well...this is so cool !?
just a few days after this was brought up, everything works again without having to remount, rebuild...
thanks !!!

empeg:/# ./set_empeg_max_fid.v4
./set_empeg_max_fid.v4: version 4 by Mark Lord (March 2005)
/dev/hda3: 24097 sectors
New max_fid value will be 44098 (ac42 0000)
before: 00112698: 00 10 00 00 00 70 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
after: 00112698: 00 10 00 00 42 ac 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00