CompuServe Thread

Clarence, Well…the easy way is to a backup and format…no low level format is required. If you have data recovery software…or know what you're doing, you can correct the problem without the need to backup/format/restore. Once a disk isn't validated, you can read from it…but not write to it. Don

Clarence, I've had these symptoms, too. I should have thought that the disk validator (in ROM since 2.0) should take care of such things but apparantly it doesn't. The problem now is that the OS won't allow you to write on the whole partition because it doesn't know which sectors belong to a file and which don't so you would most probably trash something vital if it would allow this. You can still read everything from the partition, so you can make a complete backup. That's the good part. If you have a tape backup system I'd say the easiest way would be to make a full backup, re-format the partition (just DOS-format, no lo-level!) and restore the partition's contents from the backup. If (like me) you have to "go floppy disks" to backup and have a large hard drive, you should download a program called "Disksalv 2" (Library 9, File name "DKSAL2.LHA") by Dave Haynie, one of the "fathers" of AmigaDOS – this has (amongst others) an option to validate a drive, so you might just have to run this to be on dry land again. // Chris coming in from Germany \X/ on AutoPilot 1.071……….

Clarence, Open a shell type INFO and check the drive's status, if it says Validating and the drive's activity LED light is running continuously and has been since boot-up, leave the computer alone, get a coffee or leave the room. Come back and check on it to see if the light has gone out. If it has type INFO in a shell window and check its status again. If it says Read/Write than the AmigaOS filesystem has repaired the drive. If it still says Validating its time to try a disk utility program. There are several commercial disk repair programs available. One is Ami-Back Tools, the other Quarterback Tools. Each is capable enough to repair most common problems like validating a drive. Another, Shareware disk utility is available online here. It's called DiskSalv Version 2. It has a number of repair features, one of which is Validate. Here's a comparative pricing list on the commercial disk utils. Safe Harbor Ami-Back Tools………………..Moonlighter Soft……………..48.99 QuarterBack Tools……………..Central Coast………………..53.00 COMPUTER SHOPPING NETWORK List Ami-Back Tools ——————-Moonlighter Software– $ 79.95 $ 46.39 Quarterback Tools 1.5 ————New Horizons ———-$ 89.95 $ 52.18 Not sure which version is the latest but this should help. Look for Disksalv in AmigaUser Library Disk Utilities Lib: 9 DKSAL2.LHA Size 106223 DiskSalv 2.0, version 11.28. This is the third public release of he DiskSalv 2 program by Dave Haynie. DiskSalv is a "Disk Salvage" program. It can recover data from a disk in severe trouble, it can fix a good portion of disk problems directly on the problem disk, and it can locate valid partitions on a disk with an unknown layout or damaged rigid disk block. It supports all AmigaDOS file systems through 3.0. Full GUI interface. Shareware. Christopher