XPost: aus.computers   
   From: nospam@needed.invalid   
      
   On Wed, 12/17/2025 4:38 AM, Felix wrote:   
      
   >   
   > sorry, I think I've not explained it well. I'm using a LM PC. I'm not   
   connecting to a windows PC. I have an Ext4 drive installed in the LM PC. I   
   want to copy files to it from a NTFS drive connected via USB to a hard drive   
   box. I'm not copying or moving    
   any files to or from the main drive with LM on it.   
   >   
   > https://auslink.info/linux/case1.jpg   
   > https://auslink.info/linux/case2.jpg   
   >   
      
   What is the SMART status of this drive ?   
      
   When is the last time it had a CHKDSK ?   
      
   If you do [assumes drive is /dev/sdb]   
      
      sudo dd if=/dev/sdb of=/dev/null   
      
   can the command read every sector on the drive ?   
      
   We aren't copying the drive there, just checking for   
   CRC errors on the sectors. The Linux "dd" will stop   
   on the first CRC error it sees.   
      
   *******   
      
   You don't need a Windows install to run CHKDSK.   
      
   You can boot an [era correct] installer DVD,   
   select "Troubleshooting" instead of Install Now,   
   and use the Command Prompt and run a CHKDSK in there.   
      
      CHKDSK /f C:   
      
   or whatever drive letter the partition in question   
   happens to occupy.   
      
   *******   
      
   And "obviously bad" combinations, just won't work at all.   
   If you made an NTFS with 1MB clusters on it, W10 and W11   
   can read that, but nothing else can, because other situations   
   only support up to 64KB clusters. The regular C: drive uses   
   4KB clusters (which support encryption and compression that   
   nobody uses). We make data drives used for image backups,   
   to have 64KB clusters, but that likely does not result   
   in any significant savings. It's just a fetish of sorts.   
   Adding new cluster sizes to Windows, is bound to cause problems   
   for the older OSes.   
      
   We should be methodical and review what is known about   
   the drive and its one or more data partitions.   
      
   Discussing higher level issues, when the lower level   
   doesn't have integrity, we have to cover off that   
   part first, and assure ourselves "the disk is good   
   enough to use" first.   
      
   *******   
      
   Once that is out of the way, you can try a   
      
      cp -Rp /media/mint/MYDATA/users/Felix/Pictures ~/Downloads/Pictures   
      
   That's just an example, where we don't start too high in the source   
   tree, and we only copy things that really should copy (if the disk   
   was working).   
      
   If you mount this disk and do "ls" of the top level,   
   would I be surprised at the top level structure ???   
   The files/folders right at the top.   
      
      ls /media/mint/MYDATA   
      
   You can also tell me, via a verbal description, whether   
   the structure is a random adhoc data structure, or the drive   
   is a C: with a Windows folder and a hiberfil.sys file and   
   so on. Set the scene for me, like a color commentary sort of thing.   
      
      Paul   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)