'Low-level' formatting, which defines the data tracks and their spacing, is done at the factory with precision gear. Probably no formatting utility that gets into the hands of users can do this, and certainly the gear isn't available to them.

Formatting a drive by a user is a matter of erasure of existing data (if erasure is invoked) and writing the logical structures (partitions) and drivers to the disk. In Apple's case this is at least five partitions, only one of which becomes the 'volume' mounted on the desktop.

If you cannot 'see' the data volume on the desktop you can choose between dead drive, scrambled or missing driver, defective cabling or power supply to the drive. You know which you can eliminate in this case because you are there. If it is the driver, because early Apple disk utilities are less capable of 'taking over' drives that have been formatted with a third-party utility, although they should be able to unmount and repair Apple-formatted drives, you need Silverlining (LaCie), FWB's Hard Disk ToolKit, Intech's HD SpeedTools, ATTO's utility or the like. All of these can follow Apple's partition scheme and provide the requisite drivers (plural).

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