mtools: mbadblocks

1 
1 4.4 Mbadblocks
1 ==============
1 
1 The `mbadblocks' command is used to mark some clusters on an MS-DOS
1 filesystem bad. It has the following syntax:
1 
1    `mbadblocks' [`-s' SECTORLIST|`-c' CLUSTERLIST|-w] DRIVE`:'
1 
1    If no command line flags are supplied, `Mbadblocks' scans an MS-DOS
1 filesystem for bad blocks by simply trying to read them and flag them
1 if read fails. All blocks that are unused are scanned, and if detected
1 bad are marked as such in the FAT.
1 
1    This command is intended to be used right after `mformat'.  It is
1 not intended to salvage data from bad disks.
1 
1 4.4.1 Command line options
1 --------------------------
1 
1 `c FILE'
1      Use a list of bad clusters, rather than scanning for bad clusters
1      itself.
1 
1 `s FILE'
1      Use a list of bad sectors (counted from beginning of filesystem),
1      rather than trying for bad clusters itself.
1 
1 `w'
1      Write a random pattern to each cluster, then read it back and flag
1      cluster as bad if mismatch. Only free clusters are tested in such a
1      way, so any file data is preserved.
1 
1 4.4.2 Bugs
1 ----------
1 
1 `Mbadblocks' should (but doesn't yet :-( ) also try to salvage bad
1 blocks which are in use by reading them repeatedly, and then mark them
1 bad.
1