[parisc-linux] Can't write to hard drives on a K200

[Joe Emenaker]

I've booted a Gentoo install CD, which puts me in a root shell. The 
first step, I guess, is to partition the drives... but the thing won't 
let me.

 > When I try to write from "cfdisk /dev/sda", it gives me:
 > Wrting partition table to disk...
 > end_request: I/O error, dev sda, sector 0
 > Buffer I/O error on device sda, logical block 0
 > lost page write due to I/O error on sda
 > SCSI device sda: 8388314 512-byte hdwr sectors (4295 MB)

Just in case it was a glitch in cfdisk, I tried writing from fdisk, as well:

 > Calling ioctl() to re-read partition table.
 > end_request: I/O error, dev sda, sector 0
 > Buffer I/O error on device sda, logical block 0
 > lost page write due to I/O error on sda
 > SCSI device sda: 8388314 512-byte hdwr sectors (4295 MB)
 > sda: Write Protect is off
 > SCSI device sda: drive cache: write through w/ FUA
 > SCSI device sda: 8388314 512-byte hdwr sectors (4295 MB)
 > sda: Write Protect is off
 > SCSI device sda: drive cache: write through w/ FUA

Hrmmm.... so maybe the disks are read-only somehow, right? Well then how 
come I can dd like so:

   dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bsQ2 count

That works fine. So.... anybody have any idea what's going on?

-- 
"Next the statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon
 the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those
 conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and
 refuse to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and
 by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the
 better  sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque
 self-deception."                                         - Mark Twain

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