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Re: 'input / output error' when using ntfs-3g on Sid-based Helix Live CD

From: Bob McGowan <bob_mcgowan(at)symantec.com>
Date: Tue Jan 08 2008 - 19:20:11 EST

Bob McGowan wrote:

> Rogelio wrote:

>> I'm having some weird issues with Helix (a Sid / Knoppix based
>> distribution). For whatever reason, I periodically get an
>> "input/output error" while a disk is mounted, and the only way to fix
>> it is to umount and then mount again via ntfs-3g.
>>
>> Here's a more detailed list of what I've been doing.
>>
>> So, I mount with ntfs
>>
>> ntfs-3g /dev/sdb1 /mnt/bigusb/
>>
>> Once I see that ok, then I create folders and files in that mount
>> point. After a while, however, something dies, and if I do an "ls",
>> I'll get "input/output error", and I have to
>> umount /dev/sdb1
>>
>> and if says the device is busy, then I close whatever other thing
>> (usually LinEn or another terminal window) that might be accessing it.
>>
>> Once it dismounts, then I try it again with ntfs-3g.
>>
>> I've never had this problem on any other implementation of ntfs-3g (on
>> Knoppix or on the Gentoo-based System Rescue CD), and I'm wondering
>> how to best narrow down the problem.
>>
>> i.e.
>> (1) quirks with ntfs-3g?
>> (2) quirks with LinEn (Encase imaging tool)?
>> (3) hard drive errors?
>>
>> In one case, I simply took out the hard drive, formatted in Windows XP
>> (e.g. format e: /fs:ntfs /q), popped it back in, remounted, and all
>> was ok for a while. Perhaps there is a "better" way to do this in the
>> Debian / Linux environment?
>>
>> Thanks

> 
> Perhaps you can use 'sdparm' to determine what's going on?  I have a 
> problem with USB 2.0 devices on my HP laptop, with Debian, and one 
> suggestion made was to disable STANDBY mode with sdparm.
> 
> I do not recall, nor can I find, the web page referencing this.  But the 
> problem was described as a disk that went into standby mode would not 
> wake up correctly.  The fix was to disable this mode.
> 
> I'll continue searching and see if I can find the reference, but I 
> figured others might know about it and post quicker than I can.
>

OK, I found the original site with the note (by one 'bbobbo'):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16822148235&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=100&SelectedRating=-1&PurchaseMark=&VideoOnlyMark=False&Page=

The "comment" has no formatting to it, just a long line, so it's not easy to read. The commands used were:

Display current parameters: sdparm -al /dev/sdb
Set new values: sdparm --clear STANDBY -6 /dev/sdb
Show new values: sdparm -al /dev/sdb

You can change the first command to: sdparm --get=STANDBY /dev/sdb which limits the output to the single value.

If the line looks like "STANDBY 0 [cha: n, def: 0, sav: 0]" then it's already disabled and you have some other issue. But if you have a '1' in column two, then this may be your problem.

According to the sdparm man page, -6 sets a 6 byte cdb rather than the 10 byte default. But, it also says that sdparm will suggest using this option if the SCSI status indicates the 10 byte cdb is not supported. I'd suggest looking through the full output from the first command to see if it makes any such suggestion, if not, don't use that option.

-- 
Bob McGowan

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Received on Tue Jan 8 19:21:38 2008

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