Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcmi!hdr!unocss!ca063
From: ca063@unocss.UUCP (Thomas Davis)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Infinite loop in a directory..
Message-ID: <385@unocss.UUCP>
Date: 27 Aug 88 03:08:48 GMT
Organization: U. of Nebraska at Omaha
Lines: 60


     As the subject line says, I found a disk of mine that now has an infinite
loop in the directory.  That's right, it just repeats itself after 3
filenames.  Now, here's how it happened:

     First, we have to describe the environment;  I was using Lattice 4.01,
ARP, FACC, 1.5 meg Amiga 1000, 3 drives, KS/WB 1.2, and one tired person (me!).

      Now, take one file, (I was working on a PD make (it works!)), and
copy it to a disk you don't want it on.  Realize that you didn't want it on that
disk, and copy to the disk you REALLY wanted it on.  Now, this is the REAL
tricky part!  Go to delete the file off the disk you don't want it on, BUT
pull the disk out BEFORE the drive light goes on!  The File system will say
something about YOU must put it back.  I did so.  The red drive light goes on,
off.  Do a directory of the disk, and what's still there?  The File.  So,
being the determined type, I decide to TRY and delete it again.  Guess what?
Yes, that deadly task held requester comes up.  The guru was "key already
free", if I remember right.  Being tired, I put the disk aside to look at it
the next chance I had.

     Next day, I power up the Amiga.  I decide to take a quick look
at that File again.  Yes, it's still there.  I can copy it off the disk,
and I can get a directory listing of it, but what happens when I try
again to delete it?  That's right, task held again.  But when I
click on the 'cancel' button, what this?  The Amiga just sits.  No guru
number.  Nothing. It's not even blinking the power led.  Oh boy, I thought..
What have I done now?  Give the Amiga the pinch.  Ahh..  Blinking power led.

     What's this?  The df0: drive goes on, and then BACK off..  Uh? I
thought, that's strange..  That's a bootable Workbench disk!  Wait!
The hand on the monitor is, YES!  I blew away KICKSTART!  It wants the
Kickstart disk!  My god!  It's TRUE!  You can blow away Kickstart in a
guru!

     Stunned, I turned off the Amiga, and went to bed.  The next day,
I powered the Amiga up again.  Now, I decided let's play with the
corrupted disk, this time to see what I can find out about it.  I copied
three files to that disk, and guess what I have now?  The Infinite Loop
Directory.  So, yes, it's possible to totally screw the disk up, and not
have AmigaDOS complain one bit about it.

     The moral of this story?  1.  If you use disk caching, WAIT about
5-10secs BEFORE pulling the disk out of the drive.  2.  You can blow
the Amiga 1000 back to asking for KickStart 1.2.  3.  When the hand is
faster than the brain, GO TO BED.

     That's my horror story about the Amiga.  Now, I do have one question
for everybody who read this far;  Is there a recoverable ram disk that can
survive the reboot from Kickstart of an Amiga 1000?  My VD0: does survive
on warm-boots, (and that's with 1 meg of ram at $C00000!).

     Oh, and please, don't send mail saying how to recover the disk.
I ALWAYS use backups when I attempt to program the Amiga, and I'll
probably just format over it..


-- 
Internet : ca063%unocss.unl.edu@RELAY.CS.NET | Thomas Davis
BitNet   : conslt16@unoma1                   | Consultant, Campus Computing
UUCP     : uunet!btni!unocss!ca063           | U. of Neb. @ Omaha, NE