harrow@exodus.DEC (Jeff Harrow, NCSE LKG1-3/F16 DTN=226-7445) (01/10/86)
**Update on the HD20 Desktop file corruption**
Well, I had pretty much resigned myself to re-initializing the disk and
spending the weekend reloading the HD20 (my stringent backup policy comes
through again!).
Then, I started thinking about the logistics of how to begin this task...
First, I had to re-initialize the HD20. Simple; just choose Erase Disk
from the Finder menu... Of course, since the Desktop was corrupt and could
not be rebuilt, how to GET to the finder menu?
If I turn OFF the HD20 and boot from the HD20 startup floppy, it becomes
the startup volume but, since it has not performed its magic on the HD20
the system doesn't mount the HD20 when it's subsequently turned ON!
Hence, I can't Erase Disk!
(Grumble, grumble... It's still early morning in CA and my ***HELP*** call
will have to wait...)
So I thought I'd experiment a bit. I remember reading in the HD20 manual
that you could force a floppy to become the startup volume by holding down
the mouse button during the program-launch procedure. So, assuming that
all on the disk is lost in any event, I tried holding it down once the
floppy's startup screen was displayed.
Voila! The HD20 startup floppy booted, configured-in the HD20, and
remained the startup volume. I then got a dialog box saying that the HD20
needed "minor repair" and chose OK.
This time, with the floppy being the startup volume ALL WORKED FINE, and
the HD20 healed itself!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!
As a sidelight, the original 163,840 byte Desktop file shrank to 64,405
bytes, although the speed improvement seems subjectively marginal.
Well, it was a close thing, but at least there was a way out. However, I'm
STILL rather concerned that there is apparently no way to FORCE a
reinitialization of the HD20 if necessary (as if I STILL could not
uncorrupt the Desktop file). Any ideas on what to do then?
Hope your morning has been better than mine...
Jeff Harrow
Work address:
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Littleton, MA 01460borton@sdcc3.UUCP (Chris Borton) (01/12/86)
After reading the previous description of Desktop horror I decided to relate
my experience:
I had the same thing happen to me when I accidentally loaded in two copies of
Finder 5.1 into Switcher 4.4. They worked a little while, but then I think
they got to fighting over the Desktop file and everything went poof! I, too,
tried everything to get my HD20 back, and finally on the 4th try of booting
the HD20 startup with the mouse held down got the repair to work.
To my great surprise, all windows and folders were kept perfectly intact!!!
I had been wanting to try rebuilding the Desktop for a while, but dreaded
redoing all my window positioning like I would have to on a Finder 4.1
Desktop rebuild. (note: it took about five minutes to rebuild 14.5M. The
previous three tries had done the same, but then went out to lunch leaving me
with a watch to look at forever until I restarted).
Now, this paragraph is a plea to Apple and all other developers to take the
little time and effort necessary to change the cursor to the watch when the
program is working. Finder 5.x updates the Desktop and THEN 'zooms out' to run
the application, and since the cursor remains the arrow during this update there
are numerous times when you are left wondering if you really did double-click
or if you 'missed.' Since I often work with noise that covers up drive noise
(namely my stereo) I can't rely on that noise to tell me what is going on. I
need VISUAL feedback!
A tip on reformatting the HD20: in January MacTutor one fellow describes how
he got his done after it was 'blasted into bit-heaven' by MacZap. Apparently
there is an unknown option in the HD20 Test program that appears if you hit
Cmd-D at the dialog box. (Something about a destructive test) Using that
and turning the HD20 on and off several times (sounds dangerous to me) he got
the drive 'damaged enough' for the boot disk to initialize it. The logical
way seems to boot the HD20 startup disk with the mouse down and when the HD20
appears as the second drive, select it and choose initialize. Has anyone
tried that? I'm wary of doing it until a decent backup program is in my
hands. Does anyone know of one, or one to come out soon? It sure is
necessary...especially since my System is 471K!
Happy Maccing!
Chris Borton, UC San Diego Undergraduate CS
Micro Consultant, UCSD
borton@ucsd.ARPA or ...!{ucbvax,decvax,noscvax,ihnp4,bang}!sdcsvax!borton