In a disk drive having a head positioned over a track on a rotating disk, a method of writing a string of data blocks having a starting data block and an ending data block which are required to be written sequentially in respective addressable locations disposed on the track, the respective addressable locations having a leading addressable location corresponding to the starting data block and a trailing addressable location corresponding the ending data block and a pass is defined to be an interval which is initiated by the leading addressable location passing under the head, and terminated by the trailing addressable location passing under the head, the method comprising the steps of
- determining if the head is positioned within a safe-to-write window;
- if the bead is determined to be positioned within a safe-to-write window performing the steps of:
- determining that an addressable location which is required to be written has passed under the head during the pass without being written;
- determining if another addressable location which is required to be written has yet to pass under the head during the pass;
- if so then
- writing to the other addressable location during the pass.