Using Vi, getting "blkopen's read failed" error

Sartre · 09-29-2004, 10:57 PM

Hi,
I'm trying to edit files using vi, but getting the following error:

Code:

bash-2.05b$ vi .bashrc
blkopen's read failed

if I try editing the same file as root, there is no problem.
Here's an ls -la of .bashrc (this isn't limited to just this file, but any I try to edit with this user.)

Code:

bash-2.05b$ ls -la .bashrc
-rwx--x--x  1 sartre users 195 Aug 30 08:23 .bashrc

Any help is greatly appreciated, as google isn't helping much.

secesh · 09-29-2004, 11:28 PM

what's your username?
(not a vi user, the error is slightly cryptic to me)

Sartre · 09-29-2004, 11:41 PM

My username is sartre.
Some more troubleshooting on my end turned up a couple of things:

/usr/bin/vi is a link to elvis

I'm able to edit files using joe or vim, just not elvis .

dustu76 · 09-30-2004, 02:05 AM

Is elvis an editor... (there are so many of them)...

Anyway, as root, when you issue this command "which vi", is "/usr/bin/vi" returned?

If answer is yes, try checking whether there is any .elvisrc or something like that for root & try copying that...

If the answer is no, then root is using "vi" in a differnt directory which evidently is working. Create a softlink/alias to that & invoke...

HTH.

Sartre · 09-30-2004, 03:39 PM

I pointed /usr/bin/vi to /usr/bin/vim and all is right with the world.

I'd like to know what the specific error means...
anyways, thanks for the help.

vace · 10-25-2004, 08:50 PM

I just had the same problem, so I found your post through a google search.
I think the reason why you got that error was b/c you ran out of space in /var (at least that was my problem).

-- Val

Sartre · 10-27-2004, 01:40 AM

Thanks vace, that looks like it was it. A little housecleaning fixed it.