Comment 43 for bug 583923

SOLUTION TO OVER-RIDE FDSK

Under Microsoft's "chkdsk" command Windows users are prompted that they can not run any automatic file system error corrections until the next restart. Linux needs to add this same message and scheduling functionality to "fdsk" (e2fsk). Instead we are stuck with this very frustrating annoyance of being lockout until fdsk completes it error checking after a predetermined number of restarts. Fdisk needs this very basic functionality. Most people moving from Microsoft to Linux expect this.

After days of frustration I found the following solution by Peter Gordon:
My system uses "e2fsprogs (1.41.11)" which includes "tune2fs" which manages "e2fsck".

1. In a terminal window, check your fstab to make sure the sixth column item has a positive integer for your Linux boot device (in my case this partition is an ext3 format with a positive integer of "1").
 code: $ sudo gedit /etc/fstab

2. Restart using a liveCD (because he states that this is a low level procedure which requires all devices to be unmounted).

3. Start a terminal window and unmount all devices.
 code: $ sudo umount -a

3. Disable the <max-mount-counts> & <interval-between-checks> automatic checking described in "man tune2fs".
 code: $ tune2fs -c 0 -i 0 /dev/sda1

4. Restart/Shutdown-restart back to internal hard drive.

Note: Now the onus is on you to remember to manually 'e2fsck' from time to time using a LiveCD or going back and resetting some <max-mount-counts> with tune2fs that is except able to you!
 code: $ sudo e2fsck -C0 -p -f -v /dev/sda2

links:
http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-305871-start-0-postdays-0-postorder-asc-highlight-.html
http://linux.die.net/man/8/tune2fs