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Re: /dev/null > /dev/sdb1 !



On Tue, Apr 22, 2008 at 02:45:11PM +0100, Matthew Macdonald-Wallace wrote:
> On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:35:31 +0800
> paragasu <paragasu@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > now i am wondering. whether it is because the command i just executed
> > or my hard disk is really dying?
> 
> It could be either.  The command you typed effectively formatted the
> disk.

Minor correction...  Any command which directly writes to a disk's
device file and writes something other than a valid file system
effectively de-formats[1] the disk.  Re-formatting provides a usable (if
empty) filesystem.  De-formatting provides an unusable disk, at least
until it is re-formatted.


[1]  I would say "unformat", but that term has been widely used to mean
something other than "cause the disk to no longer be formatted".

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