various files on disk are corrupted and contain only null bytes

[idrisadesanya@…]

trying to install a port and get the following:

--->  Computing dependencies for libxslt
--->  Fetching libxslt
--->  Verifying checksum(s) for libxslt
--->  Extracting libxslt
--->  Configuring libxslt
--->  Building libxslt
Error: Target org.macports.build returned: shell command failed (see log for details)
Log for libxslt is at: /opt/local/var/macports/logs/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_ports_textproc_libxslt/main.log
Error: Status 1 encountered during processing.
To report a bug, see <http://guide.macports.org/#project.tickets>

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

The relevant error seems to be:

libtool: link: `/opt/local/lib/libxml2.la' is not a valid libtool archive

Could you attach that file so we can see what's the matter with it?

[idrisadesanya@…]

libxml2.la file

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Well, that file is 973 bytes of zeroes, so that's definitely not a valid libtool archive. On my system, it's 973 bytes of text. So you should rebuild libxml2.

sudo port -n upgrade --force libxml2

Had any disk corruption problems lately?

[idrisadesanya@…]

No have not but now I am receiving errors for libgnomeui....please see new attached log

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

The log says:

:info:build /opt/local/include/X11/ICE/ICElib.h:1:1: warning: null character(s) ignored
:info:build In file included from gnome-client.c:50:
:info:build /opt/local/include/X11/SM/SMlib.h:42: error: expected '=', ',', ';', 'asm' or '__attribute__' before 'SmPointer'

In other words: ICElib.h is corrupt (contains null characters) as well, and SMlib.h then doesn't function properly because the thing it expected to have been defined in ICElib.h isn't there. You'll have to rebuild the port that provides ICElib.h as well.

$ port provides /opt/local/include/X11/ICE/ICElib.h
/opt/local/include/X11/ICE/ICElib.h is provided by: xorg-libice

But first you should really figure out why these files are corrupt to begin with. Could be a dying disk. Definitely make a backup of your disk immediately, and see if Disk Utility can repair it.

[idrisadesanya@…]

I tried to rebuild and it failed. I also checked the hard drive with Disk Utility and it said that everything was fine with the hard drive. It didnt not give me the option to repair. Does the fact that FileVault (Encrypting the hard drive) was recently enable become a factor? I have also attached a updated version of the log file

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

That's the same log you showed before.

I have never used FileVault and have no experience with it, but it certainly shouldn't be corrupting your files.

[idrisadesanya@…]

It said the following in the cmd line:

--->  Building libgnomeui
Error: Target org.macports.build returned: shell command failed (see log for details)
Error: Failed to install libgnomeui
Log for libgnomeui is at: /opt/local/var/macports/logs/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_ports_gnome_libgnomeui/main.log

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Yes I know. And the log you attached showed that it was because ICElib.h was corrupted. Did you rebuild xorg-libice?

[idrisadesanya@…]

No I didnt...do I need to?

[idrisadesanya@…]

I just rebuild xorg-libice and it did the same thing

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Replying to idrisadesanya@…:

No I didnt...do I need to?

That's what I suggested in comment:5.

Replying to idrisadesanya@…:

I just rebuild xorg-libice and it did the same thing

Do you mean that xorg-libice failed to rebuild, or that xorg-libice rebuilt successfully but that libgnomeui still won't build? If the former, show the xorg-libice main.log; if the latter, did you clean libgnomeui first? You should. If that didn't help, does the new libgnomeui main.log still complain about nulls in ICElib.h as it did before? If so, attach your ICElib.h. If not, attach the new libgnomeui main.log.

[idrisadesanya@…]

I just cleaned the libgnomeui and when I tryed to reinstall I got the following:

sudo port install libgnomeui
--->  Computing dependencies for libgnomeui
--->  Fetching libgnomeui
--->  Verifying checksum(s) for libgnomeui
--->  Extracting libgnomeui
--->  Configuring libgnomeui
--->  Building libgnomeui
Error: Target org.macports.build returned: shell command failed (see log for details)
Log for libgnomeui is at: /opt/local/var/macports/logs/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_ports_gnome_libgnomeui/main.log
Error: Status 1 encountered during processing.

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

And the new log you attached still says "/opt/local/include/X11/ICE/ICElib.h:1:1: warning: null character(s) ignored". Did you rebuild xorg-libice before that? If so, ICElib.h should have been rebuilt correctly. If it has been rebuilt with nulls in it again, that's odd; please attach ICElib.h.

[idrisadesanya@…]

I did what you said and get the following:

Error: Failed to install libgnomeui

I will attached the ICElib.h file

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Yup, that file is all null bytes. Definitely not what it's supposed to contain. If that's after having rebuilt xorg-libice (using "sudo port -n upgrade --force xorg-libice" for example) then I don't know what to tell you. Your computer is corrupting your files. It's not a MacPorts problem.

[idrisadesanya@…]

I force the upgrade of xorg-libice and it install successfully. I tried to install the port again and it completed just fine.

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Glad to hear it. But keep this problem in mind for the future. You already found two ports with at least one corrupted file each. There might be other files on your disk, either part of MacPorts ports, or your operating system, or your own files, that are suffering from the same problem. I still suspect bad hardware, such as a bad hard disk or bad RAM.