[Bug 48806] Re: vfat filesystems should not be fscked

[Phillip Susi]

** Changed in: ubiquity (Ubuntu)
   Importance: Undecided => Wishlist

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/48806

Title:
  vfat filesystems should not be fscked

Status in “sysvinit” package in Ubuntu:
  Invalid
Status in “ubiquity” package in Ubuntu:
  Triaged
Status in “sysvinit” package in Baltix:
  Invalid

Bug description:
  The test system had a 25 GB Windows XP FAT32 partition and a 140 GB FAT32 data partition in the extended partition. Moreover, it had two Kubuntu partitions:
  / 15 Gb - ext3
  Swap 512 MB 

  Kubuntu installer automatically mounts FAT-32 partitions as writeable. Then when the system boots, it runs dosfsck, which detects non-existent bugs in the FAT-32 and attempts to fix them by truncating files! This corrupts FAT-32!!! The users can lose multiple files!!!
  Moreover, if the user makes the partition non-writeable, dosfsck is not even aware of this, and still attempts to fix non-existent bugs, and the system always hangs during the boot process!
  1. The auto-mounted Windows partitions should be read-only (non-writeable.)
  2. dosfsck should not be allowed to make ANY changes to FAT32 without user permission.
  3. dosfschk should be completely disabled until it is fixed. Currently, it finds numerous errors even when they do NOT exist and then corrupts FAT32 when it truncates numerous files. It does the same "fix" every time you run Kubuntu.
  4. If the mounted paritition is read-only (non-writeable), dosfsck should not even run.
  Currently, it always runs and then the system hangs if the partition is read-only.
  5. If the mount is changed to non-writeable, even if you reinstall Kubuntu, the system will hang when dosfsck runs during the boot process.

  Primum non nocere (First do no harm)!

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