined ratio of the variance of non-repeatable runout (NRRO) to the variance of an optimal estimation of the RRO for the disk drive.

Abstract: A sequential data storage medium, comprising a sequence of plurality of servo patterns that provide lateral position information and longitudinal position information, wherein each of the plurality of servo patterns comprises a first burst comprising a first plurality of pulses, a second burst comprising a second plurality of pulses, a third burst comprising a third plurality of pulses, and a fourth burst comprising a fourth plurality of pulses. The spacings between the first plurality of pulses, in combination with the spacings between the second plurality of pulses, encode a first bit without affecting the recovery of lateral position information. The spacings between the third plurality of pulses, in combination with the spacings between the fourth plurality of pulses, encode a second bit without affecting the recovery of lateral position information.

Abstract: There is provided a technique capable of eliminating the need to create data for compensating the displacement of a servo pattern occurring at the time of writing the servo pattern using an amplitude method and thereby of significantly reducing the production time of a disk medium. A servo pattern writing apparatus that uses a write head to write a servo pattern on a recording medium according to an amplitude method, comprises: a position sensor that detects the displacement amount of the write head with respect to its reference position in the track crossing direction; and a delay amount adjustment circuit that writes a servo pattern in correspondence with a servo pattern write phase amount which is set for compensating the displacement amount detected by the position sensor at the time of demodulation of the servo pattern.

Abstract: A control apparatus, storage apparatus and control method uses a correction value for head position written in a recording medium to control head position and prevents a use of a correction value that has improperly been read out. The apparatus comprises: an allowable range acquisition section that acquires a correction value allowable range which is a previously set allowable range of a correction value; and a head position control section that controls head position using a read out correction value in the case where the correction value that has been read out from the recording medium falls within the correction value allowable range acquired by the allowable range acquisition section.

Abstract: An apparatus, method, and system for providing a fine adjustment for transducing head positioning in a hard disk drive (HDD). The apparatus, method, and system include reading a positioning error field wherein the resulting signal is a substantially sinusoidal position error signal (PES), filtering the PES to remove low frequencies and attenuate high frequencies, sample the filtered PES at a multiple of the channel frequency, filter the higher frequency harmonics, down sample the PES, and provide a signal proportional to the amplitude of the down sampled PES. This signal is the reference signal to the head positioning servo.

Abstract: The present invention may be embodied in a magnetic disk, of a disk drive, having eight-bit fields storing wedge repeatable runout (WRRO) compensation values and redundancy information. The WRRO compensation value of each field includes a six-bit binary value of which five bits represent a compensation magnitude and one bit represents a sign bit indicating a compensation direction. The redundancy information of each field has a first bit based on the sign bit.

Abstract: A method for operating a head testing apparatus (spin stand) using a mounted hard disk that has had its servo track information pre-written in an external servo-writing apparatus rather than in the testing apparatus itself. This insures more accurate servo-track writing and renders the testing operation more efficient. The problem of repeatable runout (RRO) associated with the transfer of a disk written in one machine to another is eliminated by forming a corrected position error signal (PES) by subtracting the average offset of one or more servo sector locations previously calculated using limited bandwidth operation of the servomechanism, from the position error signal generated during full bandwidth servo operation of the apparatus.

Abstract: Systems and techniques to write servo patterns on machine-readable media. In general, in one implementation, the technique includes: obtaining timing information from a spiral servo reference track on a machine-readable medium to determine head position, and generating a servo track with servo information based on the determined head position. Obtaining the timing information can involve determining a peak position of a diamond-shaped waveform and identifying occurrences of a timing-reference symbol in the spiral servo reference track. Moreover, identifying occurrences of the timing-reference symbol can involve decoding an encoded repeating pattern using multiple framings, correlating signal samples that indicate pattern transitions with valid pattern transitions as defined by the encoding, accumulating the transition pattern correlations for the multiple framings, selecting one of the multiple framings as a correct framing, and determining a waveform polarity for the signal.

Abstract: On a magnetic recording medium, M sets of burst patterns are formed along a direction of rotation of a substrate in each burst pattern region, where M is a natural number of two or higher. Each burst pattern is formed so as to include two types of burst signal units that are positioned at different distances from a center of data track patterns and have an equal length along a radial direction of the substrate. The length along the radial direction is (2·M/N) times the track pitch, where N is a natural number of two or higher.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a plurality of servo sectors that define a plurality of tracks, and a head comprising a read element radially offset from a write element. The read element is positioned over a first track, and the first track is read to generate first read wedge repeatable runout (WRRO) values. A first seek operation of the head positions the read element over a second track, and the second track is read to generate first write WRRO values. The first write WRRO values are used to write the first read WRRO values to the first track. A second seek operation of the head positions the read element over a third track, and the third track is read to generate second write WRRO values. The second write WRRO values are used to write the first write WRRO values to the second track.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for storing position offset information not used for aligning the read element of an MR head with the centerline of written data, during a read operation. The skew or offset between the read and the write elements on a read head is first calibrated. The offset information then stored on one or more dedicated tracks of the disk. To accomplish this, the write element is aligned with the centerline of the dedicated track. The position offset information is then written in the data field of the dedicated track. During the power-on process, the read element is aligned with the centerline of the dedicated track and the position offset information may be retrieved by simply reading the information previously stored on the dedicated track.