Re: Disk Problem

[Chris Albertson <chrisalbertson90278@yahoo.com>]

Tom,

If you want to completely wipe it clean get a single floppy Linux
distribution and use "dd" to write zeroes to the disk.  "dd" can 
write to the raw device ignoring conventions like patition tables
and fiile systems.

tomsrtbt is a good single floppy Linux.  Make a floppy and boot
then try this
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda
That should copy zeroes to the hard drive starinf at sector zero.
Get tomsrtbt here
http://www.toms.net/rb/
This floppy make a good PC dianostic tool even of WIndows
machines, you can boot Linux off the floppy and it does not touch
your hard drive, well, unless you do the
"dd" command above.

When you are done use the Linux "fdisk" to build a new partition
table.  It will write DOS/Windows partition types if you want it
to.  Has built-in help so it is easy to use.


--- Tom Droege <tdroege2@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Does anyone know how to fix a disk where the file allocation tables
> are 
> messed up.
> 
> FDISK shows partitions that it will not erase.  I have "Partition
> Magic" 
> and it says that the file allocation overlaps.  It also says that it
> fixed 
> the problem, but it did not.  It would be cheaper to throw the disk
> away 
> than mess with it as long as I have.  But this has come up before,
> that is 
> why I bought "Partition Magic".
> 
> I would be quite content with a simple program that just erased
> everything 
> and gave me a virgin disk.  Such programs must be available???
> 
> Tom (Frustrated trying to get the network all set up) Droege
> 
> 
> 


=====
Chris Albertson
  Home:   310-376-1029  chrisalbertson90278@yahoo.com
  Cell:   310-990-7550
  Office: 310-336-5189  Christopher.J.Albertson@aero.org
  KG6OMK

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