Bill, By the sounds it's making, I'd be afraid that you have a physical problem developing and expect you probably have minimal time to recover whatever you want to recover. Given those assumptions, I'd spend a half a C-note to get one of the huge drives you can get so cheaply now, partition and set one partition up as a the OSX startup. Then I'd configure the sick drive as a slave and re-attach it - but I would not reattach it before the new drive was in and set up, because I wouldn't want to spin it unnecessarily. Then, to the degree the sick drive will allow, you can do fast transfers. I don't know whether it's best to start with critical files in your sickest area, the OSX partition, or to start with the OS9 stuff but suspect the latter because you should have most of the OSX stuff in fresh install packages.
I also suggest that you disconnect the drive with your files until you're satisfied that the new drive is stable. It's possible, perhaps not likely but possible, that another problem with your system is causing the hard drive problem and you'd hate to learn about that at the expense of some corrupted files. I had a machine (a 6500) with a sick internal modem which caused file corruptions, so I know it's possible. Atta boy on keeping the old girl in running shape. I still use a G3 tower (with G4 accelerator) as my primary machine. Would still be using a '98 vintage version, but I fried the motherboard by installing a faulty accelerator a few months ago. Hell, my 7200 in in service at my Bro-in-law's house, my old 6500 is going to a favorite uncle, and I'm about to bring my 8500 back on line here so I can run a lot stuff on OS8.6 and keep the OSX machine cleaner. Keeping them running as long as they should is a good thing. But I'll let my old 128k machine, et al, stay retired ... although they still work. I hate that I had to miss the meeting the other night - no choice - and hope the knowledge that was spread about is sound enough to field the questions I'll eventually submit. Bill Holt > From: Bill Rising <brising at Louisville.edu> > Reply-To: macgroup at erdos.math.louisville.edu > Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2004 12:32:26 -0400 > To: MacUser Group <macgroup at erdos.math.louisville.edu> > Subject: MacGroup: disk woes > > Hey folks, > > Last night a file corruption bug hit, I do believe. Here's my setup: > one physical disk partitioned into 2 pieces - one for Mac OS X, one for > MacOS 9.2.2 (the systems disk) > one physical disk with a single partition for my stuff (the data disk) > Running Mac OS X 10.3.5 > > Here was what happened: > > Working along happily. > Opened an email. > Disk sounded like it was thrashing. vppp vppp vip vip vip vip ... vppp > vppp vip vip vip vip ... > Machine died a slow death (windows disappearing etc.) > Hit the programmers switch between vips. > Disk went through vppp vppp vip vip vip vip routine for a long time. > Finally got the flashing question mark on a folder. > Tried starting up off a Jaguar disk (because the Panther disks were at > work). Failed, even with the C key pressed. > Tried again and again, until the machine finally booted up. > Tried to look at the disks using the Jaguar install disk disk utility. > Neither drive appeared. > Opened machine and took data disk out, put it in another machine - it > was just fine. > Tried restarting with just the systems disk. No luck. > Unplugged USB hub. > Zapped PRAM for 6 boings. Finally got startup chimes (hadn't had any > before). > After sitting for a long time vipping, the machine started in MacOS > 9.2.2 and asked if I wanted to initialize the partition containing Mac > OS X. > > Other info which may or may not be pertinent: > > Since upgrading to Mac OS X 10.3.5, I had trouble with my USB flash > memory. If I plugged it into the USB hub when the machine was asleep, > the blue light on the memory would light and then go out, the machine > would awake, but would lock up hard - no pointer, no response to the > keyboard, nothing. So... I'd have to hard reboot. > > The systems disk is the old 10GB disk which came with the machine in > March, 2000. > > Conclusions, which may be false: > > The disk itself is just fine, because the MacOS 9 partition was > recognized. > The partition containing Mac OS X has some corruption. > > Any suggestions about the best strategy to continue? Should I buy a > disk utility to repair the disk? Should I just reformat the Mac OS X > partition, reinstall Panther, go through all the updates, and then go > through the headache of installing whatever software insisted on being > on the startup drive? > > Thanks, > > Bill > getting payback for bragging about using an old Mac for years which > never had a lick of trouble. > > > | The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will | be August 24. The LCS Web page is <http://www.kymac.org>. | List posting address: <mailto:macgroup at erdos.math.louisville.edu> | List Web page: <http://erdos.math.louisville.edu/macgroup>
