Why mkfs shows /dev/xxx is apparently in use by the system; will not make a filesystem here' error ?

Solution Verified - Updated -

Issue

  • Unable to format partition. Getting error /dev/sde1 is apparently in use by the system; will not make a filesystem here! error
[root@test ~]# mkfs -t ext3 /dev/sde1
mke2fs 1.39 (29-MAY-2006)
/dev/sde1 is apparently in use by the system; will not make a filesystem here!

Environment

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5

Subscriber exclusive content

A Red Hat subscription provides unlimited access to our knowledgebase, tools, and much more.

Current Customers and Partners

Log in for full access

Log In

New to Red Hat?

Learn more about Red Hat subscriptions

Using a Red Hat product through a public cloud?

How to access this content