Cannot Access /etc/mtab Input/output Error
problem with /etc/mtab (input output error) If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. Results 1 to 6 of 6 Thread: problem with /etc/mtab (input output error) Tweet Thread Tools Show Printable Version Email this Page… Subscribe to this Thread… Display Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode 07-25-2002,06:56 PM #1 kiyoaki View Profile View Forum Posts Junior Grasshopper Join Date Jul 2002 Posts 2 problem with /etc/mtab (input output error) I am having a pretty serious problem with my /etc/mtab file. Yesterday I rebooted my computer and noticed from the msgs as it was shutting down that it had failed in a few tasks (I didnt jot down which these were). When linux began to boot up again I got an error with mtab whenever the start up script tried to mount a partition. X windows didnt start up and i was left with a command line console after a number of errors all having to do with mtab. I have tried to rm /etc/mtab and i get "(input/output) error". I have tried chattr -i /etc/mtab and i get the same input output error. I have run fsck on the other partitions and they came up with a bunch of errors which were corrected and i'm pretty sure the root partition had a bunch of errors that were fixed when fsck check was forced. I'm not sure what to do next to fix my /etc/mtab file. I can provide more detailed descriptions of the errors i get on boot. I'm running a stable 2.4 kernel (mandrake 8.1) with KDE 3.0 on a 1 ghz AMD Athalon. I havent run into any problems like this before now and have been using KDE 3.0 for a month or so now without any problems. I would appreciate any replies (I'm anxious to stop using my win2k partition as soon as possible ) Reply With Quote 07-26-2002,12:40 PM #2 kiyoaki View Profile View Forum Posts Junior Grasshopper Join Date Jul 2002 Posts 2 Good news! I used my Mandrake 8.1 cd and booted into repair
*nix Cant open /etc/mtab for writing:: input/output error + Post New Thread Results 1 to 9 of 9 *nix Thread, Cant open /etc/mtab for writing:: input/output error in Technical; Im using slackware 10.2 and I am having trouble mounting my USB drives all of a sudden. When I try ... LinkBack LinkBack URL About LinkBacks Bookmark & Share Digg this Thread!Add Thread to del.icio.usBookmark in TechnoratiTweet this threadShare on Facebook!Reddit! Thread Tools Search Thread Advanced Search 22nd July 2006,05:03 PM #1 ChrisH Join Date Jun 2005 Location East Lancs Posts 5,121 Thank Post 164 Thanked 303 Times in 280 Posts Rep Power 115 Cant open /etc/mtab for writing:: input/output error Im using slackware 10.2 and I am having trouble mounting my USB drives all of a sudden. When I try to browse the directory http://forums.justlinux.com/showthread.php?56850-problem-with-etc-mtab-(input-output-error) in Konqueror or anything else I get Cant open /etc/mtab for writing: input/output error It looks like this is happening when it is trying to be mounted as a manual mount yields the same result. The USB drive has an entry in /etc/fstab and looking at dmesg it looks like fine. So please help as Im stuck :P Send PM 23rd July 2006,07:44 AM #2 kingswood Join Date Jul 2005 Location Corby Posts 1,052 Thank Post 12 Thanked 20 Times in 18 Posts Rep Power http://www.edugeek.net/forums/nix/3700-cant-open-etc-mtab-writing-input-output-error.html 28 Re: Cant open /etc/mtab for writing:: input/output error I was about to say, "Windows doesn't have an /etc/fstab file"-- but then realised you were talking Linux. Must have been that wine I had last night (rubs eyes again). :-) Send PM 23rd July 2006,12:00 PM #3 ITWombat Join Date Mar 2006 Posts 537 Thank Post 2 Thanked 3 Times in 2 Posts Rep Power 23 Re: Cant open /etc/mtab for writing:: input/output error So Geoff does have days off Send PM 23rd July 2006,02:43 PM #4 ChrisH Join Date Jun 2005 Location East Lancs Posts 5,121 Thank Post 164 Thanked 303 Times in 280 Posts Rep Power 115 Re: Cant open /etc/mtab for writing:: input/output error Originally Posted by ITWombat So Geoff does have days off It would seem so Send PM 23rd July 2006,09:51 PM #5 openhgs Join Date Sep 2005 Location Handsworth Grammar School Posts 147 Thank Post 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Rep Power 23 Re: Cant open /etc/mtab for writing:: input/output error This sounds suspiciously like an issue with the hal daemon. I've found trouble shooting this little monster to be impossible. Do what I do and take the easy route. Disable the hal daemon and mount your usb drives manually. Something like mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/usb should do he trick. Send PM 24th July 2006,07:01 AM #6 Geoff Join Date Jun 2005 Location Fylde, Lancs, UK. Posts 12,736 Thank Post 145 Thanked 842 Times in 669 Posts Blog Entries1 Rep Power 418 Re: Cant op
