Re: Help : Block Errors

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Robert Hoover writes ...
> 
> .... Anyways at this time my pt3.1 disk seemed to haved died so I go 
> grap the old back up I had around and it too has a problem. ....
> The problem with BOTH bad disk is a block $0003
> $0007 and $0335 errors ( one disk has 0003 and 0007 the other had 0003 
> and 0335 )
> 
> Is there a way to get my stuff off the bad disks and on to a new disk 
> that IU can use ?  I have been running several diffrent programs off the 
> 3.5 and so far no more problems.
> ....

     It sounds like some file, perhaps a config or prefs file, was written 
to each diskette in such a way that blocks were damaged. If the drive 
R/W heads were dirty at the time of the write, the file could have been 
written and check out okay; but, you would have a weak and, possibly, 
slightly misaligned recording which might not be readable after a few 
months.

     You may be able to recover one of the diskettes by doing a disk copy 
via Copy II Plus or Diversi-Copy and skipping/ignoring bad blocks. Then, 
try repeated individual block copies for bad blocks (e.g. via Copy II 
Plus's Block/Sector Editor or ProSel's Block Warden or Block Work or some 
similar utility).

     If you cannot salvage block 3, too bad. Block 3 is likely to be part 
of the disk's main directory. You will, most likely, need to find a new 
copy of the diskette or, at least, a good copy of block 3.

     If you can make a mostly good disk copy and can copy Block 3 (but, 
maybe, not the other block), try formatting a new disk and doing a file 
copy for each file from the mostly-good copy to the new disk. One file may 
not copy; skip it. Try running from the new disk. 


Rubywand