Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!rutgers!okstate!ericc
From: ericc@a.cs.okstate.edu (Eric Cloninger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: I just thrashed my Hard Disk!
Message-ID: <3599@okstate.UUCP>
Date: 14 Jun 88 03:18:15 GMT
Organization: Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater
Lines: 62

Ok, now I'm _R_E_A_L_L_Y_ pissed!

Figure this one:  I'm working with LSC 2.15 on my SE HD 20.  I'm writing a
compiler for Mini Language Core (you know, Ledgard and Marcotty, sp?).  So
the parser works just fine, and the symbol table appears to be in order, but
I'm not sure, so I write a routine to dump it (the symbol table).  It appears 
to work fine, all identifiers are there, in proper order and with the right 
attributes.

Well, I decide to pretty up the output a little, so I changed _one_ printf
statement (swear to gods, I only added two or three spaces), and POOF!

Next time I run the program (in the LSC environment), not only do I get an
unsuccessful parse (where it was correct before), the program jumps into
the debugger (Macsbug).  No problem, I type ES (Escape to Shell), the drive
light turns on.  Ah, I think, going back to the editor.  30 seconds later,
no editor, drive light still on.  Hmmmm.

Anyway, I hit the reboot button, the machine restarts, and then... BOOM!
The machine requests a system disk.  ACK!  Don't panic.  So I stick in a
system disk and I get a dialog box "This disk is damaged (picture of HD 20)
want to initialize? (CANCEL/INITIALIZE)".  I hit cancel.  Floppy disk comes
up, no HD 20 icon.  

Disk First Aid can't verify the volume.  Fedit+, MacTools 6.4, and anything
else I can think of can't even find the volume.  After several hours of
asking knowledgable friends what to do, and a lot of messing around with
various utilities, I gave up.  I selected the Initialize button.  I figured
that it would puke as soon as it figured out it was initializing a hard disk.
But NO!  It took 20 seconds and I had 19+ Megs on my HD 20 again.

1) I wrote very damaging code, and I don't have the slightest idea why.  
   This very same code (with minor changes to account for volumes instead
   of UNIX pathnames) worked fine on our System V machine.

2) The system didn't realize it was initializing a hard disk.

3) Dr. George isn't gonna believe me when I tell him my hard disk ate 
   my program.  I think I'll move to New Guinea or something.

4) And the answer is: NO!  I don't have a backup.

Oop! Ack! Pfht!  This is too bizarre.  Regardless of the recent traffic about
its debated usefulness, is this where MacZap could've been used?

I truly don't know what to think.  At this point, I'm tired and I'm very pissed.
I just wanna get drunk.  If anyone could offer a suggestion, I'll toast your
health.

Chuq?  Rich?  anybody?

Thanks,


Eric Cloninger
=========================================================================
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Internet     :  ericc@a.cs.okstate.edu 
USnail       :  219 Math Sciences Bldg., OSU, Stillwater, Oklahoma  74075
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		"Back off, man!  I'm a scientist!" - Peter Venkman.