I just tried this on sda5 (which I know I created) and got the same response. Do you think I should just start over? I don't. I think thaat the insight I will receive from getti9ng it to work as-is could be inval;ueable; but if that mkfs needs to be run and the drive needs to be empty, then that is what needs to happen. :)~MIKE~(:  mke2fs 1.34-WIP (21-May-2003) /mnt/sda5 is not a block special device. Proceed anyway? (y,n) y mkfs.ext2: Device size reported to be zero. Invalid partition specified, or partition table wasn't reread after running fdisk, due to a modified partition being busy and in use. You may need to reboot to re-read your partition table. root@bmike1:/mnt#  On Tuesday 05 August 2003 06:33 pm, Michael Havens wrote: > I just realized that I could test the mkfs on an exhisting partition with > files on it and got: > root@bmike1:/mnt# mkfs -t ext2 -j /mnt/sda6 > mke2fs 1.34-WIP (21-May-2003) > /mnt/sda6 is not a block special device. > Proceed anyway? (y,n) y > mkfs.ext2: Device size reported to be zero. Invalid partition specified, > or partition table wasn't reread after running fdisk, due to > a modified partition being busy and in use. You may need to reboot > to re-read your partition table. > root@bmike1:/mnt# > That, to me, seems to be confirming that it isn't real. Why does fdisk -l > say that sda6 it starts on cylinder 901 and ends on 1001 while mkfs reports > it at zero in length? >  > root@bmike1:/mnt# fdisk -l /dev/sda > > Disk /dev/sda: 1050 MB, 1050112000 bytes > 64 heads, 32 sectors/track, 1001 cylinders > Units = cylinders of 2048 * 512 = 1048576 bytes > > Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System > /dev/sda1 * 1 400 409584 82 Linux swap > /dev/sda2 401 1001 615424 5 Extended > /dev/sda5 401 900 511984 83 Linux > /dev/sda6 901 1001 103408 83 Linux > root@bmike1:/mnt# >  > > > I think that all my disks need to have the mkfs -t ext2 -j > > done to them. Do the disks need to be blank before such an operation is > > carried out? If I were to make the filesystem msdos on the floppy disks > > then I could use them with the rest of the world (M$), right? If that is > > so it is mkfs -t msdos, right (man & info doesn't have this info) or is > > it fat32? Never mind this last part here. I just found the command: it is > > mkfs.msdos or mkfs.vfat. So what is the difference between... never mind > > that either. Man pages indicate they are the same command. > > > > :)~MIKE~(: > > > > (what makes me think this is that when I go to my Linux partition > > it tells me nothing is in the directory) > > > > bmike1@bmike1:~$ cd /mnt > > bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ ls > > cdrom floppy hda1 hda5 hda6 hda7 hda8 sda5 sda6 > > bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ mount floppy > > mount: can't find /mnt/floppy in /etc/fstab or /etc/mtab (it is in fstab) > > bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ mount cdrom > > bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ mount cdrom > > mount: can't find /mnt/cdrom in /etc/fstab or /etc/mtab (it is in fstab) > > # /etc/fstab: filesystem table. > > # > > # filesystem mountpoint type options dump pass > > /dev/cdrom /cdrom iso9660 defaults,ro,user,noexec,noauto 0 0 > > /dev/fd0 /floppy vfat defaults,user,auto,showexec,umask=022 0 0 > > /dev/hda1 /mnt/hda1 vfat > > defaults,users,exec,umask=000,uid=knoppix,gid=knoppix 0 0 > > /dev/hda5 / ext3 defaults,errors=remount-ro 0 1 > > /dev/sda5 /mnt/sda5 ext3 defaults,users,exec 0 2 > > /dev/sda6 /mnt/sda6 ext3 defaults,users,exec 0 2 > > /dev/sda1 swap swap noauto 0 0 > > proc /proc proc defaults 0 0 > > /etc/fstab (END) > > bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ > > bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ ls cdrom > > bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ ls floppy > > bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ ls hda1 (msdos) > > My Documents bootlog.txt io.sys quickenw suhdlog.dat > > Program Files command.com msdos.--- recycled system.1st > > autoexec.bat config.sys msdos.sys scandisk.log temp > > bootlog.prv detlog.txt netlog.txt setuplog.txt windows > > bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ ls hda5 (linux) > > bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ ls hda6 (didn't create this)(cat /proc/partitions > > shows this) > > bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ ls hda7 (didn't create this) > > bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ ls hda8 (didn't create this) > > bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ ls sda5 > > downloads drakx-images lost+found > > bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ ls sda5/d* > > sda5/downloads: > > sda5/drakx-images: > > 01-thanks.pl 07-desktop.pl 13-mdkcampus.pl > > 01-thanks.png 07-desktop.png 13-mdkcampus.png > > 02-community.pl 08-development.pl 14-mdkexpert.pl > > 02-community.png 08-development.png 14-mdkexpert.png > > 03-internet.pl 09-server.pl 15-mdkexpert-corporate.pl > > 03-internet.png 09-server.png 15-mdkexpert-corporate.png > > 04-multimedia.pl 10-mnf.pl 16-thanks.pl > > 04-multimedia.png 10-mnf.png 16-thanks.png > > 05-games.pl 11-mdkstore.pl 17-mdkclub.pl > > 05-games.png 11-mdkstore.png 17-mdkclub.png > > 06-mcc.pl 12-mdkstore.pl DEADJOE > > 06-mcc.png 12-mdkstore.png > > bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ ls sda5/do* > > bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ ls sda6 (didn't create this) > > lost+found > > root@bmike1:/mnt# cat /proc/partitions; cat /etc/fstab; fdisk -l /dev/sda > > major minor #blocks name > > 8 0 1025500 sda > > 8 1 409584 sda1 > > 8 2 1 sda2 > > 8 5 511984 sda5 > > 8 6 103408 sda6 > > 3 0 29316672 hda > > 3 1 14659281 hda1 > > 3 2 1 hda2 > > 3 5 14651248 hda5 > > # /etc/fstab: filesystem table. > > # > > # filesystem mountpoint type options dump pass > > /dev/cdrom /cdrom iso9660 defaults,ro,user,noexec,noauto 0 0 > > /dev/fd0 /floppy vfat defaults,user,auto,showexec,umask=022 0 0 > > /dev/hda1 /mnt/hda1 vfat > > defaults,users,exec,umask=000,uid=knoppix,gid=knoppix 0 0 > > /dev/hda5 / ext3 defaults,errors=remount-ro 0 1 > > /dev/sda5 /mnt/sda5 ext3 defaults,users,exec 0 2 > > /dev/sda6 /mnt/sda6 ext3 defaults,users,exec 0 2 > > /dev/sda1 swap swap noauto 0 0 > > proc /proc proc defaults 0 0 > > > > Disk /dev/sda: 1050 MB, 1050112000 bytes > > 64 heads, 32 sectors/track, 1001 cylinders > > Units = cylinders of 2048 * 512 = 1048576 bytes > > > > Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System > > /dev/sda1 * 1 400 409584 82 Linux swap (swap) > > /dev/sda2 401 1001 615424 5 Extended > > /dev/sda5 401 900 511984 83 Linux > > /dev/sda6 901 1001 103408 83 Linux > > > > --------------------------------------------------- > > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > > To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: > > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss