e2fsck checks ext2 filesystems, not drives. /dev/hdb is NOT a filesystem; it is a drive. The drive contains partitions; according to your (I presume) fdisk output, partitions /dev/hdb1 and /dev/hdb2 contain ext2 filesystems.
The message you get in response to "e2fsck -b 131073 /dev/hdb" is simply correct -- that device does NOT itself contain an ext2 filesystem. So ... try "e2fsck /dev/hdb1" and "e2fsck /dev/hdb2". As to your comment about hdb2 ... sorry, but I can't comment intelligently on a problem described as "major issues". At 10:45 PM 10/14/02 -0700, Alan Womack wrote: >[root@Webby root]# e2fsck -b 131073 /dev/hdb >e2fsck 1.23, 15-Aug-2001 for EXT2 FS 0.5b, 95/08/09 >e2fsck: Bad magic number in super-block while trying to open /dev/hdb > >The superblock could not be read or does not describe a correct ext2 >filesystem. If the device is valid and it really contains an ext2 >filesystem (and not swap or ufs or something else), then the superblock >is corrupt, and you might try running e2fsck with an alternate superblock: > e2fsck -b 8193 <device> > > >I've tried quite a few different superblocks, but I need a command to tell >me what my block size is. I might be sending it searching in the wrong >location. The partition table seems fine: > >Disk /dev/hdb: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 525 cylinders >Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes > > Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System >/dev/hdb1 1 11 88326 83 Linux >/dev/hdb2 12 470 3686917+ 83 Linux >/dev/hdb3 471 503 265072+ 82 Linux swap > >/dev/hdb1 is fine >/dev/hdb2 has major issues.. -- -------------------------------------------"Never tell me the odds!"-------- Ray Olszewski -- Han Solo Palo Alto, California, USA [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-newbie" in the body of a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.linux-learn.org/faqs
