HDD failure imminent. What to do?

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nubc · #1 Post by **nubc** » Thu 07 Sep 2017, 16:06

Dell Precision 390 Core2/2.8GHz
4 GB RAM
sda1 20GB full install Slacko 6.3.0 / frugal Slacko 5.7.0
sda2 remainder of 2T Seagate, about 1.9 TB for data
sdb1 4T for data

Lately, I've experienced a lot of system freezes, browser freezes, lengthy repeated system file checks with good deal of inode renaming on sda2, which does not contain an OS, only data. Partitions sda1 (containing full and frugal OS) and sdb1 (data only) usually check clean. I can usually get things to behave if I remove the second hdd (4T) from the system.

Today, the frugal install of Slacko 5.7 refused to boot, with an error of "DESKTOP FAILURE, reset to run video wizard." The full install of Slacko 6.3 failed to boot as well. I ran a e2fsck check, and it suggests there is no drive present due to the short read.

I just noticed that the 2T hdd containing sda1 and sda2 is almost full, showing 1,8T used, with 378 GB free. That's probably half the problem. I am hearing a good deal of chatter out of this hdd as well.

Any hope of recovering this setup without/before replacing it with a 4T hdd?

bigpup · #2 Post by **bigpup** » Thu 07 Sep 2017, 16:23

What is the format of the partitions on the bad drive?

If you can boot a Puppy version from a USB flash drive or CD/DVD.

Rox file manager.
May be as simple as copy stuff over to new drive.

If you try to access it this way.
What happens??

Gparted can do checks and repairs of partition file systems.
That may help.

nubc · #3 Post by **nubc** » Thu 07 Sep 2017, 16:33

File system is all ext3, except swap. Thing is, sda1, 20GB containing both OSes, is only half full.

bigpup · #4 Post by **bigpup** » Thu 07 Sep 2017, 16:52

I am thinking it could have some bad sectors.

If it is a Seagate drive.

Seatools may help you.
http://www.seagate.com/support/downloads/seatools/

Download the dos version and burn to a cd or USB flash drive.
It is a iso image that will make a boot-able tools package.

Look at the SeaTools for DOS tutorial on how to use it.

nubc · #5 Post by **nubc** » Thu 07 Sep 2017, 20:22

I ordered a new 4TB Seagate hdd from Staples. Although the warehouse is only 25 miles away, I have to wait until Tuesday for delivery. And there is a big superstorm passing through here during this period. In the meantime, I will be running a live CD of the latest Slacko, assuming it will work on this old clunker.

Tag300 · #6 Post by **Tag300** » Thu 07 Sep 2017, 22:23

You mean four terabytes? If so then I might upgrade my hard drive to 4 Terabytes.

nubc · #7 Post by **nubc** » Fri 08 Sep 2017, 16:47

Slacko 6.9.9.9 will not boot, and I do not wish to spend any more time on this version. I am now using Slacko 5.7.0, but the browser, FF 17.0.11 is so old I can do very little on the internet. I have also used Slacko 6.3, but Firefox does not work with this version, so I must used an obsolete version of Chrome, which I don't much like. Can someone recommend a stable version of Slacko between Slacko 6.3 and 6.9? Please provide a download link.

The two drives in my computer are now acting read/write protected, with yellow exclamation signs on most directories. So I removed the data cables to both drives. Now I am working with 4 GB ram and a 16 GB thumb drive.

UPDATE: I managed to upgrade the browser to FF 45.0.2. so I will be running Slacko 5.7

bigpup · #8 Post by **bigpup** » Fri 08 Sep 2017, 19:52

The two drives in my computer are now acting read/write protected, with yellow exclamation signs on most directories. So I removed the data cables to both

If this is a computer with some age to it.
I would take a good look at the motherboard condition.
Bulging and leaking capacitors is the first thing to check.

nubc · #9 Post by **nubc** » Fri 08 Sep 2017, 20:12

Nope, didn't see a single bulging cap.

How many GB of data would I have to move from the 2TB to the 4TB drive to make problems go away? The misbehaving 2 TB drive currently has 378 GB of free space, so would I need to move off another 300 GB of data?

nubc · #10 Post by **nubc** » Sat 09 Sep 2017, 03:24

This situation couldn't get much more frustrating. I tried to put a savefile on the thumb drive, but it only gives a kernel panic when I try a reboot. I was going to move some files off of sda2 to sdb1, but when I booted up with both drives connected, only sdb1 appeared and Slacko was running as a live CD.. So I removed sdb1 to see if sda1/sda2 would boot up alone, and it did, as a frugal install. Then I reconnected sdb1 (4 TB) and again only sdb1 appeared, with Slacko running as a live CD.

Cam one put a savefile on a USB thumb drive?

