# Strange problem: /etc/mtab: stale NFS file handle :|

## Syster

Hi to all gentoo users!  :Wink: 

I get very strange problem with mounting volumes. When i try to mount any kind of volume, i get:

```
mount: can't open /etc/mtab for writing: stale NFS file handle
```

  :Neutral: 

Even if i try to see what's in /etc/mtab, i get:

```
cat /etc/mtab: stale NFS file handle
```

 :Sad: 

I have no idea what could be wrong. 

Please help me. Now i can't use any disk in my gentoo ;(

PS: I'm not using NFS in my gentoo boxLast edited by Syster on Sun Nov 09, 2008 9:03 am; edited 1 time in total

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## bunder

Moved from Installing Gentoo to Kernel & Hardware.

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## boerKrelis

What's the output of:

'mount'

and

'stat /etc/mtab'

and the last 10 lines of

'dmesg'

?

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## Syster

 *boerKrelis wrote:*   

> What's the output of:
> 
> 'mount'
> 
> and
> ...

 

A output of mount i've quoted into my first post, and here's output of stat:

```
  File: `/etc/mtab'

  Size: 774          Blocks: 8          IO Block: 4096   zwykły plik

Device: 811h/2065d   Inode: 5726916     Links: 1

Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--)  Uid: (    0/    root)   Gid: (    0/    root)

Access: 2008-11-09 18:05:06.000000000 +0100

Modify: 2008-11-09 22:41:44.000000000 +0100

Change: 2008-11-09 22:41:44.000000000 +0100
```

Dmesg:

```
[  123.158743] type=1503 audit(1226250395.481:12): operation="socket_create" family="ipx" sock_type="dgram" protocol=0 pid=5978 profile="/usr/sbin/cupsd"

[  123.158753] type=1503 audit(1226250395.481:13): operation="socket_create" family="appletalk" sock_type="dgram" protocol=0 pid=5978 profile="/usr/sbin/cupsd"

[  124.324120] ppdev0: registered pardevice

[  124.372035] ppdev0: unregistered pardevice

[16632.067378] kjournald starting.  Commit interval 5 seconds

[16632.068131] EXT3 FS on sdb5, internal journal

[16632.068648] EXT3-fs: mounted filesystem with ordered data mode.
```

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## notHerbert

If you do a fsck with the force option on the *unmounted* partition it will go away.

```
/sbin/fsck.ext3 -f /dev/xxxx
```

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## Syster

Yay, this very simple method worked!  :Smile: 

Thank you very much!  :Wink: 

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## notHerbert

You are very welcome.   :Smile: 

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