Re: KERNEL Panic!

[Laszlo Acs <laszlo@lanscape.net>]

At 12:58 AM 11/21/98 +0000, you wrote:
>
>Laszlo Acs wrote:
>
>> I suddenly had a blowout.
>>
>> Screen log shows:
>> VFS: Mounted root (ext2 filesystem) readonly.
>> -/bin/sh: can't open cache '/etc/ld.so.cache'
>> hda: read_intr: status=0x59 {DriveReady SeekComplete DataRequest Error }
>> hda: read_intr: error=0x40 {UncorrectableError }, LBAsect=16457, sector=16394
>> end_request: I/O error, dev 03:01, sector 16394
>> Kernel panic: EXT2-fs panic (device 03:01): ext2_read_inode: unable to read
>> i-node block - inode=1921, block=8197
>>
>> What should I do?  Do I have to start all over?  My interpretation of this
>> message is that the hard drive apparently has developed a bad block or
>> something.  Am I correct?  I have this sinking feeling that I should've
>> backed up all that stuff I worked on last night when I was thinking about
>> it... but no, it was late... besides, what would happen...  Murphy's Law...
>
>Get that backup - quick!
>
>It certainly sounds like a disk failure of some kind.  Assuming that this isn't
>a new drive or something, it seems like age has caught up with you.
>
>But all is not lost - yet.
>
>/etc/ld.so.cache is an important file for the system, but it's a cache file -
>just like the name says.  You can rebuild the cache file with a simple
"ldconfig
>-v".  Be sure to rename (not delete) the old file; it wouldn't do if the system
>tried to write the new cache file to the same disk location.

When I get that message, the computer at that point is in such a state that
the keyboard is active (I can type and the letters appear on the monitor,
but nothing happens.  There are no other windows to switch to, no active
process that will respond to any keyboard manipulation.  Interestingly,
CTRL-ALT-DEL will reset the computer. Trying to boot from my lilo rescue
will not occur.  I checked CMOS to make sure that A: is first in Boot
Sequence (it was) and still, no doing.  I believe that my old 486 (it is
OLD, and a Cyrix...) finally bit the proverbial bad apple.  I'm gonna try a
few other non-destructive DOS things, if I can coax this baby into booting
from disk.  

It's not such a big loss if scratched, though.  I'm used to losing hours,
days, and weeks of data and work.  It's not like anything on this machine
provides sustenance.  This particular machine is my educator, a trainer
which I use only sporadically.  Granted, I'm not a pretty sight and my kid's
run from my presence. "[My] mood and facial expression speaks volumes,"
replies my fiancee.  Not the first time this has happened, probably not the
last.

Ahh... Checking hardware, I found the A: disk had somehow gotten it's power
disconnected.  So now I can boot from A:...

I do believe all is lost.  I just tried many different drive utilities and
the hardware approach by swapping the hard drive on to a newer bios/real
Intel processor board.  No go.  The HD has no bootable partition (odd since
it does boot) and nothing I do nor any non-destrutive utility I try will
scan the surface to check for errors.  Norton doesn't even recognize it's
existance.  Does anyone know of any utility that can do something to attempt
a rescue of the data on this drive, or should I toast it and re-partition it
or have CMOS wipe and scan the partitions?

Thanks, Jeff...

Laszlo


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