Installer does not see partitions on first hard disk

[pjeeanah]

As suggested in thread http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1134856, I am starting a new thread.

I have two hard disks on my machine. I want to install jaunty on my first hard disk.

The installer from the alternate CD does not show the partitions on my first hard disk. It just shows one whole /dev/sda with no partitions.

My second hard disk /dev/sdb shows the partitions ok. As suggested by meierfra. here is the output of fdisk -lu


Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x020f020f

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 63 48821534 24410736 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 48821535 310070564 130624515 5 Extended
/dev/sda3 * 185197320 236396474 25599577+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda5 48821598 50781464 979933+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda6 50781528 81497744 15358108+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 81497808 132696899 25599546 83 Linux
/dev/sda8 132696963 185197319 26250178+ e W95 FAT16 (LBA)
/dev/sda9 236396538 310070564 36837013+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 250.0 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders, total 488397168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xa9da480c

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 63 153597464 76798701 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb2 153597465 173132504 9767520 83 Linux
/dev/sdb3 173132505 264943979 45905737+ 5 Extended
/dev/sdb5 173132568 202435064 14651248+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdb6 202435128 231737624 14651248+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdb7 231737688 235641419 1951866 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdb8 235641483 264943979 14651248+ 83 Linux

The ouput of sfdisk -d is


# partition table of /dev/sda
unit: sectors

/dev/sda1 : start= 63, size= 48821472, Id=83
/dev/sda2 : start= 48821535, size=261249030, Id= 5
/dev/sda3 : start=185197320, size= 51199155, Id= 7, bootable
/dev/sda4 : start= 0, size= 0, Id= 0
/dev/sda5 : start= 48821598, size= 1959867, Id=82
/dev/sda6 : start= 50781528, size= 30716217, Id=83
/dev/sda7 : start= 81497808, size= 51199092, Id=83
/dev/sda8 : start=132696963, size= 52500357, Id= e
/dev/sda9 : start=236396538, size= 73674027, Id= 7
# partition table of /dev/sdb
unit: sectors

/dev/sdb1 : start= 63, size=153597402, Id= 7, bootable
/dev/sdb2 : start=153597465, size= 19535040, Id=83
/dev/sdb3 : start=173132505, size= 91811475, Id= 5
/dev/sdb4 : start= 0, size= 0, Id= 0
/dev/sdb5 : start=173132568, size= 29302497, Id=83
/dev/sdb6 : start=202435128, size= 29302497, Id=83
/dev/sdb7 : start=231737688, size= 3903732, Id=82
/dev/sdb8 : start=235641483, size= 29302497, Id=83


How to make the installer see partition in /dev/sda?

Any help would be welcome.

[meierfra.]

The problem is that the primary partition /dev/sda3 sits inside the extended partition /dev/sda2.

To fix the partition table, boot from the LiveCD, download the attached file "PT.txt" to your Desktop and open a terminal. Then



sudo sfdisk -f --no-reread -O ~/Desktop/OldPT.save /dev/sda < ~/Desktop/PT.txt

Just as a precaution, post the output of that commmand and copy the file OldPT.save to a save place outside your hard drive (Flashdrive, online storage, email account,...)

[pjeeanah]

Thanks a lot. I am going to try it.

[pjeeanah]

I tried the command, here the outputs of fdisk -lu


Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x020f020f

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 63 48821534 24410736 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 48821535 185197319 68187892+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda3 * 185197320 236396474 25599577+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda4 236396538 310070564 36837013+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda5 48821598 50781464 979933+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda6 50781528 81497744 15358108+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 81497808 132696899 25599546 83 Linux
/dev/sda8 132696963 185197319 26250178+ e W95 FAT16 (LBA)

The output of sfdisk -d is


# partition table of /dev/sda
unit: sectors

/dev/sda1 : start= 63, size= 48821472, Id=83
/dev/sda2 : start= 48821535, size=136375785, Id= 5
/dev/sda3 : start=185197320, size= 51199155, Id= 7, bootable
/dev/sda4 : start=236396538, size= 73674027, Id= 7
/dev/sda5 : start= 48821598, size= 1959867, Id=82
/dev/sda6 : start= 50781528, size= 30716217, Id=83
/dev/sda7 : start= 81497808, size= 51199092, Id=83
/dev/sda8 : start=132696963, size= 52500357, Id= e



The installer now sees the partitions in /dev/sda.

I have one problem. The free space in sda is marked unusable. I can delete /dev/sda4. Then the partioner can create a primary partition which
I don't want.

I want to create create a logical partition of about 20G and leave the rest free so I add other OSes. Can this be done?

Can I also delete partition /dev/sd8 which seems to contain nothing?

Thanks a lot folks.

[meierfra.]

I want to create create a logical partition of about 20G and leave the rest free so I add other OSes. Can this be done?

