A magnetic recording disk has an improved surface film formed on the disk blank. A sputter-deposited surface coating containing nickel, chromium and oxygen (Ni-Cr-O) is formed on a AlMg disk blank, after which a cobalt alloy magnetic layer is formed over the Ni-Cr-O coating and a protective overcoat is formed over magnetic layer. The use of the Ni-Cr-O coating on the disk blank eliminates the need for a wet electroless deposition process for creation of a surface coating and results in an inherent texturing of the subsequently deposited magnetic film and protective overcoat which conform to the surface texture of the sputter-deposited Ni-Cr-O. The disks made with the Ni-Cr-O surface film exhibit a very law static friction force between the air-bearing slider and the disk surface when the disks are used in contact start/stop (CSS) disk files.