Very Computer

I can't install Slackware 3.3. Please could one of you help me--sorry if
this has come up before.

I'm trying to set it up on a 486DX/33 with 16MB of memory. The software is
going onto a 70-odd MB partition of the second IDE hard disk drive. The
drive has 6 heads, 55 sectors per track and 1010 cylinders, if that's any
help, and has a few bad sectors. I'm also setting aside 5775K for a swap
partition. The machine also has a Mitsumi CD-ROM drive, although during
the run described below, I deliberately did not use a boot disk containing
CD-ROM device drivers, in order to remove the possibility that they might
be causing a problem. As far as I am aware, the machine is 100% PC
compatible. I am using the Mitsumi IDE root disk and the 'color' boot
disk.

I successfully set up the partitions according to the installation
instructions, using Linux's version of fdisk.  Then, I tried to initialise
the swap partition with the following command:

mkswap -c /dev/hdb2 5775

I then got the following error messages:

Whoops: unlock_buffer: async io complete on unlocked page
Whoops: unlock_buffer: async io complete on unlocked page
Whoops: unlock_buffer: async io complete on unlocked page
Whoops: unlock_buffer: async io complete on unlocked page
Whoops: unlock_buffer: async io complete on unlocked page
Whoops: unlock_buffer: async io complete on unlocked page
Whoops: unlock_buffer: async io complete on unlocked page
Kernel panic: VFS: Free block list corrupted

The machine then hangs.

I have tried the installation many times over. It always crashes at some
point (though sometimes after the swap partition has been set up). Every
time, I get the "Whoops..." message.

Is this error message something to do with the installation ramdisk
getting corrupted for some reason? What can I do about it? Any comments,
however general, would be most welcome.

Thanks

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I think it is the bad blocks.  I have never run into this problem before, but
I have heard that linux has a big problem with corrupted hard drives.  (Along
with just about every other operating system I can think of)

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-=>I think it is the bad blocks.  I have never run into this problem before, but
-=>I have heard that linux has a big problem with corrupted hard drives.  (Along
-=>with just about every other operating system I can think of)

Thanks for this :) I don't think that there are many bad blocks compared to
the size of the partition, though. I've tried putting the swap partition
over the the bad blocks and the data partition, but neither makes the
system work.

BTW, I understand from something I read a few years ago that it's common
for HDs to have a few bad sectors. When the bad sectors were in a DOS
partition, DOS noted that they were bad & worked around them: I don't see
why Linux can't do the same (It notices that they're bad when I run
mke2fs). Someone suggested to me that I low-level reformat this
drive--perhaps I should try that.

If anyone else has any other ideas, I'll be very grateful if they could be
shared.

Thanks again

Quote:> Thanks for this :) I don't think that there are many bad blocks compared to
> the size of the partition, though. I've tried putting the swap partition
> over the the bad blocks and the data partition, but neither makes the
> system work.

> BTW, I understand from something I read a few years ago that it's common
> for HDs to have a few bad sectors. When the bad sectors were in a DOS
> partition, DOS noted that they were bad & worked around them: I don't see
> why Linux can't do the same (It notices that they're bad when I run
> mke2fs). Someone suggested to me that I low-level reformat this
> drive--perhaps I should try that.

Torsten
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TO REPLY:  respell altantic to atlantic in reply.
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: -=>I think it is the bad blocks.  I have never run into this problem before, but
: -=>I have heard that linux has a big problem with corrupted hard drives.  (Along
: -=>with just about every other operating system I can think of)

: Thanks for this :) I don't think that there are many bad blocks compared to
: the size of the partition, though. I've tried putting the swap partition
: over the the bad blocks and the data partition, but neither makes the
: system work.

: BTW, I understand from something I read a few years ago that it's common
: for HDs to have a few bad sectors. When the bad sectors were in a DOS
: partition, DOS noted that they were bad & worked around them: I don't see
: why Linux can't do the same (It notices that they're bad when I run
: mke2fs). Someone suggested to me that I low-level reformat this
: drive--perhaps I should try that.

: If anyone else has any other ideas, I'll be very grateful if they could be
: shared.

Hi, just installed Linux (slakware 3.3)for the first time, and rand into
the same problem.  Try reformatting the Root Partition, and when you do,
make sure you set it to check for bad sectors, it will take a lot longer,
but should take care for the problem.

--
Bill

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