Root HD filled with error messages. How to stop?

From: Bob R (removeBadBobR_at_worldnet.att.net)
Date: 06/28/04 

Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 21:17:24 GMT

Hi Guys and Dolls,

I was using a floppy to transfer some C++ files back and forth between my
win95b machine and my Debian (unstable) Linux. Got a bad write to disk on
the win95, and when I tried to read it on the Debian, it wrote 300Megs of
errors into the 'syslog' and 'messages' (/var/log/) files, completely
filling the / partition (could not re-boot).
Thousands of lines per second (2.4Ghz P4). The floppy was vfat and
automount on Linux.

In old DOS, the system would try a read/write 32 times, then fail and quit.
Is there something/somewhere I can set a limit like that in Debian Linux?
Something I failed to do? (I ain't gonna say 'bug' on an unstable install!!
<G> ...and no, I have not checked a bug-list, old CDs and no net-upgrade
available.)

Thanks for any help.
p.s. - I got the machine back after hours of deleting lines and resaving
(from my stable installation, different HD). Could I have just deleted the
syslog and messages files? 

--
Bob R
POVrookie
--
MinGW (GNU compiler): http://www.mingw.com/
Dev-C++ IDE: http://www.bloodshed.net/
V IDE & V GUI: http://www.objectcentral.com/
POVray: http://www.povray.org/
Good C++ book: http://www.mindview.net/Books
alt.comp.lang.learn.c-c++: ftp://snurse-l.org/pub/acllc-c++/faq
  temp: http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~ajo/docs/FAQ-acllc.html

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