Wants to overwrite whole disk

[lift_test]

I have reinstalled XP and conseqently messed up Grub and lost Ubuntu. I am trying to do a fresh install but the installer insists on trying to overwrite the whole disk. I downloaded the alternate instal ISO as this has got over this problem in the past but this also wanted to overwrite the whole disk. It recognises the Sata Raid array as being nfts (this is my main data disk) but it doesn't recognise the existing partitions on my main disk:
18G windows
18G Old Ubuntu
113G nfts data disk
Any suggestions please.

[Rubi1200]

How do you know Ubuntu was lost? Are the files gone?

If you install Windows AFTER Ubuntu, all you have to do is reinstall GRUB to have the dual-boot option again.

From the LiveCD, post the output of
sudo parted -l and
sudo sfdisk -V and
sudo fdisk -lu

Thanks.

[lift_test]

I'l try those commands. I presume that the old version is still on disk but I would like to install the latest version.

[lift_test]

Thanks Results here:

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo parted -l
Error: Can't have overlapping partitions.

Model: ATA WDC WD1200JD-00G (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdb: 120GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 8225kB 120GB 120GB extended lba
5 8258kB 120GB 120GB logical ntfs


Model: ATA WDC WD1200JD-00G (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdc: 120GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 8225kB 120GB 120GB extended lba
5 8258kB 120GB 120GB logical ntfs


Model: Linux device-mapper (mirror) (dm)
Disk /dev/mapper/pdc_ebhhcgjhi: 120GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 8225kB 120GB 120GB extended lba
5 8258kB 120GB 120GB logical ntfs


Warning: Unable to open /dev/sr0 read-write (Read-only file system). /dev/sr0
has been opened read-only.
Error: /dev/sr0: unrecognised disk label

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo fdisk -v
fdisk (util-linux-ng 2.17.2)
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$

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

Disk /dev/sda: 320.1 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders, total 625142448 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: 0x00000001

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 63 36869174 18434556 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 36869175 95458229 29294527+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 95458230 625137344 264839557+ f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda4 360418338 598662224 119121943+ b W95 FAT32
/dev/sda5 95458356 360418274 132479959+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 598662288 625137344 13237528+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Disk /dev/sdb: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders, total 234441648 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: 0x8ca0db5b

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 16065 234372284 117178110 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sdb5 16128 234372284 117178078+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdc: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders, total 234441648 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: 0x8ca0db5b

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 16065 234372284 117178110 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sdc5 16128 234372284 117178078+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/dm-0: 120.0 GB, 120000000000 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14589 cylinders, total 234375000 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: 0x8ca0db5b

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/dm-0p1 16065 234372284 117178110 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/dm-0p5 16128 234372284 117178078+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/dm-1: 120.0 GB, 119990352384 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14587 cylinders, total 234356157 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: 0x69205244

This doesn't look like a partition table
Probably you selected the wrong device.

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/dm-1p1 ? 218129509 1920119918 850995205 72 Unknown
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/dm-1p2 ? 729050177 1273024900 271987362 74 Unknown
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/dm-1p3 ? 168653938 168653938 0 65 Novell Netware 386
Partition 3 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/dm-1p4 2692939776 2692991410 25817+ 0 Empty
Partition 4 does not end on cylinder boundary.

Partition table entries are not in disk order

[lift_test]

If I start Ubuntu from live CD I get the results on previous post using a terminal but if I start GParted from System/Admin it shows sda as 298.09 Gib unallocated! (also shows the sata as two separate disks)

Seems similar to Lusty's problem.

[Rubi1200]

I don't know enough about RAID to help on that front.

But, it is a bit odd that fdisk said it was omitting sda5 and then reported it anyway.

The error from parted also bothers me:

Error: Can't have overlapping partitions.

There are users on the forum with more experience in this area, so hang in there please until someone comes along with more suggestions.

[lift_test]

I don't know enough about RAID to help on that front.

But, it is a bit odd that fdisk said it was omitting sda5 and then reported it anyway.

The error from parted also bothers me:

Error: Can't have overlapping partitions.

There are users on the forum with more experience in this area, so hang in there please until someone comes along with more suggestions.

RAID is not a problem, it's non recognition of the main drive that is the problem. Presume no answer to the problem as no reply.

[lift_test]

I don't know enough about RAID to help on that front.

But, it is a bit odd that fdisk said it was omitting sda5 and then reported it anyway.

The error from parted also bothers me:

Error: Can't have overlapping partitions.

There are users on the forum with more experience in this area, so hang in there please until someone comes along with more suggestions.

Still hanging but no replies. Have noticed another (solved) thread which seems similar
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1662128 but am wary of trying this in case it messes up the SATA (all my data files) for XP.

[lift_test]

Have used various tools suggested on other threads and come to the conclusion that my main OS disk has become corrupt/damaged by multiple re-sizings etc. The obvious solution would be to zap the disk and start again from scratch but as I have only just re-installed XP and finished loading everything else I was reluctant to start again. All my data is on a 2 disk SATA Raid which I didn't want to disturb so I bought another 80 Gig IDE disk and loaded Ubuntu onto that. This worked fine and I can boot whichever required now.
Obviously when XP starts getting sluggish again I'll zap the disk completely before reloading.

It also found 10.04 which still runs fine.