Hm.
Well, I tried linux rescue, and that didn't do a whole lot. I tried changing the root directory... that didn't get a favorable response, either. I tried typing linux lba at startup, and that didn't help, either -- this from a suggestion given by Anaconda's error message. Same error, no matter which way you slice the haggis.
I didn't try fsck or fdisk, just because I was nervous about extent of their effects. Would they work on only the original linux partition, or would they take out the whole enchilada? (Even if I would lose that, I'm not worried -- I can back up the Windows stuff without much problem from Windows. That's working well enough -- it's Linux that's been vomiting.)
I remember reading a description of Knoppix that mentioned using a CD with it to diagnose and treat HD problems, and so I thought I could try that before I do something drastic to the drive. One bittorrent later, here's a CD.
Uh, problem. I don't know the commands to use to put Knoppix through its paces.
Yes, yes, I know. Newbie.
Yep. 'Fraid so.
So what could I do with this disk that might get this thing back on its feet, or, barring that, confirm that I need to nuke the sucker? Are there distros out there that I could install that would salvage what's still there?