[NTLUG:Discuss] continuing saga-filesystem contains errors on boot

[kbrannen@gte.net]

Fred James wrote:
> OK, I'm back - continuing saga - file system contains errors on boot.
> Observation:  the start of this problem seems to coincide with my added 
> a third user to the system (i.e., now I have root, and two users - each 
> user has their own group).
> Dell Latitude C800 laptop running Red Hat 7.3 - does that sound possible 
> or probable?

I suppose almost anything is possible in computer configurations, but it 
sounds so improbable to me; I'd say keep looking.

> I am now looking for some utility to run on Linux to do surface scan of 
> the disk to rule that out, if possible - any help on that thought?

Both Suse and RH (& therefore probably Mandrake) definitely offer bad-block 
checking when you partition your disk.  It may be separate, but there is also 
a write test with that, though I don't know if that option is on by default. 
If you can get a "minimal" install working, on the smallest partition 
possible, you can do "mke2fs -c -c /dev/hda?".  See the man page and read 
about "-c" twice".

Try a "minimal" install and play with that for awhile, to test it out.

Another thought, maybe you just have a bad spot early on the disk.  Create a 
good-sized partition for /home up front as hda1, then swap, then / and see if 
you have better luck.

> What if I just never shutdown/reboot - I mean my battery ought to be 
> able to carry from point to point - any known issues with that?  I mean, 

Assuming short point to point, I suppose; until your battery develops memory 
and refuses to hold a long enough charge.

> if I shut the lid/screen it goes blank, and opening it seems (in the 
> short test I have done here at my desk) light up fine.  And what about 
> heat - would that not be an issue if I carry the laptop inside a case?

This is probably your biggest worry (well I don't like bumping spinning hard 
drives, but laptops are supposed to be made for that and you can tell the BIOS 
to shut them down after a few minutes).  I once thought I'd turned my laptop 
off, put it in the zippered case, went home and pulled it out (after a 30 min 
car ride) only to find out that I hadn't pushed the button hard enough to 
really turn it off so it had been on the entire time.  Can you say oven? :-) 
Or at least that's what it seemed like inside the case.  Miraculously, it 
seemed to survive, though who knows how much I shortened its life by that 
stupid mistake (fortunately it was the company's machine and I left there a 
few months later).

> Thank you in advance for any insight, help, or guidance you may be able 
> to offer.

I still think your HD is going (gone?) bad, and it's only the newer distros 
that put it under enough stress so you see the failure.  You might also do a 
memtest86 run (put it on a floppy and boot from that), just to eliminate the 
slight probability of bad RAM (for thoroughness sake).

HTH,
Kevin