WHen trying to start Linux I get this error and cannot get on Fedora core 6 at all. The error started after I accidently switched the computer off at the plug as it was just starting to shut down. Do you have any idea how I can solve this? I'm using an Ubuntu live cd at the moment.

ata1.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x0
ata1.00: (BMDMA stat 0x20)
ata1.00: tag 0 cmd 0xc8 Emask 0x9 stat 0x51 err 0x40 (media error)
EXT3-fs: can't read superblock on 2nd try
mount: error mounting /dev/root on /sysroot as ext3: Invalid argument
setuproot: moving /dev failed : No such file or directory
setuproot: error mounting /proc : No such file or directory
setuproot: error mounting /sys : No such file or directory
switchroot: mount failed : No such file or directory
kernel panic - not syncing : Attempted to kill init!

anyone able to help me? thanks.

Load your Fedora installer CD in rescue mode and fsck the partitions? A list of partitions you should be able to get with 'fdisk -l'. Might also need a list of other superblocks per partition. Example for the first IDE partition: 'dumpe2fs /dev/hda1 | awk '$2 == "superblock" {print $4}''. BTW don't be the first one to tack on a post since it destroys the threads 0-reply status. BTW[1] the libsata errors remind me of crappy hardware SATA controllers. You're sure you didn't have any before the accident?

Ok thanks for that.
the dumpe2fs command didn't work, it said dumpe2fs command not found.

I have two partitions.

When I ran efsck
for the first partition i got
/boot:clean, 37/26104 files, 20325/104388 blocks

and for the second partition i got

Coudln't find ext2 superblock, trying backup blocks...
fsck.ext2: bad magic number in super-block while trying to open /dev/sda2

The superblock could not be read or does not describe a correct ext filesystem. If the device is valid and it really contains an ext2 filesystem (and not swap or ufs or something else), then the superblock is corrupt.

After getting this I used this command

badblocks -sv /dev/sda2

and got

badblocks (read-only test)
192 192/ 156183930
193 193/ 156183930
194 194/ 156183930
195 195/ 156183930

done
pass completed, 4 bad blocks found.


Any advice now? is there any possible way of fixing them?
thanks a lot, adam

Please can somebody help, i'm completely unsure weither to format the drive and lose everything, or weither i should keep on trying? I'm not sure what to do and I don't understand why the dumpe2fs command wouldn't work.