omg HUGE partition problemmm!!!!

[Hoaxe]

I'm having a huge partition problem right now. I only noticed when my windows partition was getting a BSOD when trying to load windows.

when the BSOD happened, i thought no problem because dell gave me windows cd with the laptop. So i open the partition manager and, to my horror, NONE OF MY PARTITIONS ARE VISIBLE!!! oh man i am freaking out. and I just got this design job on a deadline so tight it could choke a microbe!

the partition editor is showing me my entire 150GB hardrive as unallocated. clearly this can't be true since I am using it. furthermore, the Device information is telling me that the DiskLabelType is unrecognized. If i want to set a DiskLabel, it will erase all my data!!!!

I even tried booting on a live CD and the partition editor gave me the same deal.

I also just noticed that, nautilus is showing me 3 mount points, except one of the mount points is shown twice as a duplicate for some reason, but the other one is fine. All the mount points (even the duplicates) mount correctly as they always did. the only difference is one of them is doubled, literally putting a file in one makes it appear in the other.

Am I going to have to backup and restore??? that is going to suckkkk so hardddd!!!

I need some help

clarify:

it's not so much the fact that windows doesn't start. It's that I can't erase that partition to re-install it.

that is the big issue. If the partition editor can not see any of my partitions, even on a live CD, that's a big problem no?

[russlar]

Sorry dude. BSOD's happen when using Windows.

[oilchangeguy]

Sorry dude. BSOD's happen when using Windows.

very helpful.

[Hoaxe]

ok, how do i reinstall windows if there are no perceivable divisions in my hard drive!!!!

pointing out that windows BSODs helps in no way with the matter of the missing partion data and shows that you didn't read my post at all but rather took a pot shot at microsoft on a linux forum.

[oilchangeguy]

I'm having a huge partition problem right now. I only noticed when my windows partition was getting a BSOD when trying to load windows.

when the BSOD happened, i thought no problem because dell gave me windows cd with the laptop. So i open the partition manager and, to my horror, NONE OF MY PARTITIONS ARE VISIBLE!!! oh man i am freaking out. and I just got this design job on a deadline so tight it could choke a microbe!

the partition editor is showing me my entire 150GB hardrive as unallocated. clearly this can't be true since I am using it. furthermore, the Device information is telling me that the DiskLabelType is unrecognized. If i want to set a DiskLabel, it will erase all my data!!!!

I even tried booting on a live CD and the partition editor gave me the same deal.

I also just noticed that, nautilus is showing me 3 mount points, except one of the mount points is shown twice as a duplicate for some reason, but the other one is fine. All the mount points (even the duplicates) mount correctly as they always did. the only difference is one of them is doubled, literally putting a file in one makes it appear in the other.

Am I going to have to backup and restore??? that is going to suckkkk so hardddd!!!

I need some help

have you tried booting into safe mode? when the computer starts press F8, when the menu appears, select safe mode. and see if windows will start that way. and have you made any changes to windows? bsod's just don't happen for no reason. most likely a driver problem.

[Hoaxe]

have you tried booting into safe mode? when the computer starts press F8, when the menu appears, select safe mode. and see if windows will start that way. and have you made any changes to windows? bsod's just don't happen for no reason. most likely a driver problem.

it's not so much the fact that windows doesn't start. It's that I can't erase that partition to re-install it.

that is the big issue. If the partition editor can not see any of my partitions, even on a live CD, that's a big problem no?

but i will try your advice anyways and see what happens.

[Hoaxe]

have you tried booting into safe mode? when the computer starts press F8, when the menu appears, select safe mode. and see if windows will start that way. and have you made any changes to windows? bsod's just don't happen for no reason. most likely a driver problem.

it didn't help.

i didn't really expect it to.

this is really going to suck if i can't get the partition editor working again...

[EmanresuusernamE]

Here's the thing, are you looking to recover the data from your windows partition, or do you just want to flat out start all over again?

If you want to start all over again and gparted detects your drive, but doesn't say that you have any partitions, then just create a new set of partitions. If you want to save your data first, try booting the windows installation CD and see if chkdsk can help you out. If it can detect the drives, perhaps it can repair them as well.

[EmanresuusernamE]

Also, for windows XP to properly find some disks without drivers, you'll need to play with the bios settings and remove the SATA enhancements. Then windows XP should detect them.

[Hoaxe]

i got gpart to guess my partition, i'm using this article:
http://www.linux.com/feature/57748

gpart returned an error which helped me find a related thread on the help forum here from not too long ago, no solutions seems to be confirmed, either in title or in post but i am on a good route i feel:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=5747825