[plug] Problem in trying to boot system

[Bret Busby]

Hello.

Our mailserver will no longer boot.

In the weekend, I think it was, it was off when I tried to access it.
(it had not been turned off by a human here)

When I tried to boot it, I could no longer access it across the AN.

I have this afternoon, shifted it and connected it to a monitor, and
tried to boot it.

The boot sequence fails, and,  I get

"
cramfs: wrong magic
FAT: Did not find valid FSINFO signature.
Found signature1 0x0 signature2 0x0 sector= 1.
request_module[nls_cp437]: Root fs not mounted
Unable to load NLS charset cp437
request_module[nls_cp437]: Root fs not mounted
Unable to load NLS charset cp437
request_module[nls_cp437]: Root fs not mounted
Unable to load NLS charset cp437
request_module[nls_cp437]: Root fs not mounted
Unable to load NLS charset cp437
Directory1: bad FAT
Filesystem panic (dev 03:01)
FAT error
VFS: Mounted root (vfat filesystem) readonly
Freeing unused kernel memory: 280k freed
Warning: unable to open an initial console
Kernel panic: No init found. Try passing init= option to kernel
"
(boot sequence stops here)

Does this mean that the FAT is stuffed?

Can the system and the data be recovered?

The system had to be booted via a FDD, each time the system needed booting.

The system is Debian 4.

I have Debian Woody (don't know what version number that is) and
Debian 5 and Debian 6 on CD (CD1 of each; 7CD set for "Woody"), but do
not know whether I can do anything with them.

The optical drive on the computer, is a CD drive; it is an HP Vectra
server, at least 10 years old.

Thank you in anticipation.

-- 
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............

"So once you do know what the question actually is,
 you'll know what the answer means."
- Deep Thought,
 Chapter 28 of Book 1 of
 "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
 A Trilogy In Four Parts",
 written by Douglas Adams,
 published by Pan Books, 1992

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