This discussion is locked
Martin E
Level 1 (15 points)

Q: removed orphaned files...

Hi there!

Yesterday I had another system crash and was forced to shutdown my PowerBook. I restarted, logged in as Admin, checked the permissions and my user sparseimage. After that I rebooted with the Tiger-CD to check the harddrive itself.
After all, some permissions need to be fixed, but everything else seemed to be fine.

In the system.log I found a line, which told me that 16 orphaned files were removed. That was after the first reboot after the crash.


Is there a possibility to find out what files that were?


Months ago I had a similar problem. No errors were found at all, but a preference file was corrupt (or missing). So I discovered this error only because the application looks "different".

I know that a system crash is always bad for a filesystem, but it is possible to find out which files are corrupt? I read about a lost+found folder, but it's not in my root directory.


Another more general question: Did I something wrong (I mean AFTER the crash)? I also have Disk Warrior. Is this program better for a filesystem check?

Thanks for Your help!

PowerBook G4, Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Posted on Oct 17, 2006 7:15 AM

Close
Martin E

Q: removed orphaned files...

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by Dr. Smoke,

    Dr. Smoke Dr. Smoke Oct 17, 2006 12:55 PM in response to Martin E
    Level 9 (56,585 points)
    Oct 17, 2006 12:55 PM in response to Martin E
    Hi, Martin.

    A close reading of Fsck - The UNIX® File System Check Program, which is available online in HTML and PDF formats, would indicate there are situations in which orphaned files will be removed without the creation of the lost+found directory. In some cases, the problem is simply corrected without a need to then add an alias to the files in the lost+found directory.

    Orphaned files are not necessarily corrupted files, but rather files which have been "orphaned" with respect to the drive's directory, i.e. disconnected from the directory in some fashion. Granted, an orphaned file is also often corrupted, especially if it is a fragmented file (one that could not be written to contiguous space) and all its fragments could not be found. However, Orphaned status does not necessarily imply "corrupted."

    If the actions on the files in question were not noted in the log, and since there's no lost+found folder, there's no way to know.

    Finding corrupted files is the proverbial "needle in a haystack" quest. However, the techniques in my "Finding corrupted files" FAQ can help.

    IMO, Alsoft DiskWarrior is the tool-of-choice for repairing hard drives when Disk Utility cannot correct the directory corruption. At present, it can only be used with PowerPC-based Macs: a version for Intel-based Macs is pending.

    Intel-based Mac users can employ the following third-party tools for directory repair until a Universal version of DiskWarrior is available:

    • Micromat TechTool Pro v4.5.1 or later.

    • The Universal version of Prosoft Engineering Drive Genius.

    It doesn't sound like you did anything incorrectly. You may want to review my "Resolving Disk, Permission, and Cache Corruption" FAQ for a recommended procedure and related information.

    Good luck!

    Dr. Smoke
    Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X

    ---
    Note: The information provided in the link(s) above is freely available. However, because I own The X Lab™, a commercial Web site to which some of these links point, the Apple Discussions Terms of Use require I include the following disclosure statement with this post:

    I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.

  • by Martin E,

    Martin E Martin E Oct 18, 2006 5:22 AM in response to Dr. Smoke
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Oct 18, 2006 5:22 AM in response to Dr. Smoke
    Thank You very much for the answer!

    I'll study Your homepage.