> What you've posted will "work", but (to be pedantic) your '-b' parameter > is potentially incorrect
Obviously badblocks multiplies the start/end numbers by block size. Because disk blocks and LBAs are always 512 it can be useful to use -b 512 and /dev/hda and not /dev/hda5. There are many ways to skin a cat, none is better than the others. Either way you end up converting someway. > than "part of" the whole disk. Use multiple passes if you haven't tried > that, and do a destructive write test with '-t random' and a largish > number of passes if you can and haven't tried already. The large bandwidth taken by badblocks rather slows the machine too much, perhaps later. A limit option would be handy so one can keep working. > It's difficult to offer many > others given that you provide additional bits of information about > what's going on in dribs and drabs. Well, I provided all needed info for the question I asked. You could always think about way and possible uses yourself (Martin had a very good one!), but it doesn't change the answer. I even went to the trouble of saying please don't tell me to copy. If I had been looking for any way of achieving the same effect I'd have said so. You made implicit assumptions on no info, resulting in blanket statements which aren't always correct without further qualifications or conditions. I appreciate you trying to be helpful, but you can't blame me for "drip-feeding" you info about problems I don't have and questions I haven't asked. E.g. you shouldn't be needing a clueless person (your words) to explain possible scenarious for the "strange" results if you're that clued up about hard disk failures yourself ;))) Volker -- Volker Kuhlmann is possibly list0570 with the domain in header http://volker.dnsalias.net/ Please do not CC list postings to me.
