[SGVLUG] a pxe bootdisk that includes e2fsck?

[Sean O'Donnell]

Emerson, Tom (*IC) wrote:
>> -----Original Message----- Of Sean O'Donnell
>>
>> PXE is the only boot option I have for this laptop though, 
>> unfortunately. The cd-rom is kaput, there's no floppy drive, 
>> and the bios doesn't support usb booting.
> 
> By "PXE boot", I presume you mean booting from a network, which implies
> you have access to another working machine capable of being a
> boot-server, right?  Couldn't you make an NFS share available on the
> boot-server which contains the program you're looking for?

Good idea. However, after trying to do so, it seems that e2fsck (and
fsck) cause errors when trying to run when mounted via NFS.

It's something like... syntax error ('

> 
>> *rant* This is the 2nd optical drive I've seen die on this 
>> laptop in 2 years, so I'm reluctant to purchase another from 
>> the manufacturer (Pro Star), especially considering they 
>> (conveniently) only have the more expensive ($120) DVD-R 
>> drive available now, rather than the ($80) CD-R/DVD 'combo' 
>> drive. I'd rather spend that money on the new Call of Duty 
>> (4)! */rant*  =p
> 
> Hmmm... Two things come to mind:
> 
>    1) "2nd drive to die in two years", so this is a 2-year-old laptop?

correct.

> (or did you buy it used?)  For the last 5-ish years, most [granted, not
> "all"], laptops have easy access to the hard drive so that you (the
> consumer) could pull and replace the drive without cracking open the
> case; combined with the choice of /several/ external usb/firewire cases
> that play host to a "laptop sized drive" (2.5"), you could pull the
> drive out and check it via another system

I may have to resort to such tinkering, but I'm trying to avoid it.

> 
>    2) likewise, even though the /company/ only provides a single
> [expensive] feature-starved drive, you'll find that [again, almost...]
> all "optical" drives for laptops come in a standard form factor now
> (there is a place in pasadena that specializes in selling these drives
> at the computer swapmeet in pomona...)  However, some manufacturers will
> "disguise" this fact by placing a proprietary connector in the "drive
> bay", and encasing the drive in a carrier with the corresponding
> connector -- you only need to replace the drive within the carrier with
> what you want 
> 
> [they sell the drives in two configurations: a "bare" drive and encased
> in an external USB carrier -- they even sell the carriers "empty"...]  I
> picked up a nice slot-loading DVD-RW/CD-RW combo drive for about $100,
> /several/ months ago...
> 

Thanks for the input, Tom!

-Sean