Can't find a valid FAT filesystem on dev sda ...

[Albretch]

Hi,
.
I am having this problem myself and I think I read something about it either here or somewhere else, about someone that fixed his drive using knoppix + parted
.
Here is the diagnostics I could get from my drive, which seemed to be working fine last time I used it and it is not sounded weird or anything like that, so it does not apear to have a physical problem
.
// __
sh-3.00# whoami
root
.
// __
sh-3.00# dmesg | tail
Vendor: A T R 6 Model: 080 4 Rev:
Type: Direct-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 06
SCSI device sda: 156306432 512-byte hdwr sectors (80029 MB)
sda: asking for cache data failed
sda: assuming drive cache: write through
SCSI device sda: 156306432 512-byte hdwr sectors (80029 MB)
sda: asking for cache data failed
sda: assuming drive cache: write through
sda: unknown partition table
Attached scsi disk sda at scsi3, channel 0, id 0, lun 0
.
// __
sh-3.00# mount -t vfat /dev/sda /mnt/sda -r
mount: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/sda,
missing codepage or other error
In some cases useful info is found in syslog - try
dmesg | tail or so

sh-3.00# dmesg | tail
SCSI device sda: 156306432 512-byte hdwr sectors (80029 MB)
sda: asking for cache data failed
sda: assuming drive cache: write through
SCSI device sda: 156306432 512-byte hdwr sectors (80029 MB)
sda: asking for cache data failed
sda: assuming drive cache: write through
sda: unknown partition table
Attached scsi disk sda at scsi3, channel 0, id 0, lun 0
FAT: invalid media value (0x3
VFS: Can't find a valid FAT filesystem on dev sda.
.
// __
sh-3.00# fdisk -l /dev/sda

Disk /dev/sda: 80.0 GB, 80028893184 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Disk /dev/sda doesn't contain a valid partition table
.
// __
sh-3.00# dmesg | grep -i sda
SCSI device sda: 156306432 512-byte hdwr sectors (80029 MB)
sda: asking for cache data failed
sda: assuming drive cache: write through
SCSI device sda: 156306432 512-byte hdwr sectors (80029 MB)
sda: asking for cache data failed
sda: assuming drive cache: write through
sda: unknown partition table
Attached scsi disk sda at scsi0, channel 0, id 0, lun 0
VFS: Can't find a valid FAT filesystem on dev sda.
SCSI device sda: 156306432 512-byte hdwr sectors (80029 MB)
sda: asking for cache data failed
sda: assuming drive cache: write through
SCSI device sda: 156306432 512-byte hdwr sectors (80029 MB)
sda: asking for cache data failed
sda: assuming drive cache: write through
sda: unknown partition table
Attached scsi disk sda at scsi1, channel 0, id 0, lun 0
VFS: Can't find a valid FAT filesystem on dev sda.
SCSI device sda: 156306432 512-byte hdwr sectors (80029 MB)
sda: asking for cache data failed
sda: assuming drive cache: write through
SCSI device sda: 156306432 512-byte hdwr sectors (80029 MB)
sda: asking for cache data failed
sda: assuming drive cache: write through
sda: unknown partition table
Attached scsi disk sda at scsi2, channel 0, id 0, lun 0
SCSI device sda: 156306432 512-byte hdwr sectors (80029 MB)
sda: asking for cache data failed
sda: assuming drive cache: write through
SCSI device sda: 156306432 512-byte hdwr sectors (80029 MB)
sda: asking for cache data failed
sda: assuming drive cache: write through
sda: unknown partition table
Attached scsi disk sda at scsi3, channel 0, id 0, lun 0
VFS: Can't find a valid FAT filesystem on dev sda.
SCSI device sda: 156306432 512-byte hdwr sectors (80029 MB)
sda: asking for cache data failed
sda: assuming drive cache: write through
SCSI device sda: 156306432 512-byte hdwr sectors (80029 MB)
sda: asking for cache data failed
sda: assuming drive cache: write through
sda: unknown partition table
Attached scsi disk sda at scsi4, channel 0, id 0, lun 0
.
// __
sh-3.00# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/hda: 13.5 GB, 13578485760 bytes
16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 26310 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 = 516096 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 12190 6143728+ c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/hda2 12191 18191 3024504 83 Linux
/dev/hda3 18192 26310 4091976 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sda: 80.0 GB, 80028893184 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Disk /dev/sda doesn't contain a valid partition table
.
// __
sh-3.00# parted /dev/sda
GNU Parted 1.6.9
Copyright (C) 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This program is free software, covered by the GNU General Public License.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY
WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

