Not enough space for root partition

[bapoumba]

Thanks coffeecat
Thread title edited.

[Niflheimr]

I might be able to help you with resizing your sda5, but please do something first. In your attempt to get the formatting of your fdisk output right, you have made it hard to read.

So - please post the output of "sudo fdisk -l" again but this time inside code tags. Also, the output of this as well:

sudo parted -l

Again between code tags please.

Well ok, it almost sounds like a trial to get access to temple but here it is:

sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 30.0GB, 30005821440 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 3648 cylinders, total 58605120 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x27e90be5

Device        Boot          Start          End       Blocks    Id     System
/dev/sda/1     *               63     41817194     20908566     b     W95 FAT32
/dev/sda/2               42283080     53366335      5541628     7     HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda/3               53366782     58603519      2618369     5     Extended
/dev/sda/5               53366784     58021887      2327552    83     Linux
/dev/sda/6               58023936     58603519       289792    82     Linux swap / Solaris

sudo parted -l

Model: ATA TOSHIBA MK3018GA (scsi)
Disk dev/dsa 30.0GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition table: msdos

Number   Start     End      Size     Type      File system      Flags
1        32.2kB    21.4GB   21.4GB   primary   fat32            boot
2        21.6GB    27.3GB   5675MB   primary   ntfs
3        27.3GB    30.0GB   2681MB   extended
5        27.3GB    29.7GB   2383MB   logical   ext4
6        29.7GB    30.0GB   297MB    logical   linux-swap(v1)

Error: /dev/zram0: unrecognised disk label

Thanks for the explanation and the info Actually, is there a way to select and copy lines from the terminal?
I've been rewriting them until now, but there probably is a more efficient method.

[coffeecat]

Actually, is there a way to select and copy lines from the terminal?

Highlight what you want to copy with the mouse, right-click -> copy.

By the way, it's /dev/sda1, not /dev/sda/1. (Ditto the rest of the partitions).

I was going to give you detailed instructions on how to enlarge your sda5 Lubuntu root partition, but now I see the details of your two Windows partitions, I'll just give you the basics. I really doubt whether it is feasible to gain an extra 10GB by shrinking one of the Windows partitions. I can't remember how much space XP needs but you must be near the minimum already. Also, your fat32 sda1 is 21 GB and the ntfs sda2 only 5.5GB. I'll have to take a guess at sda1 being your XP C: partition (it's unusual to run XP on fat32 but possible) and sda2 being a data partition. If you are intending to shrink the sda1 partition, you can do so with Gparted, but then you would have to move the sda2 partition to the left. Moving the partition could take a long time - perhaps an hour or more.

Also - a cautionary note. In order to resize the sda5 Lubuntu root partition, you will have to disable swap (see below). This will mean that the system will have to rely on your meagre 256 RAM with no swap capability. This is potentially hazardous. If the system runs out of memory during a partition resize, it will crash or freeze with resultant filesystem damage - probably irretrievable. Any partition work includes the possibility of this happening anyway, so I always suggest backing up everything of importance and being aware of this potential. In your situation it is much more likely. In the circumstances, I suggest you have a think about your best course of action. Since XP is no longer supported, one option would be to back up any important data, and simply re-install Lubuntu so that it replaces everything, using the whole hard drive.

But if you do want to attempt to resize sda5, this is what you do. Assuming you have created some unallocated space to the left (that is before) your sda3 extended partition, you have to do this from a live CD or USB of Lubuntu. You cannot do this from within your installed Lubuntu.

1. Open Gparted from the live session.
2. Highlight the sda6 swap partition, right-click and choose "swapoff". You cannot resize sda3 and sda5 until you do this.
3. Resize/enlarge sda3 to the left, to include whatever unallocated space you have created by shrinking the Windows partition(s). You cannot resize sda5 until you have done this.
4. Resize sda5 to the left, to include the unallocated space that is now within sda3. This will take a long time. This is the operation that is most likely to fail.

I haven't given you all the details of which menu to use in Gparted for which operation, because Gparted is fairly straightforward anyway, and I wanted to give you the basics since you would be advised to think about what I have said above before you decide whether or not to proceed.

[Niflheimr]

Highlight what you want to copy with the mouse, right-click -> copy.

The terminal is not graphical, I use Ctrl+Alt+F1 and only have the command-line interface, mouse doesn't even work there IIRC.

By the way, it's /dev/sda1, not /dev/sda/1. (Ditto the rest of the partitions).

Oh yeah, sorry about that. Thanks.

I was going to give you [...]

Well, Windows still has around 7GB free and I'm sure I could delete some stuff too to gain another 3GB. But yeah, it surely
wouldn't work properly after that with little space left (I wouldn't expect it to do, it was just to leave the files there). To
delete the whole Windows partition I'll have to ask the owner, but I mainly didn't want to do it because I haven't really
properly tried Lubuntu and wanted to know if it suited me before formatting. I guess it'll be a leap of faith Trying to
keep the Windows partition seems to be too much hassle for too low gain. The trick would be to set the swap partition
to swapoff then, at least now I know it, thanks I'll see if I can delete Windows and post here again if I still have problems.

Thanks for your time

[sudodus]

If you run the command

( sudo parted -l )> output.txt

the output will be in the file output.txt and it can be copied to a computer with a graphical interface, which should be easier than to type everything manually.

[coffeecat]

The terminal is not graphical, I use Ctrl+Alt+F1 and only have the command-line interface, mouse doesn't even work there IIRC.

I see. Sorry about that. Anyway, sudodus has given you a way of saving terminal output to a file if you ever need to do it again.

I'll see if I can delete Windows and post here again if I still have problems.

If you do decide to overwrite everything with a new Lubuntu installation, there's a simpler and quicker way. In the Lubuntu installer, there's a choice "use whole hard drive" or words to that effect. If you choose that, it simply removes all the pre-existing partitions and sets you up with a 2 partition layout for Lubuntu using the whole hard drive.

Good luck!