A method and apparatus for dynamically detecting write fault errors is provided. According to the invention,
transducer head
control parameters are adjusted according to observed events. For instance, off-track events of a certain magnitude may trigger the implementation of a severe shock
timer, which lengthens the
delay between the off-track event and allowing write operations to resume, as compared to the standard off-track
timer. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a lower write fault threshold is implemented following an off-track event of sufficient magnitude. According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the average or accumulated
position error of the
transducer head is monitored, and a lower write fault threshold implemented if the average
position error exceeds a threshold value. The present invention's provision of a method and apparatus that enables
transducer head
control parameters to be modified in response to observed off-track events allows the disk drive to provide
high resistance to
data loss without significant detrimental effects on the data
throughput performance of the disk drive.