Re: ack! help!!!! something went dreadfully wrong!

thank you all for replying.

okay....first thank you for supporting me. =) yes i love linux because of the 
community. anyway, thank you for showing me that it can be what it's meant to 
be for some of us, i guess. =)

second, i downloaded a new kernel from kernel.org last night at the suggestion 
of some in #kde-devel on IRC. they know me there and they're trying to help.

i am not recompiling the kernel right now, however. first, i'm doing the 
following at their suggestion:

debian:/home/savanna# smartctl -t long /dev/hdb
smartctl version 5.26 Copyright (C) 2002-3 Bruce Allen
Home page is http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net/

=== START OF OFFLINE IMMEDIATE AND SELF-TEST SECTION ===
Sending command: "Execute SMART Extended self-test routine immediately in off-
line mode".
Drive command "Execute SMART Extended self-test routine immediately in off-
line mode" successful.
Testing has begun.
Please wait 65 minutes for test to complete.
Test will complete after Thu Jan  8 11:29:31 2004

Use smartctl -X to abort test.
debian:/home/savanna#



it is running right now and i'm going to wait a bit to see what the results 
are. i checked the plugs/cable connections this morning and they were all 
fine. the hdb message problem only occurs after i try to log into kde, meaning 
the kdm manager obviously (i think). it doesn't occur before then at all. 
before i try to log into kde, everything works fine and there is no error. 
however, there *is* an error in the startup log saying it can't read hdb1, 2, 
and 3 properly and something about no remount. it also says that there are too 
many mount points in mtab or something like that, which i take it to mean that 
it might probably be a driver/kernel issue after all, right? i mean this is in 
the startup log that you get which scrolls by when your puter first starts up.


i tried fsck in linux single mode and it mounted hdb1, 2, and 3 correctly but 
it can't mount hdb (well it can't fsck it) and says there is something wrong 
with it. it says something about an improper inode or the like.

somebody on here mentioned kdeautostart being a possible suspect which sounds 
interesting because it's only when kde is logged into when i get the problem 
so i will try that after the test is done and before i try to recompile a 
kernel. my friends on #kde-devel say it's worth a try.

i really hope it isn't the hard drive because that would be a major pain in 
the butt for me. i remember trying to install it in the first place and it was 
a nightmare. i had somebody from #kde-devel help me and that was a year ago 
and it took all day with them using ssh as root in my box to do the job 
because i just couldn't figure it out. also i'd have to back everything up 
somehow to my microsoft box, which would really suck, and then replace it. i'd 
rather also not have to go out and buy a new hd only a year after getting this 
one...

if it is the hd, can i just back it up, reformat, and reinstall? is that 
possible? i'd rather do that. i mean it's not that i can't go out and buy one, 
but it seems like such a waste if i don't have to.

anyway, thanks and i'm waiting to hear any more 
suggestions/tips/advice/information you can provide. thank you all.

savanna. =)

p.s. i was tearing my hair out last night (well not literally as i don't want 
patches and stuff...) but i'm glad i slept on it and feel better in the 
morning.