A method for inscribing data onto a magnetic medium (12) wherein portions of an oxide coating (16) of the medium are removed from the medium (12) to create voids (88) while the oxide coating (16) is left undisturbed on areas adjacent to the voids (88). The adjacent areas are then uniformly magnetized. When the medium is moved past a read head (78), changes in magnetic field present at transition points (82) and (84) between the voids (88) and the uniformly magnetized oxide coating (16) of adjacent areas cause a current to be induced in a coil (80) of the read (78) head which current is interpreted by conventional read circuitry as being a data bit. The data inscribed by this method is not erasable by conventional means. The inventive method may be practiced upon selected portions of a medium (12) such that non-erasable data areas and conventional magnetically erasable data areas can coexist on the same medium (12).

The present invention provides a master carrier for magnetic transfer, comprising a plurality of transfer information recording sectors having recording information magnetized thereon, a non-magnetic-material sector defining each of the transfer information recording sectors is present between each of adjacent transfer information recording sectors, and surfaces of the transfer information recording sectors and surfaces of the non-magnetic material sectors are positioned on and form the same plane.

To ensure an overwrite characteristic for a magnetic disk and restrain the occurrence of waveform distortion. When record data (updated data) is recorded on a target area of a magnetic disk, a dc erase is effected to thereby ensure a requested overwrite characteristic. Next, erasing data of a constant frequency is recorded i.e., an intermediates wavelength erase is accomplished. Then, the record data is recorded. Since the erasing data is recorded before the recording of the record data, a magnetized pattern corresponding to the erasing data is formed over a recording layer (magnetic film) as a bed and waveform distortion is restrained from occurring due to the execution of the dc erase alone.

A magnetic disk medium patterned linear magnetic channels in a radial direction of the disk is employed in a magnetic disk drive unit. The magnetic channels are patterned by high-resolution patterning techniques and are separated by channel boundaries to reduce magnetic coupling between the magnetic channel. The lithographically determined magnetic channel widths are matched with the head width to optimize the storage capability of the disk drive unit. The magnetic medium is further patterned into spatially modulated sections that provide for an inherent servo-signal that reduces or eliminates the need for pre-recorded servo data.

A magnetic disk apparatus has: a head (2) that performs data recording and playback while moving relative to a magnetic disk (26) rotating at the prescribed speed; an actuator (3) that positions said head relative to said magnetic disk (26); and a controller (4) that detects the position of said head by means of servo sector that have positioning information recorded magnetically on said magnetic disk (1) and performs control to position said actuator (3) by means of this detection signal, wherein said magnetic disk (1) has at least a part in which the arrangement of tracks is spiral. The magnetic patterns on the disk include a servo sector and a data sector both formed on the same spiral track. The servo sector includes burst patterns for servo control.