Hi Drew --
I'm posting this to the users group also as there are many new Linux
users who might like to have this info.
The Linux OS uses the ext2 filesystem which is considerably different
from the vfat32 system of MS. As I mentioned earlier today (or started
to),
Linux checks the filesystem every so often at boot time. In the file
/etc/fstab, if you look at it with the mc command, you will see
something
like -
/dev/hda1 / ext2 defaults 1 1
/dev/hda2 swap swap defaults 0 0
/dev/hda3 /home ext2 defaults 1 2
The last numeric column sets the presidence of filesystem checking. Root
(/)
is, or should be set to 1 as it is the most important tree to check.
Swap is
set to 0 as it never needs checking, and home is set to 2 as it's less
in need
of checking.
Anyway, to check the FS when you want to or need to because of an
unforeseen
FS corruption (yes, it sometimes happens), here is how I was instructed:
1. Use the installation floppies you made to install Linux to boot your
system.
(Slackware uses a boot disk and root disk which are appropriate for this
purpose. Other distributions you may want to use a rescue disk - see
/usr/doc/Linux-HOW-TO's/Bootdisk HOW-TO for details on making this,
especially
the appendix "Pre-made bootdisks.) This is important as you cannot
safely or
completely check a mounted filesystem.
2. At the command line, type the command - mount /dev/hda1 /mnt - and
enter.
3. type the command - cd /mnt/usr/sbin - and enter.
4. type the command - cp e2fsck /bin - and enter.
5. type the command - cd / - and enter.
6. type the command - umount /mnt - and enter.
7. type the command - e2fsck -a /dev/hda1 - and enter. This will preform
a
series of operations analogous to scandisk and defrag in windoze!
8. When e2fsck is through, reboot with ctrl-alt-del. Be sure to remove
the
installation disks before rebooting as you want to start up with your
newly
refreshed filesystem.
Hope this helps. (If anyone has a better plan to check and defrag the
root FS
or other distro information [specifically Mandrake 7.1], please post!
--
Woody Mims - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - 541/684-0974
"All energy flows according to the whim of the Great Magnet"
- Hunter S. Thompson
