>> One thing, you have to run mkfs on an unmounted partition ( i.e
>> /dev/sdXX ). Standard disclamer: I make no claims of responsibility
>> for lost files, bla, bla, bla.
>  I remembered that I didn't care about a couple of drives so I did it 
> regardless of it being blank or not. Yet still I got the same response:
> 
> bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ umount sda6
> bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ ls
> cdrom  floppy  hda1  hda5  hda6  hda7  hda8  sda5  sda6
> bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ umount /dev/sda6
> umount: /dev/sda6 is not mounted (according to mtab)
> bmike1@bmike1:/mnt$ su
> Password:
> root@bmike1:/mnt# mkfs -t ext2 -j /mnt/sda6
> mke2fs 1.34-WIP (21-May-2003)
> /mnt/sda6 is not a block special device.
> Proceed anyway? (y,n) y
> mkfs.ext2: Device size reported to be zero.  Invalid partition
> specified, or
>         partition table wasn't reread after running fdisk, due to
>         a modified partition being busy and in use.  You may need to
>         reboot to re-read your partition table.
> 
> root@bmike1:/mnt# umount sda5
> root@bmike1:/mnt# mkfs -t ext2 -j /mnt/sda5
> mke2fs 1.34-WIP (21-May-2003)
> /mnt/sda5 is not a block special device.
> Proceed anyway? (y,n) y
> mkfs.ext2: Device size reported to be zero.  Invalid partition
> specified, or
>         partition table wasn't reread after running fdisk, due to
>         a modified partition being busy and in use.  You may need to
>         reboot to re-read your partition table.
> 
> root@bmike1:/mnt#
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------
> PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change  you mail settings:
> http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss

I guess I am not understanding the question, but you keep trying to mkfs the
mountpoint, instead of the device. In my befuddlement, it looks to me like
you should use 'mkfs -t ext2 -j /dev/sda5' instead of 'mkfs -t ext2 -j
/mnt/sda5'.

Scott