[lug] windows reformatting linux disks?

[D. Stimits]

Paul Walmsley wrote:
> 
> On Tue, 30 Apr 2002, Neal McBurnett wrote:
> 
> > Now when I plug it back into linux, it causes a kernel error: "Apr 21
> > 18:33:49 pearl kernel: sda:<1>Unable to handle kernel paging request
> > at virtual address a05b05b1" and I can't see anything.
> 
> this is a kernel oops, which indicates a bug in the Linux kernel.
> there should be a stack trace following this message, which could
> help diagnose what's going on.
> 
> could you cut and paste the output of 'dmesg' after this happens?  also
> 'uname -a'?

One has to be lucky for cut and paste to continue working after an OOPS.
But I'll offer the theory that the modified disk was being mounted
still, and that something on the disk was being executed using this
random code overwrite. Simply not mounting the disk during boot would be
a "good thing". Repair can be via a rescue disk first. Assuming
something like a piece of the kernel or a library or program getting
randomly modified, I could understand an OOPS.

D. Stimits, stimits at idcomm.com