Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!apple!apple.com!gandalf
From: gandalf@apple.com (Martin Gannholm)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Re: Bad Free Block Count?
Message-ID: <10438@goofy.Apple.COM>
Date: 26 Sep 90 21:33:45 GMT
References: <4266@husc6.harvard.edu>
Sender: usenet@Apple.COM
Distribution: world,usa
Organization: Apple Computer, Inc.
Lines: 44

In article <4266@husc6.harvard.edu> bochner@lange.harvard.EDU (Harry 
Bochner) writes:
> After a crash last night, my hard disk came back up saying it had 2.3 
Meg free,
> down from 3.5 Meg before the crash :-(

He continues to say:
> 2) What utilities are available for tracking down and fixing problems
> like this?
> 3) How do I get my 1.2 Meg back, short of reinitializing the disk?

The answer is: Run Disk First Aid -- you know the ugly, seemingly-worth-
less utility that is shipped on the Utilities 1 disk of System Software. 
Despite its lack of user interface or even common command-key equivalents 
it does a good job of finding and fixing many different problems with the 
directory and other structures on your hard disk.

DFA won't tell you much of what it found, unless you hit cmd-S, and will 
basically just allow you to repair problems that it finds.

I usually run DFA at least once a day if I've crashed at all, and 10% of 
the time it fixes a problem. If you never run DFA or something like Norton 
Disk Doctor (no endorsement intended although I personally like what I've 
seen so far) I'd suggest you do it right away -- chances are you'll have
some error that could bite you later.

If you leave these problems too long and they stack up, you're destined to 
get weird problems with "folders from hell" and other strange behaviour 
with files/folders. If DFA says "Unable to verify status of disk", I'd say 
that such problems have accumulated past the point of simple repair and 
your only bet is to reformat your disk.

A side note to NDD, mentioned above: it seems as though there are some 
problems which NDD can detect but not fix -- and in that one case that 
I saw DFA was able to fix it instead!

Since I started running DFA regularly after crashes, I haven't had _any_ 
problems with my HD's...could be pure luck, I guess, but my data is too 
valuable (and backups too infrequent) to start gambling.

Martin Gannholm
Apple Computer

Exclaimer!!! I typed this myself = I speak for myself...