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Date: Tue, 7 Oct 1997 21:39:07 -0600 (MDT)
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From: Nate Williams <nate@mt.sri.com>
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To: Doug Russell <drussell@saturn-tech.com>
Cc: Nate Williams <nate@mt.sri.com>, hardware@freebsd.org
Subject: Re: Strange error message 
In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.95.971007201458.18192B-100000@hobbes.saturn-tech.com>
References: <199710061544.JAA00317@rocky.mt.sri.com>
	<Pine.BSF.3.95.971007201458.18192B-100000@hobbes.saturn-tech.com>
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Doug Russell writes:
> 
> On Mon, 6 Oct 1997, Nate Williams wrote:
> 
> > single-user and possibly tar up /etc (hopefully the error isn't in
> > there), and also dump /usr.  I might be able to restore it *IF* DOS can
> > somehow do bad-block re-allocation.
> 
> What drive is it?  Usually a low-level format will automatically map out
> all the nasties on the drive.  Depending on the drive, the manufacturer
> probably either has a special format utility, or if not, you should be
> able to pop it into a machine with an old low level routine in ROM (as
> long as it truly supports the actual number of cylinders, heads, etc) that
> the drive has, and do it that way.

This is a laptop, so I don't know of any 'machine' to throw it into.

> Most DOS-based utilities won't work because of limitations on their INT-13
> handling of the disk (can't do more than 1024 cylinders, etc), although
> there is probably something around somewhere that can do it right.  I
> suppose a quick program to talk directly to the drive would work too.

It'd be too much work to cobble something up.  I'd be more likely to
have them buy me a new drive, since the thing is only 810MB.


Nate