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.


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