[HLUG] HD problem

[Julian Robbins]

Graham Cole wrote:
> Thanks Julian, I'm puzzled but answer a couple of your questions
> below....
>
> On Sun, 2007-06-17 at 09:06 +0100, Julian Robbins wrote:
>   
>> Graham Cole wrote:
>>     
>>> Thanks Julian...I have seen in Ubuntu the package backuppc which looks very useful though needs some studying to understand it. However I want to boot safely from the new hard disk then get access to the old one, whatever package I use for backing up data files. So how can I get access to the second master disk? Should I do a different cable connection to get it as slave to the primary master disk?
>>> What I have done is arrange the jumpers of the disks as master and slave, then they are connected to the motherboard by 2 connectors on the same flat cable. My BIOS, and in Ubuntu the device manager, both see two master disks! Booting goes from the first disk but then the second master is not seen and can't be accessed. I suppose it would be accessible if it were the slave. 
>>> This is new ground for me and I need a map.  Thanks for any help you can offer...
>>>       
>> Hi Graham
>>
>> Although you CAN put two devices on the same IDE channel, ie a HDD and a CDROM, its generally a bad idea especially if its two HDD's.
>>
>> I have seen this before in Linux where hanging two HDD's from the same channel (cable) results in only seeing one device.
>>     
> So please instead, unhook one HDD and change it to a master too.The discs are detected as 2 masters but /dev/hdc is seen as a CD drive!!
> instead of the second HDD. From /var/log/messages:
> Jun 15 18:57:28 localhost kernel: [   36.127925] hda: ST320410A, ATA DISK drive
> Jun 15 18:57:28 localhost kernel: [   36.469320] ide0 at 0x1f0-0x1f7,0x3f6 on irq 14
> Jun 15 18:57:28 localhost kernel: [   37.207482] hdc: HL-DT-ST GCE-8523B, ATAPI CD/DVD-ROM drive
>   
Hi Graham

I think your CDROM is causing some problems here. If the CDROM is set to 
CS or Cable Select, perhaps it may be trying to override the HDD that 
should be seen there; take out the CDROM , to see if it helps.
>> This will make it that you have a device /dev/hda and a /dev/hdc
>>
>> I'm a touch confused when you say that once the BIOS and ubuntu can see both HDD's as a master and slave on the slave channel, that 'booting goes from the from disk but the second master is not seen and cant be 
>> accessed'. Can you elaborate a bit on this please 
>>     
> Not seen as master and slave........
> The BIOS sees the Primary Master as expected, giving its identity nos/letters. Then doesn't see a slave to this BUT does see the second disk as Secondary Master Disk, giving its identity nos/letters. No slave
> to that one of course. What I don't understand is why doesn't my 2nd disc get recognized as a slave. Its jumper has been changed to slave position.
> I assume a Second Master disk would definitely not be seen by the OS booted from the Primary Master but the Second could be used to boot from? (if I knew how and wanted to)
>   
Yes you could boot from the second, by selecting the right boot option 
in the BIOS.

I think if you have time to wait a bit, that it might be best to bring 
it to the Weds LUG meeting if you can make it, I should be there, all 
being well so i can help you then.

Cheers

Julian

>   
>> Once HDD's start failing you can get unpredictive results. It may be 
>> that the disk controller is seen, but the actual disk partitions are 
>> possibly corrupt. There are disk utilities that can help here.
>>
>> Your trying all the right things tho'
>>
>> Julian
>>     
>>> Graham
>>>
>>> On Sat, 2007-06-16 at 16:51 +0100, Julian Robbins wrote:
>>>   
>>>       
>>>> Julian Robbins wrote:
>>>>     
>>>>         
>>>>> Graham Cole wrote:
>>>>>       
>>>>>           
>>>>>> On Sat, 2007-06-16 at 12:22 +0100, Andrew Hodgson wrote:
>>>>>>  
>>>>>>         
>>>>>>             
>>>>>>> On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 10:11:34 +0100, you wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>    
>>>>>>>           
>>>>>>>               
>>>>>>>> thanks Andrew for the several ideas below. In the first place the
>>>>>>>> warning was given during the boot process and said:
>>>>>>>> SMART failure predicted on Primary Master:
>>>>>>>> Warning:Immediately back-up your data and replace your hard disk 
>>>>>>>> drive.
>>>>>>>> A failure may be imminent.
>>>>>>>>             
>>>>>>>>                 
>>>>> This may be a bit of a useless idea but if you just want to copy everything including the OS to a new working HDD, Acronis Image is excellent and very easy to use.
>>>>>
>>>>> It takes you thru all the details with a GUI. (you just boot from CD).
>>>>>
>>>>> But you do have to pay for it - around £30 .
>>>>>
>>>>> I have a copy if you want to wait till the LUG meeting.
>>>>>
>>>>> Cheers
>>>>>
>>>>> Julian
>>>>>       
>>>>>           
>>>> And of course I should have mentioned there's some Open source alternatives such as G4U, partimage which work great but are more difficult to use.
>>>>
>>>> Julian
>>>>     
>>>>         
>