[techtalk] problems with disk IBM 73 Gb

[ktb]

On Mon, Mar 19, 2001 at 04:30:42PM +0200, Helen Katz wrote:
> > I've never dealt with disks even half as large.  I will be more
> > curious that helpful here I'm sure but -
> > Could you post the actual error messages your are getting and where the
> > errors are being written to?  Also this 'noise,' what kind of noise?
> > Describe it more.  When does it happen, any particular time?
> The errors are shown when I do:
>  dmesg
> hda: read_intr: status=0x59 { DriveReady SeekComplete DataRequest Error }
> hda: read_intr: error=0x40 { UncorrectableError }, LBAsect=111610781,
> sector=104333336
> end_request: I/O error, dev 03:03 (hda), sector 104333336
> hda: read_intr: status=0x59 { DriveReady SeekComplete DataRequest Error }
> hda: read_intr: error=0x40 { UncorrectableError }, LBAsect=111610795,
> sector=104333350
<snip>

> --------------------------------------------------------
> Other times I see the messages on the text screen:
> This machine has the I/O errors in /etc :
> EXT2-fs error (device ide0(3,1)): ext2_read_inode: unable to read inode
> block - inode=198603, block4
> hda: read_intr: status=0x59 { DriveReady SeekComplete DataRequest Error }
> hda: read_intr: error=0x40 { UncorrectableError }, LBAsect=3146895,
> sector=3146832
<snip>

> ---------------------------------------------------
> The noise is heard while I'm restarting the computer, and
> it complains about the FS . Then I do:
> e2fsck -y /dev/hda3
> and while the disk is correcting itself it makes a noise
> like a suing machine.
> Thank you for your interest.

The errors you posted above are not ones I like to see.  Usually that
means the drive is bad.  I have read people have used hdparm to correct
disks that output error messages such as these but I'm sceptical
myself.  You might use http://www.geocrawler.com/ and see what you can
drum up.  

The noise your hearing "like a sewing machine" is probably just e2fsck
doing it's job.  If you were hearing "clunks" that would be a dead
drive.

>From your original post I was under the impression that all 14 disks
were exhibiting this behavior.  Is this true?  If so I would say your
problem is one that is probably fixable.  If you are getting errors such
as these on one or two disks, probably bad disks.  At any rate if you
want to snag data off these disks you better do so quick.  If you can't
at this point, if you let the disk cool down (some people put them in
the freezer) sometimes you can boot back in and retrieve data.
hth,
kent

-- 
 From seeing and seeing the seeing has become so exhausted
     First line of "The Panther" - R. M. Rilke