Patent ID: 8116020

Claim:
A disk drive comprising: a first disk surface and a second disk surface, wherein each disk surface comprises a plurality of data tracks; a first head actuated over the first disk surface, and a second head actuated over the second disk surface; and control circuitry operable to: generate a defect list comprising a plurality of entries, wherein each entry comprises a track number comprising a defect; identify a first cluster across the first and second disk surfaces, wherein a maximum data track number X 1 in the first cluster on the first disk surface is less than a maximum data track number Y 1 in the first cluster on the second disk surface; identify a second cluster across the first and second disk surfaces, wherein a maximum data track number X 2 in the second cluster on the first disk surface is less than a maximum data track number Y 2 in the second cluster on the second disk surface; select an entry from the defect list in response to X 1 ; and map the selected entry of the defect list into the second cluster.