I am getting the following error when I try to copy my husband's home to 
backup.  
[root@Dozy peter]# mount /dev/hda2 /backup && \cp -Rpu /home/. /backup
cp: reading 
`/home/./peter/.thunderbird/8qfkppsa.default/Mail/mailhost.zen.co.uk/Inbox': 
Input/output error
Googling has got me nowhere.  Probably because I am asking the wrong question.  
Can any kind soul point me in the right direction?  And please, if the answer 
is RTFM, tell me which FM??
Here* below are the results of some poking around that I did.  They got me 
nowhere, but might tell someone better informed than I what is going on.  I 
had previously successfully been backing up everything.
Help!!
Lisi
*
[root@Dozy peter]# cd home/
bash: cd: home/: No such file or directory
[root@Dozy peter]# cd ..
[root@Dozy home]# cd..
[root@Dozy /]# cd home/
[root@Dozy home]# ./peter/
bash: ./peter/: is a directory
[root@Dozy home]# cd peter
[root@Dozy peter]# cd .thunderbird
[root@Dozy .thunderbird]# ls
8qfkppsa.default/  8qfkppsa.default.old/  appreg  profiles.ini
[root@Dozy .thunderbird]# cd 8
8qfkppsa.default/     8qfkppsa.default.old/
[root@Dozy .thunderbird]# cd 8qfkppsa.default
[root@Dozy 8qfkppsa.default]# cd Mail
[root@Dozy Mail]# ls
Local Folders/  mailhost.zen.co.uk/  pop.gmail.com/
[root@Dozy Mail]# cd mailhost.zen.co.uk/
[root@Dozy mailhost.zen.co.uk]# ls
Drafts*          Inbox       Junk.msf            Sent.msf*       
Templates.sbd/
Drafts.msf*      Inbox.msf*  msgFilterRules.dat  Sent.sbd/       Trash
Drafts.sbd/      Inbox.sbd/  popstate.dat*       Templates*      Trash.msf
filterlog.html*  Junk        Sent*               Templates.msf*
[root@Dozy mailhost.zen.co.uk]#