Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!sdd.hp.com!hplabs!otter.hpl.hp.com!otter!nt From: nt@otter.hpl.hp.com (Nicolas Tripon) Newsgroups: comp.os.minix Subject: mkfs and readall that Message-ID: <78380001@otter.hpl.hp.com> Date: 27 May 91 20:57:18 GMT Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Bristol, UK. Lines: 45 The machine is a 386sx HP Vectra with a type-2 hard disk (20 Mo, 4 heads, 17 sectors/track, 615 cylinders - MS-DOS formats 614, and a few bad sectors). I wanted to create 2 partitions on the disk : partition 1 for everyday usage, and partition 3 for the ram disk. fdisk reports the following : ---first---- ----last--- -----sectors---- Num Sorted Active Type cyl head sec cyl head sec base last size 1 1 MINIX 0 0 2 554 3 16 1+ 37738 37738 2 3# 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2# MINIX 555 0 1 613 3 17 37740 41751 4012 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 When trying to make the file system, I get : # mkfs /dev/hd3 2000 Unrecoverable write error on device 3/3, block 1999. Error : file system is too big for minor device. Line 1 being processed when error detected. If I continue, I get : # mkfs /dev/hd1 18000 # /etc/mount /dev/hd1 /user # readall -b /dev/hd1 Controller not ready in com_out general protection process number -6, pc=0x0005:0x00001593 kernel panic exception in kernel, mm or fs type any key to reboot If I go back to fdisk and modify as follows : ---first---- ----last--- -----sectors---- Num Sorted Active Type cyl head sec cyl head sec base last size 1 1 MINIX 0 0 2 613 3 16 1+ 41750 41750 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 then, upon exit, fdisk complains : disk appears to have mis-specified number of heads or sectors ; try fdisk -h4 -s16 /dev/hd0 instead of fdisk -h4 -s17 /dev/hd0 I will appreciate any help to get me started. -Nicolas Tripon