/sys$common/syshlp/helplib.hlb INITIALIZE, Qualifiers, /BADBLOCKS  *Conan The Librarian (sorry for the slow response - running on an old VAX)

       /BADBLOCKS=(area[,...])

    Specifies, for disk volumes, faulty areas on the volume. The
    INITIALIZE command marks the areas as allocated so that no data
    is written in them.

    Possible formats for area are as follows:

    lbn[:count]       Logical block number (LBN) of the first block
                      and optionally a block count beginning with the
                      first block, to be marked as allocated

    sec.trk.cyl[:cnt] Sector, track, and cylinder of the first block,
                      and optionally a block count beginning with the
                      first block, to be marked as allocated

    All media supplied by Compaq and supported on the OpenVMS
    operating system, except diskettes and TU58 cartridges, are
    factory formatted and contain bad block data. The Bad Block
    Locator utility (BAD) or the diagnostic formatter EVRAC can be
    used to refresh the bad block data or to construct it for the
    media exceptions above. The /BADBLOCKS qualifier is necessary
    only to enter bad blocks that are not identified in the volume's
    bad block data.

    DIGITAL Storage Architecture (DSA) disks (for example, disks
    attached to UDA-50 and HSC50 controllers) have bad blocks handled
    by the controller, and appear logically perfect to the file
    system.

    For information on how to run BAD, refer to the OpenVMS Bad Block
    Locator Utility Manual (available on the Documentation CD-ROM).