diff --git a/debugfs/ChangeLog b/debugfs/ChangeLog
index 71b1909b..f10078af 100644
--- a/debugfs/ChangeLog
+++ b/debugfs/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+2002-10-31  Theodore Ts'o  <tytso@mit.edu>
+
+	* debugfs.c (do_write): Check to see if the filename exists before
+		creating it, and give an error if so.  Addresses
+		Sourceforge bug #478195.
+
 2002-10-30  Theodore Ts'o  <tytso@mit.edu>
 
 	* Makefile.in (install): Search all compression extensions when
diff --git a/debugfs/debugfs.c b/debugfs/debugfs.c
index e2f59c51..22941046 100644
--- a/debugfs/debugfs.c
+++ b/debugfs/debugfs.c
@@ -1097,6 +1097,13 @@ void do_write(int argc, char *argv[])
 		return;
 	}
 
+	retval = ext2fs_namei(current_fs, root, cwd, argv[2], &newfile);
+	if (retval == 0) {
+		com_err(argv[0], 0, "The file '%s' already exists\n", argv[2]);
+		close(fd);
+		return;
+	}
+
 	retval = ext2fs_new_inode(current_fs, cwd, 010755, 0, &newfile);
 	if (retval) {
 		com_err(argv[0], retval, "");