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From: harrow@exodus.DEC (Jeff Harrow, NCSE LKG1-3/F16 DTN=226-7445)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Resolution to the HD20 DeskTop file corruption problem!
Message-ID: <374@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Date: Fri, 10-Jan-86 10:37:54 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.374
Posted: Fri Jan 10 10:37:54 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 13-Jan-86 01:17:37 EST
Sender: daemon@decwrl.DEC.COM
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 54

**Update on the HD20 Desktop file corruption**

Well, I  had  pretty  much  resigned myself to re-initializing the disk and 
spending the weekend  reloading  the HD20 (my stringent backup policy comes 
through again!).

Then, I started thinking about the logistics of how to begin this task...

First, I had to re-initialize the HD20.  Simple;  just  choose  Erase  Disk 
from the Finder menu...  Of course, since the Desktop was corrupt and could 
not be rebuilt, how to GET to the finder menu?

If I turn OFF the HD20  and  boot  from the HD20 startup floppy, it becomes 
the startup volume but, since it has  not  performed  its magic on the HD20 
the system doesn't mount the HD20 when  it's  subsequently turned       ON!  
Hence, I can't Erase Disk!

(Grumble, grumble...  It's still early morning in CA and my ***HELP*** call 
will have to wait...)

So I thought I'd experiment a bit.  I remember  reading  in the HD20 manual 
that you could force a floppy to become the startup volume  by holding down 
the mouse  button  during  the program-launch procedure.  So, assuming that 
all on the disk  is  lost  in  any  event, I tried holding it down once the 
floppy's startup screen was displayed.

Voila!  The  HD20  startup  floppy  booted,  configured-in  the  HD20,  and 
remained the startup volume.   I then got a dialog box saying that the HD20 
needed "minor repair" and chose OK.

This time, with the floppy  being  the  startup volume ALL WORKED FINE, and 
the HD20 healed itself!!!!!!!!!!!!  YEAH!!!!!

As a sidelight, the original 163,840  byte  Desktop  file  shrank to 64,405 
bytes, although the speed improvement seems subjectively marginal.

Well, it was a close thing, but at least there was a way out.  However, I'm 
STILL  rather  concerned  that  there  is  apparently no  way  to  FORCE  a 
reinitialization  of  the  HD20  if  necessary  (as if I  STILL  could  not 
uncorrupt the Desktop file).  Any ideas on what to do then?

Hope your morning has been better than mine...

Jeff Harrow

Work address:
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Telephone:	(617)486-7445
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		550 King Street
		Littleton, MA  01460