Patent ID: 7591180

Claim:
A contact inspection method for inspecting vibration conditions of a recording and reproduction device, the device comprising: a magnetic disk; a slider having a head for recording data to or reproducing data from the magnetic disk; and a suspension mechanically connecting the slider and a slider-holding mechanism; wherein a first detection element for detecting vibrations is attached to the magnetic disk, and a second detection element for detecting vibrations is attached to one of the slider, the suspension, and the slider-holding mechanism; the method comprising, when the slider is removed from the magnetic disk: detecting a vibration with the second detection element when the slider is separated from the magnetic disk; detecting a vibration with the first detection element when the slider and the magnetic disk come into contact with each other; determining whether a contact mode when the vibration is detected by the first detection element is a first contact mode in which the slider contacts the magnetic disk by a squeeze force generated by an effect of air between the slider and the magnetic disk, or a second contact mode in which the slider contacts the magnetic disk due to a spring vibration after the slider is separated from the magnetic disk, based on a time difference between a detection output from the first detection element and a detection output from the second detection element.