Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!ATC.BOEING.COM!snicoud
From: snicoud@ATC.BOEING.COM (Stephen Nicoud)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ti.explorer
Subject: Unavailable FILE partition
Message-ID: <19890911044652.4.SLN@SKAGIT.atc.boeing.com>
Date: 11 Sep 89 04:46:00 GMT
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    Date: 9 Sep 89 16:42:46 GMT
    From: mcsun!ukc!tcdcs!csvax1.cs.tcd.ie!bmathews@uunet.uu.net  (Brian Mathews, IGSG, F.32, xtn. 1531)
	...
    This is because it is failing to recognise the existence of the user hard disk
    (unit 1). Commands such as print-disk-label give "illegal unit number" when 1 is
    given as an argument. We've checked all the connections, and they appear solid.

Just about every Explorer I've ever worked on or even seen has had a
disk replaced.  Welcome to the club.  I can't help with troubleshooting
on the disk, but I can offer some advice to recover your files.

The idea, is to create a new FILE partition on your good disk (you
didn't mention the exact number of disks you have, but it sounds like
you've got two disk drives and one them is the broken one (correct?)).
I also assume you have a tape drive.  The difficulties that come into
play are whether you have enough room on that one disk for your new FILE
partition.

It depends on how you have backed up your files (backup partition vs.
backup directory/file).  If you backed-up your FILE partition, then
you'll need to create a partition of the exact same size.  If you
backed-up your files using backup directory/file, then you need only
create a FILE partition "large enough" to hold your files.

It will be a tight squeeze considering your good disk has at least one
load band and probably a PAGE partition or two.  You may have to resort
to using a bootable-tape so that you can remove the load band from the
disk to give you room.

Be cautioned, however, that you want to be sure you know the proper
steps to take to creating and using a bootable-tape, creating
disk-partitions and editing the disk-label in general.  Read, carefully,
Chapter 6 of the IO reference on "Maintaining a Disk".  If you use a
bootable-tape, test it out before removing your load and/or microcode
partitions.

Good Luck!

Steve	snicoud@atc.boeing.com