[Bug 205206] Re: dosfsck ignores your answers, and silently exits without saving, if it is run with no options

[unforgettableid]

Hi Onno,

Your proposed solution would be good.

Even better would be if dosfsck told users at the beginning of the run:
"This is demonstration mode; dosfsck will fix nothing. Please use -a or
-r instead." And at the end of the run: "Leaving disk unchanged; to make
fixes, use the -a or -r options."

** Summary changed:

- dosfsck user interface is unfriendly
+ dosfsck ignores your answers, and silently exits without saving, if it is run with no options

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/205206

Title:
  dosfsck ignores your answers, and silently exits without saving, if it
  is run with no options

Status in “dosfstools” package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  Binary package hint: dosfstools

  Stick a VFAT-formatted USB disk with a broken file system.  Unmount
  it.  Run sudo dosfsck /dev/sdb1 (or whatever the device is).

  dosfsck asks you many questions about repairing this or that.  Then it
  exits without making any changes, and giving no indication to the user
  that (1) it didn't actually make any repair, nor (2) what to do to
  actually make it repair the filesystem.

  An experienced user will know enough to read the manual page and learn
  about the -a or -r options.  A less experienced user will just declare
  it broken and reboot into Windows.

  dosfsck should not ask any questions when it finds errors it is not
  going to repair.  It should print an informative message saying
  "errors found; to fix them pass the -r (manual repair) or -a
  (automatic repair) option on the command line", or the equivalent.

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