Your primary partition /dev/sda3 is between the extended partition /dev/sda2 and the unallocated space.

To create a new logical partition partitions, you have to use gparted to move /dev/sda4 and /dev/sda3 to the end of the hard drive, so that the unallocated space is next to /dev/sda2. Then you can add the unallocated space to /dev/sda2.

Sometimes moving the start point of a Windows partition makes Windows unbootable, but that can be fixed.



Can I also delete partition /dev/sd8 which seems to contain nothing?
Sure. Just make sure it really does not contain anything.

Backup any valuable data before doing any partitioning.

[pjeeanah]

I have copied the /dev/sda3 partition to /dev/sda8 using the gparted live cd. My windows boots from this new partition using grub. Now I plan to delete /dev/sda3. I think I will then have continuos free space.

Thank you for your help.

[meierfra.]

My windows boots from this new partition using grub.

You might actually still be booting the Windows on /dev/sda3. If you aren't able to boot Windows after you deleted /dev/sda3, let me know and I can help you make /dev/sda8 bootable.

[groova]

Hi meierfra.

I am having the same problems (oulined here (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1138158))

These are my fdisk-results:


ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo fdisk -l
omitting empty partition (5)

Disk /dev/sda: 200.0 GB, 200049647616 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 24321 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x9bab9bab

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 2550 20482843+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 2551 6197 29294527+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 6198 24321 145581030 5 Extended
/dev/sda4 23572 24321 6024343+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda5 6198 23571 139556592 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 250.0 GB, 250059350016 bytes
16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 484521 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 = 516096 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xb51093e1

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 101587 51199816+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb2 101588 484518 192997224 7 HPFS/NTFS
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo sfdisk -d
# partition table of /dev/sda
unit: sectors

/dev/sda1 : start= 63, size= 40965687, Id= 7, bootable
/dev/sda2 : start= 40965750, size= 58589055, Id=83
/dev/sda3 : start= 99554805, size=291162060, Id= 5
/dev/sda4 : start=378668178, size= 12048687, Id=82
/dev/sda5 : start= 99554931, size=279113184, Id=83
# partition table of /dev/sdb
unit: sectors

/dev/sdb1 : start= 63, size=102399633, Id= 7
/dev/sdb2 : start=102399696, size=385994448, Id= 7
/dev/sdb3 : start= 0, size= 0, Id= 0
/dev/sdb4 : start= 0, size= 0, Id= 0


I downloaded your PT-files, but I don't quite get what you are doing in there #-o (yes, I am a windows-convert... ), so any chance you could help? Thanks.

[meierfra.]

groova: Could you start a new thread with your problem? Trying to work two cases in one thread can be very confusing. Just send me a PM with a link to your new thread.

[pjeeanah]

Youre right! I am booting the same windows although I said grub to boot from /dev/sda8. It seems weird.

How to resove the problem? Better be safe than sorry. I have not yet deleted /dev/sda3.

[meierfra.]

It seems weird.

The boot sector of a windows partition contains information where to look for further boot codes. Since you copied the partition, sda8 has the same boot sector as sda3. So the sda8 boot sector actually points back to the sda3 partition.

To fix your problem:

Step1: Fix the boot sector of sda8:

Download the testdisk-6.10.linux26.tar.bz2 package (http://www.cgsecurity.org/testdisk-6.10.linux26.tar.bz2) to your Ubuntu desktop, and then do:




cd ~/Desktop
tar xvf testdisk-6.10.linux26.tar.bz2
sudo testdisk-6.10/linux/testdisk_static /dev/sda



Choose "proceed" on the first screen, then
"intel"
"advanced",
Select your new windows partition (/dev/sda8 ) and choose
"boot"
"RebuildBS"
"Write"

then press "q" a few times to quit testdisk,

Step 2 Edit boot.ini


sudo mount /dev/sda8 /mnt
sudo nano /mnt/boot.ini

Change both occurrences of

partition(2)

to

partition(7)


Follow the instructions on the bottom of the screen to save the file.
The "7" assumes that you did not delete /dev/sda3.
After you repartitioned the drive, you might have to change that number. Windows counts the same way as Linux, but it does not count extended partitions. So /dev/sda8 turns into partition(7). But windows also doesn't count empty partitions in the partition table. So if you delete /dev/sda3 without creating a new primary partition, the "7" needs to be changed to "6"

[pjeeanah]

As usual you were very helpful meierfra.

I deleted the /dev/sda3 and /dev/sda4 partitions. After using testdisk, I was able to boot windows.

But now I have a windows problem - I cannot log in. The Os starts fine but if I try to log in, it immediately logs me off.

May be drive letters have changed. I am going to use the savepart program to reset the drive letter in the registry. Will let you know then.