Today's Posts Advanced Search Find the answer to your Linux question: Entire Site Articles Downloads Forums Linux Hosting Forum Your Distro Arch Linux Can't mount hard drive! If http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/arch-linux/182595-cant-mount-hard-drive.html this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/45581 clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. ** If you are logged in, most ads will not be displayed. ** Linuxforums now supports the cannot access Tapatalk app for your mobile device. Page 1 of 2 1 2 Last Jump to page: Results 1 to 10 of 11 Thread: Can't mount hard drive! Thread Tools Show Printable Version Email this Page… Subscribe to this Thread… Display Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode Enjoy an ad free experience by logging in. Not a member yet? Register. 09-12-2011 #1 knewhouse cannot access /etc/mtab View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Articles Just Joined! Join Date Sep 2011 Posts 5 Can't mount hard drive! First off, I just wanted to make it clear that I have searched through many forums for a while, and I have not found any answers. So, I am hoping someone here can help me out with this headache of a problem. I have an Arch Linux server running. It's been up for about six months now, with few issues. However, recently the location the server is in has had a few power outages. After one of the outages, my server stopped mounting the USB hard drive attached to it. I checked the hard drive in Windows, and all of the data is there, perfectly intact. I run: Code: #mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/usb mount: according to mtab, /dev/sda1 is already mounted on /mnt/usb #mount /dev/sda1 /media/external mount: according to mtab, /dev/sda1 is already mounted on /media/external I have also tried unmounting, but the system says that the drive isn't mounted (even though mtab thinks it is). Here's my fstab: Code: devpts /dev/pts devpts defaults 0 0 shm /dev/shm tmpfs nodev,nosuid 0 0 /dev/sda1 /mnt/usb ntfs defaults
getting the message "could not initialize /etc/mtab", and message for a number of other features saying input/output error. After boot, I am able to use most applications. However, trying to mount windows partition gives the error "cannot write to /etc/mtab" and trying to access /etc/mtab gives "input/output error". I am able to mount the windows partition using "mount -n", however. I have not yet found time to try and see if I can mount the DVD drive, but I expect the same result, since /etc/mtab is not accessible. What went wrong, and how can I set it right? Thanks in advance. Question information Language: English Edit question Status: Solved For: Ubuntu Edit question Assignee: No assignee Edit question Solved by: Saurabh Rindani Solved: 2008-09-19 Last query: 2008-09-19 Last reply: 2008-09-18 Related bugs Link existing bug Related FAQ: None Link to a FAQ marcobra (Marco Braida) (marcobra) said on 2008-09-18: #1 Please be sure your hard disk have no error on it.... Open a Terminal from the menu Applications->Accessories->Terminal and type: sudo touch /forcefsck give your user password when requested, you don't see nothing when you type it, then press enter. Then at next reboot of your pc the hard disk will be checked. Hope this helps Saurabh Rindani (saurabh-prl) said on 2008-09-19: #2 Thanks, Marcobra, for your reply. I was worried about the hard disk having an error, and I tried to do sudo fsck /dev/hda3 and mercifully I was warned not to run fsck on a mounted disk. So you see that I needed help with fsck. As I understand "touch" will put the current date and time on a file/directory. Does it also hold for a command? I am just trying to understand your suggestion. I will certainly try it out. Meanwhile, as it happens, google search lead me to another report of such an occurrence. That person said deleting /etc/mtab and rebooting solved his/her problem. I tried the same thing, and it solved mine. I still get an error message of "cannot clear /tmp" or something to that effect. Perhaps my deleting /tmp will solve this problem also. I have to try. Thanks for showing the way to force fsck. I will find it useful. Any idea what caused the problem? marcobra (Marco Braida) (marcobra) said on 2008-09-19: #3 To get help on a terminal command you can always use "man": man touch The command "sudo touch /forcefsck" create a empty file named "forcefsck" under the directory "/" the system at start always check for it and if is there as a kind of flag it perform a fully fsck before to mount hard-disk Hope this helps History Link existing bug Create bug report Link to a FAQ Create a new FAQ To post a message you mu