8 GB Flash drive formatted at 3.7 GB

[Bill Davidsen]

Marcel Rieux wrote:
> On Sun, Dec 20, 2009 at 5:40 PM, Mikkel <mikkel at infinity-ltd.com> wrote:
>> On 12/20/2009 02:29 PM, Marcel Rieux wrote:
>>> Now that i know it's a 4GB drive, I wouldn't format it ext3, but since
>>> it's already formatted ext3 and I don't plan to use it  to exchange
>>> data, I'll leave it as it is.
>>>
>>> But, as I said. I still have this problem:
>>>
>>> e2fsck -c /dev/sdb
>>> e2fsck 1.41.9 (22-Aug-2009)
>>> e2fsck: Superblock invalid, trying backup blocks...
>>> e2fsck: Bad magic number in super-block while trying to open /dev/sdb
>>>
>>> The superblock could not be read or does not describe a correct ext2
>>> filesystem.  If the device is valid and it really contains an ext2
>>> filesystem (and not swap or ufs or something else), then the superblock
>>> is corrupt, and you might try running e2fsck with an alternate
>>> superblock: e2fsck -b 8193 <device>
>>>
>> Dumb question
>> did you format /dev/sdb or /dev/sdb1?
> 
> If you remember well, I said I formatted the drive by right clicking
> on the icon.  If you format sdb, an sdb1 partition will be created. If
> you don't have a partition, the drive can't be used.
> 
Whatever gave you that idea? If you drop a filesystem on the whole drive and 
then mount the whole drive, it works fine (at least with tools which assume what 
you say is what you want). You can use whole drives as members of raid arrays, 
someone tests that on the raid mailing list regularly. ;-)

The requirement is that you use it where you made it.

>> I remember you
>> saying you have a partition on the drive, so I suspect you will have
>> better luck running "e2fsck -c /dev/sdb1".
> 
> The man page does say:
> 
> e2fsck - check a Linux ext2/ext3/ext4 file system
> 
> A file system is not a device. So, the filesystem -- here sdb1 -- must
> be specified.
> 
A file system is on a device, partitions are devices too. Try "ls -l /dev/sda*" 
and look at the first letter, all block devices.


-- 
Bill Davidsen <davidsen at tmr.com>
   "We have more to fear from the bungling of the incompetent than from
the machinations of the wicked."  - from Slashdot