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fsck disk cannot run due to "Bad magic number in super-block" Disk is an external one (WD passport HDD), connected through usb port. It is mounted normally. I can write / delete / play / run files normally (except in a particular directory).

I would like to run fsck that may fix that problem. However, i confronted that problem.

Using sudo e2fsck /dev/sdc, with different numbers didnt work.

What to do?

"sudo fsck /dev/sdc"

elias@eliasc:/home$ sudo fsck /dev/sdc
fsck from util-linux 2.31.1
e2fsck 1.44.1 (24-Mar-2018)
ext2fs_open2: Bad magic number in super-block
fsck.ext2: Superblock invalid, trying backup blocks...
fsck.ext2: Bad magic number in super-block while trying to open /dev/sdc

The superblock could not be read or does not describe a valid ext2/ext3/ext4
filesystem.  If the device is valid and it really contains an ext2/ext3/ext4
filesystem (and not swap or ufs or something else), then the superblock
is corrupt, and you might try running e2fsck with an alternate superblock:
    e2fsck -b 8193 <device>
 or
    e2fsck -b 32768 <device>


Found a gpt partition table in /dev/sdc

sudo fdisk -l

  Disk /dev/sdc: 931.5 GiB, 1000170586112 bytes, 1953458176 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: gpt
Disk identifier: 66BAEFE2-F3F9-491C-B40F-C964F28AE483

Device     Start        End    Sectors   Size Type
/dev/sdc1   2048 1953456127 1953454080 931.5G Microsoft basic data

UPDATE: I Posted the solution and it was deleted. What I found out was that the linux utils of ntfs (and much more) was unable to fix my disk. Therefore, I created a virtual environment of VirtualBox running Windows enterprise Free trial edition. I run Checkdsk and my problem was fixed.

UPDATE 2: After fixing NTFS, i formatted to Ext4, entire disk. Bye bye NTFS problem. As I read, it does not need defragmation as Ext4.

Estatistics
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1 Answers1

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I assume there's a confusion between disk (partition table) and partition with a file system.

You can of course format an entire disk using a given file system but that's rarely the case in typical scenarios.

fsck will automatically invoke the proper helper when pointed at the appropriate partition. It does that by checking the magic numbers at the beginning of the partition to determine what type it is. So if your partition if formatted with NTFS, it will automatically invoke fsck.ntfs.

In your question, you run fsck on /dev/sdc directly which is as you say is GPT, for GUID Partition Table (ie. not a partition but a collection of partitions). I guess sdc1 is your NTFS partition instead of sdc which is your entire disk (which does not contain a file system but one or multiple partitions with their own file system, hence the bad magic).

mivk
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Ginnungagap
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