Disksalv.......Can it Validate HD's over 4GB?

[AmiGR]

You should wait until all disk activity STOPS. Only then can you be sure that the partition couldn't be validated. It takes ages but you HAVE to wait for ALL disk activity to stop. I encourage you to boot without startup-sequence and leave it work. A partition will only fail to validate if there are errors in the filesystem or the disk itself. In that case, backup immediately:-)

[TjLaZer]

If you have OS3.9 and using the latest FFS with scsi.device patched, you can do a quick format on Data2 and you will be fine!!!

[Quixote]

:-( As wonderful as DiskSalv is, it is a little dated.  If I understand it correctly, DiskSalv, like Shapeshifter, drives the hardware directly as it works with your drive.  Unfortunately, it also uses 32 bit addressing, and signed arithmetic at that.  This means that the most significant bit is used to indicate whether the rest represent a negative or positive number.  The range is still four billion and change, but it extends from negative two billion to positive two billion, with zero in the middle instead of at the low end.

Any attempt to write above the two gigabyte mark will result in the negative numbers noted above.  Sadly, DiskSalv works only on voulmes below the two gigabyte mark.

[Brian]

As you I'm not so sure about DiskSalv on anything other than 2GB FFS partisions in the first 4GB space of a drive so do like this:

1. Backup the data on the affected partision.
2. Format that partision.
3. Rewrite the data from the backup to the partision.

Formatting should only affect the one partision in question and not overvrite or format any other partisions when it's performed.

[Piru]

This is "perfect" advertisement for alternative filesystems such as PFS3.

At least until proper FFS repair tools supporting >4GB partitions appear.

[zipper]

Disksalv doesn't work with >4GB. Period.
If you desperatedly want to rescue those >4GB partitions, the one and only tool is diskmontools.lha from Aminet. But it's pretty slow, backup+format is much preferred and faster.

[leirbag28]

Actually I just noticed that my Work2 Has a Checksum Error! whatever that means and its read as INVALID by DiskSalv

So what should I do?

It amazes me that such an important this as Validating a Partition of over 4GB doesnt exist for the Amiga??? this is astonishing?  Amiga Inc need to work on this............this is utterly unacceptable!

 I have Heard that Installing SCALOS  lets you read and format drives > 4GB?  is this true?  

Then if it is, I would say WB 3.1 with SCALOS installed is better than OS 3.9

[HopperJF]

Possibly but ScalOS doesn't have as much support since less people use it
Whereas pretty much every active Amiga user has at least OS 3.9 running now  :-)

[zipper]

With 3.9 FFS I have had no problems with errors; even when a crash has caused an invalid partition, it always has validated itself and with CSPPC SCSI3 it succeeds in 30 seconds - 1.5 mins. I'm using TurboVal, which lets the validate process happen in just one partition at the same time and waits for the process end before continuing. Waitforvalidate was added later to the ROM update.

[Vincent]

Maybe running QuarterBackTools might be an idea?

I'm not sure if it will work above the 4GB limit (ASK SOMEONE before using it ;-) ) but if your partition is having checksum errors part of the QBTools program can check for bad blocks, this in turn will rewrite the volume bitmap which in turn will make your hd valid.

I can't check QBTools on my setup as I'm using SFS (I have a spare partition set aside for testing but it's gradually became full with me just dumping stuff looking for space ;-) ).

[Piru]

Maybe running QuarterBackTools might be an idea?

QuarterBackTools doesn't work with >4GB partitions.

[Vincent]

Piru wrote:
QuarterBackTools doesn't work with >4GB partitions.

I thought so... I did wonder why it hadn't been mentioned yet :-)

QBTools has saved my ass many a time, pity it doesn't work >4GB.

[leirbag28]

@zipper

 I am using OS3.9, and yes that usually works.........that waiting also worked in my OS3.1 when I was using that, but the Drive is having a Checksum error........but I guess thats what it says when its not validated. Does TurboVal work on Partitions and HDs bigger than 4GB?

[Piru]

@leirbag28

It amazes me that such an important this as Validating a Partition of over 4GB doesnt exist for the Amiga?

I think you're mixing things a bit now.

FFS itself at least tries to validate the volume. If the filesystem is the AmigaOS 3.9 one, it handles >4GB just fine.

However the filesystem built-in validator doesn't always manage to validate the disk, and thus you might need to use external tool (DiskSalv or whatever). Unfortunately no proper external tool exists that handles >4GB.

Does TurboVal work on Partitions and HDs bigger than 4GB?

TurboVal only speed up the validation process by letting only single volume validate at a time. It doesn't do any validation by itself, and thus it has no effect on whether the validation actually works or not.

[zipper]

Piru wrote:
Unfortunately no proper external tool exists that handles >4GB.

Yes, no proper but diskmontools still exists if you are desperate to salvage something >4GB.

[leirbag28]

Well, I copied the Contents to another HD Partition and formatted Work2..............all is working Normal!  

Thanks Guys!


All Done!