MySQL fails to reposition its file pointer, signaling an operating-system I/O problem or table corruption.
MySQL Error 33: EE_CANT_SEEK appears when the server cannot move its file pointer while reading or writing a table or log file. Disk corruption, insufficient permissions, or a 32-bit file-size limit are usual causes. Free disk space, run CHECK/REPAIR TABLE, and verify OS file system health to fix it.
Cannot seek in file '%s' (OS errno %d - %s)
MySQL raises EE_CANT_SEEK when it asks the operating system to reposition the file pointer but the call fails. The full message is: "Cannot seek in file '%s' (OS errno %d - %s)". The server stops the current statement because continued reads or writes could corrupt data.
The error can surface during SELECT, INSERT, ALTER TABLE, backup, or replication when MySQL touches .MYD, .MYI, .ibd, redo, or binary log files.
Fixing the root cause quickly prevents further data loss and restores normal query execution.
File system problems trigger most EE_CANT_SEEK events. Bad blocks, an unclean shutdown, or a failing SSD can break the seek() system call MySQL relies on. The server reports the underlying OS errno, such as 5 (Input/output error) or 22 (Invalid argument).
Large files on a 32-bit kernel, exhausted disk space, wrong mount options (e.g., read-only), or insufficient Unix permissions also block seeks.
On Windows, antique FAT32 partitions hit the 4 GB limit and cause identical failures.
Always read the OS errno in the message first. Errno 28 points to full disk, while errno 5 signals hardware I/O errors. Tackle the operating system issue, then repair affected tables.
Free space or remount the partition read-write, run fsck or chkdsk to correct file-system inconsistencies, and replace failing drives.
Next, log in as root or a privileged user and repair the table:
CHECK TABLE customer QUICK;
REPAIR TABLE customer USE_FRM;
If InnoDB is involved, use:
SET GLOBAL innodb_force_recovery = 1;
-- Restart MySQL in Galaxy or your service manager
ALTER TABLE orders DISCARD TABLESPACE; -- if necessary
Scenario 1 – Full disk (errno 28): Delete logs or grow the partition, then FLUSH LOGS.
Scenario 2 – Corrupted MyISAM index: Use REPAIR TABLE tbl QUICK or myisamchk -r tbl.MYI when MySQL is down.
Scenario 3 – 2 GB limit on 32-bit OS: Recompile MySQL with large-file support or migrate to 64-bit.
Monitor disk usage and I/O health with tools like smartctl, iostat, and mysqld_exporter.
Configure MySQL error log alerts in Galaxy so teams react instantly.
Enable automatic checksums (innodb_checksum_algorithm=crc32) and run periodic CHECK TABLE to detect corruption early. Keep backups current and test restores.
MySQL Error 29 – File too large: Appears when file size exceeds OS limits. Upgrade to 64-bit or enable large-file support.
MySQL Error 1030 – Got error XX from storage engine: A generic I/O wrapper that can hide EE_CANT_SEEK. Investigate the underlying errno.
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Usually not. The server halts the query to stop corruption. Repair tables and restore from backup if needed.
No. Continued writes can corrupt rows. Fix the OS issue, then repair tables before resuming traffic.
Yes. Any storage engine that relies on file seeks can raise the error when the OS call fails.
Galaxy surfaces MySQL error logs in its editor, lets teams annotate the incident, and stores vetted repair queries in shared collections.
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