Unix-PC HD flakey as all get out

[was-John McMillan]

In article <1989Sep5.163304.12673 at mccc.uucp> shevett at mccc.UUCP (Dave Shevett) writes:
:
>can read everything, run things, etc - BUT - 'df' reports something like
>11875 blocks, 0 i-nodes.  Great.  So I delete some files (rm rm rm rm rm)
>and do another 'df'.  NOTHING happens (the # prompt returns).  I reboot,
>using the floppies, and do a df again.  14772 blocks, 0 i-nodes.  (!!!!)
>
>I figure the superblock is trashed, and I'd like to run an fsck on it,
>forcing a rebuild of the freelist - HOW DO I DO IT?  I can't just do 
>fsck -(cant remember option) /dev/fp002 - it says 'Mounted file system.
>Ignored').  I can't umount it - don't have fsck on a workable floppy (I
>think). 
:

Puzzlement: it sounds like you booted floppy FS then examined disk,
	but don't know how to FSCK that disk?  I think I'm missing
	something, but I'll presume not... so...

1) Boot from Floppy.  (DELETE-key out of installation script upon
	1st question.)

2) ls /mnt
	a) If /mnt directory is empty, then mount HD.
		mount /dev/fp002 /mnt
	b) If /mnt directory is NOT empty, then presumably the HD
		is mounted.
   (Some releases left it one way, some the other.)

3) Run FSCK:
	/mnt/etc/fsck -y -s /dev/rfp002    <-my style: I hate typing 'y'
		- or -
	/mnt/etc/fsck    -s /dev/rfp002	   <-for those not trusting -y
				 ^
				 +--- note the RAW disk reference.

4) reboot w/o synch-ing

Note: you shoulda run:
		df -t		<- rather than 'df'
'df -t' woulda toldja how MANY inodes were declared to exist on disk
-- a question when you're wondering about a corrupted HD.

Please inform us of the results -- we're inquiring mynds...

john mcmillan	-- att!mtunb!jcm	-- speaking for SELF, not AT&T