[comp.os.minix] disks and errors

hbetel@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca (Heather Betel) (05/20/91)

	Last fall, I got a 40meg drive for free. It would be real nice
if I could use it for minix. The problem is that a section of it is
ruined. This section just happens to fall in the middle of the INODE
tables. Is there a way to get the hd device to skip over those areas?
	If it helps, I can post the blocks affected. I have no concept
of disk geometries (it's the one thing I couldn't seem to pick up from
the book), but I was told that all the errors reside on track 5.

Richard Betel
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know the login is Heather, but the name is Richard!

davem@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Dave McCrady) (05/20/91)

hbetel@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca (Heather Betel) writes:
> 
> 	Last fall, I got a 40meg drive for free. It would be real nice
> if I could use it for minix. The problem is that a section of it is
> ruined. This section just happens to fall in the middle of the INODE
> tables. Is there a way to get the hd device to skip over those areas?
> 	If it helps, I can post the blocks affected. I have no concept
> of disk geometries (it's the one thing I couldn't seem to pick up from
> the book), but I was told that all the errors reside on track 5.

  Try starting your first partition past cylinder 5...say in cyl. 10,
just to be safe.  As long as cylinder 0 is all right, it should work.
It will cost you a bit of capacity, but not much.


   Dave McCrady                 |  ersys!davem@nro.cs.athabascau.ca
+1 403-454-4054 (voice)         |  Disclaimer? Who needs a disclaimer?
+1 403-454-6093 (public USENET) |  I >own< the joint.

ITOC100@indycms.iupui.edu (James Nelson) (05/25/91)

On Sun, 19 May 91 17:16:22 GMT Heather Betel said:
<   Last fall, I got a 40meg drive for free. It would be real nice
<if I could use it for minix. The problem is that a section of it is
<ruined. This section just happens to fall in the middle of the INODE
<tables. Is there a way to get the hd device to skip over those areas?
<
<Richard Betel
A low level format should block out the bad tracks on the disk, then
you should be able to use it just like normal.

************************************************************************
*JIM NELSON
*<ITOC100@INDYCMS.IUPUI.EDU> OR <ITOC100@INDYCMS.BITNET>
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*<JNELSON@INDYMED.IUPUI.EDU> OR <JNELSON@INDYMED.BITNET>
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