File System check: which partition, -y flag?

[coyote2]

I think I want to run a file system check on my one Linux (IIRC, EXT4) partition, my Linux Mint Mint 19.2 Xfce system partition.

(I think I want to do this because I'm trying to troubleshoot why my system drive backups with Clonezilla boot media have been failing for weeks. I already discovered the drives pass physical diagnostics with HD Tune, the RAM is error-free per Memtest86, and the NTFS filesystems are AOK per CHKDSK.)

I read https://www.tecmint.com/fsck-repair-fil ... -in-linux/
I'm thinking that I'll boot to a Mint 19.2 thumbdrive to avoid the issue of needing the partition to be unmounted.

But I have a couple questions.

I see that the command will be

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# fsck /dev/sdbN

But as a noob I don't know how to determine which N partition is my system partition.

Would I be unwise to use the

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-y

flag?

[rene]

You need the /dev/sdXY that is in the output of df now shown mounted on /.

It's by the way slightly better to do this from the so-called initramfs than from the live system: quicker and even theoretical certainty of the /dev/sdX part being the same between a normal boot and the initramfs one. To boot into the initramfs you add break as a kernel command line parameter. Easiest by booting into the Grub menu, editing the kernel command line ("e" I believe it was: displayed on screen), adding that break to the end of the linux line after e.g. quiet splash and hitting F10 to boot. From the (initramfs) prompt you say

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fsck -fy /dev/sdXY

and use exit to continue the normal boot when it's done. You need the -f flag to force an actual fsck even if the filesystem was marked clean.

But Live-system will also work and same -f thing applies.

No, -y would not be unwise. If any trouble is found you are not (no one is, really) going to know when to say no to a suggested repair anyway.

[spamegg]

You can use lsblk or sudo parted --list