Is there a way to force the frugal install to boot when both drives are connected? How does this system decide to boot as live CD instead of frugal install?

bigpup · #11 Post by **bigpup** » Sat 09 Sep 2017, 04:04

Slacko was running as a live CD.

Not knowing how you did the USB flash drive install.

Look on the USB flash drive for what is being used as the boot config file.
syslinux.cfg or maybe isolinux.cfg or maybe a menu.lst.

Open it in a text editor.
If it has a entry pmedia=cd.
Change to pmedia=usbflash.

That should make it boot like it is on a USB flash drive.

Can one put a savefile on a USB thumb drive?

If you do the above it should with no problem.

nubc · #12 Post by **nubc** » Sat 09 Sep 2017, 04:06

For the purpose of moving files with both drives connected, the thumb drive had been removed, especially since it was giving a kernel panic. I have since deleted the savefile since I borked the name of the file anyway. Any special way I should create the USB savefile at the end of first session?

bigpup · #13 Post by **bigpup** » Sat 09 Sep 2017, 04:18

I think we are typing and posting at the same time.

I am starting to wonder if you have a problem with the computers bios.

Could access it by hitting usually del or F2 at the very start of bootup.

Look at settings dealing with the hard drives, etc.........

Most all bios's have a reset to default settings option.

If you do the reset to default.

May have to go to boot device options and change type device boot order so USB and CD/DVD will boot first.

nubc · #14 Post by **nubc** » Sat 09 Sep 2017, 04:19

bigpup wrote: Look on the USB flash drive for what is being used as the boot config file.
syslinux.cfg or maybe isolinux.cfg or maybe a menu.lst.

Are these possible files going to be hard to find on the thumb drive? Are they in the savefile?

You're saying, the live CD boot is a BIOS issue? [That might make sense.]

I remember when I set up the bad savefile, that the program selected the thumb drive for me, which it named sda1. With all drives removed, the thumb drive is designated sda1.

If this problem is caused by filling up the sda2 drive, how many gigs of data would I have to move off to clear the problem? (Ballpark)

bigpup · #15 Post by **bigpup** » Sat 09 Sep 2017, 04:29

You're saying, the live CD boot is a BIOS issue?

No.
The entry pmedia=cd is probably making the USB boot like it is on a CD..

The bios settings idea is about the hard drives not wanting to work correctly.

Are these possible files going to be hard to find on the thumb drive? Are they in the savefile?

They should be on the top layer of the USB partition.
Or in a frugal install, in the directory Slacko is in.

Any special way I should create the USB savefile at the end of first session?

Choose to put it on the USB flash drive.

First
Check for the pmedia=usbflash entry in what is the boot config file on the USB flash drive.

Look at my previous post about that issue.

nubc · #16 Post by **nubc** » Sat 09 Sep 2017, 04:37

Let me repeat again, the thumb drive was not inserted during the attempted data transfer, when there was a problem with booting as lived CD instead of frugal install.

Two differenf things are going on here. (1) I am trying to set up a temporary frugal install with savefile on USB drive, until my new drive gets delivered next week, In the meantime, (2) I realize that the full drive sda2 is going to be problematic until I move some data off it, so I am interested in transferring some date between drives.

As I recall, there is no option in the savefile dialog to put it on a USB thumb drive.

bigpup · #17 Post by **bigpup** » Sat 09 Sep 2017, 04:45

I understand that.

Maybe I am misunderstanding this statement by you.

Slacko was running as a live CD.

I understand that as saying it is running in the pupmode for a live CD and not the pupmode for a USB flash drive.

bigpup · #18 Post by **bigpup** » Sat 09 Sep 2017, 04:48

I realize that the full drive sda2 is going to be problematic until I move some data off it, so I am interested in transferring some date between drives.

I thought transferring data was a problem, because the hard drives where not working correctly.

nubc · #19 Post by **nubc** » Sat 09 Sep 2017, 04:52

The flash drive is not relevant during the data transfer operation, as it has been completely removed from the system. Instead, one or both hard drives are connected, and I want the frugal install to boot. Instead, with both drives connected, the CD does not boot the frugal install, but instead it boots as a live CD. Sorry if I am repeating myself. I would say there is a problem with boot order in BIOS.

nubc · #20 Post by **nubc** » Sat 09 Sep 2017, 04:55

Well, as you can see, there are issues. But I did get the 2TB hdd to boot as a single drive, frugal install. You are right, I need to move some data off the full drive. I'm not sure what pupmode is, but I am not running a live USB thumb drive in any way. There WAS a savefile on the USB drive, that is all. That savefile has been deleted, and I have quickly brought this new session up to a satisfactory quitting place. Before long I will attempt to create another savefile on the USB. It's going to be a long 4 days before I get a new drive.

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HDD failure imminent. What to do?

HDD failure imminent. What to do?