Using /UNIONFS/dev/sda
Error: Unable to open /UNIONFS/dev/sda - unrecognised disk label.
Information: The operating system thinks the geometry on /UNIONFS/dev/sda is
9729/255/63. Therefore, cylinder 1024 ends at 8032.499M.
(parted) check
Error: Unable to open /UNIONFS/dev/sda - unrecognised disk label.
(parted) p
Error: Unable to open /UNIONFS/dev/sda - unrecognised disk label.
(parted) q
Information: Don't forget to update /etc/fstab, if necessary.
// __

[Harry Kuhman]

What are you trying to do, salvage data off the drive or just reuse it? What OS and partition type(s) do you think there should have been on the drive? What type of drive is it?

[Albretch]

well, given the option, I would like to reuse it. I think the drive does not have any hardware problems.
.
but I am not a hardware person, please let me know if you can prove me wrong, about what I can/should do.
.
Thanx

[Harry Kuhman]

You didn't answer all of my questions, which limits the help that I can offer. If you are not trying to salvage old data then reusing a working drive should be extremely simple. One more question would be what do you plan to now install on this drive. And I hope that answer isn't Knoppix.

[Albretch]

Sorry I dind't field your question right

[Albretch]

I took the drive out of the external drive's encasing and plugged into the mobo's cables
.
then I noticed knoppix 5.0.1 nicely detecting it as /dev/hdb MAXTOR 6L080J4 (for some reason not /dev/hda!)
.
then I mounted it as a FAT 32 drive
.
mount -t vfat /dev/hdb /mnt/hdb -rw
.
listed/opened/created/deleted the files and navigated the directories and then (un)(re)mounted it and without any problems
.
// __ parted tells me
sh-3.1# parted /dev/hdb
GNU Parted 1.6.9
Copyright (C) 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 Free Sof
tware Foundation, Inc.
This program is free software, covered by the GNU General
Public License.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be u
seful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

Using /dev/hdb
Information: The operating system thinks the geometry on /dev/hdb is
155114/16/63. Therefore, cylinder 1024 ends at 503.999M.
(parted) p
Disk geometry for /dev/hdb: 0.000-76345.500 megabytes
Disk label type: loop
Minor Start End Filesystem Flags
1 0.000 76345.500 fat32
(parted) q
Information: Don't forget to update /etc/fstab, if necessary.
.
// __ but fdisk tells me
sh-3.1# fdisk -l /dev/hdb

Disk /dev/hdb: 80.0 GB, 80054059008 bytes
16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 155114 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 = 516096 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
sh-3.1#
.
// __
Why doesn't fdisk give me the start and end cylinders?
.
Albretch

[malaire]

I took the drive out of the external drive's encasing and plugged into the mobo's cables
.
then I noticed knoppix 5.0.1 nicely detecting it as /dev/hdb MAXTOR 6L080J4 (for some reason not /dev/hda!)
.
then I mounted it as a FAT 32 drive
.
mount -t vfat /dev/hdb /mnt/hdb -rw
.
listed/opened/created/deleted the files and navigated the directories and then (un)(re)mounted it and without any problems

Are you sure you really mounted /dev/hdb? Normally you don't mount the HD, but the partitions within it, i.e. /dev/hdb1, /dev/hdb2, etc..

sh-3.1# fdisk -l /dev/hdb

Disk /dev/hdb: 80.0 GB, 80054059008 bytes
16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 155114 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 = 516096 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
sh-3.1#
.
// __
Why doesn't fdisk give me the start and end cylinders?
.
Albretch

If you really mounted /dev/hdb and it worked, then it seems that your HD don't have any partitions at all, and it only contains a single filesystem.
In that case fdisk is of no use because fdisk only works with disks which has a partition table.

If you really have such a strange setup, I'd suggest that you backup all important data from that disk, and then create a proper partition-table and proper partitions for the disk (which will destroy all existing data on the disk, so be sure to have a backup).