Error creating Disk Partition: GParted Fails to run

[anspectrum]

Hello,

Ive HP laptop with a traditional HDD and an SSD. The SSD is recent addition to hardware, earlier I had just HDD and I was using it with Ubuntu 16.04.1 (32-bit).

Now Ive installed Ubuntu 16.04.4 (64-bit) and Windows-7 (64-bit) in dual boot mode on SSD and things are working fine. I intend to use HDD as a data storage only with no OS on it.

The problem is that I've left over space ~190GB on SSD that I am unable to use due to failing in creating partition. Somehow my HDD does not let the GParted run and makes it crash. I've tried using "parted" as well to create partition (logical) in unallocated space but it does not let me use the correct bytes.

Here is some of the relevant outputs:


sudo fdisk -l
Disk /dev/sda: 465.8 GiB, 500107862016 bytes, 976773168 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0xa11cac6d

Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/sda1 * 2048 860162047 860160000 410.2G 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda2 860164094 976771071 116606978 55.6G 5 Extended
/dev/sda3 0 0 0 0B 0 Empty
/dev/sda5 860164096 968959999 108795904 51.9G 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 968960000 976771071 7811072 3.7G 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Partition 2 does not start on physical sector boundary. ///// I think this is causing the issue for GParted to fail
Partition table entries are not in disk order.


Disk /dev/sdb: 238.5 GiB, 256060514304 bytes, 500118192 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
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0xd7b0c43e

Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/sdb1 2048 48828415 48826368 23.3G 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2 48830462 56641535 7811074 3.7G 5 Extended
/dev/sdb3 * 56641536 56846335 204800 100M 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb4 56846336 128321535 71475200 34.1G 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb5 48830464 56641535 7811072 3.7G 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order.

And parted output:


sudo parted /dev/sdb
GNU Parted 3.2
Using /dev/sdb
Welcome to GNU Parted! Type 'help' to view a list of commands.
(parted) print free
Model: ATA NT-256 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdb: 256GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags:

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
32.3kB 1049kB 1016kB Free Space
1 1049kB 25.0GB 25.0GB primary ext4
25.0GB 25.0GB 1048kB Free Space
2 25.0GB 29.0GB 3999MB extended
5 25.0GB 29.0GB 3999MB logical linux-swap(v1)
3 29.0GB 29.1GB 105MB primary ntfs boot
4 29.1GB 65.7GB 36.6GB primary ntfs
65.7GB 256GB 190GB Free Space //// Free Space

One solution that I can think of as a last resort is backup all my data on HDD and format it from Windows. Then come back to Ubuntu and try to use Gparted to see if it works. But that would be last resort.

Please suggest how can I create partition to use that unallocated space.

[oldfred]

I think the issue is sdb3's partition is inside the extended partition. That cannot be as all logical partitions inside an extened must start with sda5 or higher.
And sda1 thru 4 must be primary partitions with extended partition as any one of the primary partitions.

That extended partition does not start on sector boundary is a standard warning that should be ignored. You do not directly write into an extended partition, but into the logical partitions inside it. And with new 4K drives you need the partitions your write into on 4K boundary. But you have 515 drives anyway.

You may be able to use fdisk and w command to write fixes.
Or perhaps fixparts.

sudo fdisk /dev/sda
Press "w". That rewrites the partition table.

[anspectrum]

Thanks @oldfred, given your extensive experience I was waiting for your suggestion :)

I am not sure I quite understood what you are implying. But here is the output from fixparts:


sudo fixparts /dev/sdb
FixParts 1.0.1

Loading MBR data from /dev/sdb

MBR command (? for help): p

** NOTE: Partition numbers do NOT indicate final primary/logical status,
** unlike in most MBR partitioning tools!

** Extended partitions are not displayed, but will be generated as required.

Disk size is 500118192 sectors (238.5 GiB)
MBR disk identifier: 0xD7B0C43E
MBR partitions:

Can Be Can Be
Number Boot Start Sector End Sector Status Logical Primary Code
1 2048 48828415 primary Y Y 0x83
3 * 56641536 56846335 primary Y 0x07
4 56846336 128321535 primary Y 0x07
5 48830464 56641535 logical Y Y 0x82


When I exited the menu I did write the changes to the MBR but I dont think it changed anything becuase when I went to "disks" utility from the Menu and tried to cretae partition it says that cant create anymore partition because there are already four primary partition, although we can see there are only three :D

https://ufile.io/nioch

P.S: I had given this suggestion earlier as well that editing options are different when you are posting a new thread as compared to when you are replying to a thread. In replying to a thread there are very less options which ofc does not make much sense. Like this time I can not upload the image. Please forward my suggestion to the relevant platform.

[oldfred]

fixparts did not show logical partitions?
Perhaps it converted all the partitions to primary?
If you lost partitions that you need we need to fix that first.

Post this:
sudo fdisk -lu

I normally use quick reply.
But all the options as in the Forum's Advanced editor - Go Advanced. And then you can use paperclip icon to attach screenshots.
But if output from terminal better to just copy & paste and use code tags or # in Advanced editor. I usually just use quote icon in Quick Reply and manually change quote to code.

[anspectrum]

I was kinda impatient and had deduced that probably primary partitions should be in sequence followed by logical partitions. So I removed Swap , Windows Reserved, Windows Partitions and recreated them in order. Now my MBR looks like this


sudo fdisk -lu /dev/sdb
Disk /dev/sdb: 238.5 GiB, 256060514304 bytes, 500118192 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
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0xd7b0c43e

Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/sdb1 2048 48828415 48826368 23.3G 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2 * 48828416 49033215 204800 100M 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb3 49033216 120508415 71475200 34.1G 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb4 120510463 491604213 371093751 177G f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sdb5 120510464 491604213 371093750 177G 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT

And parted output


sudo parted /dev/sdb
GNU Parted 3.2
Using /dev/sdb
Welcome to GNU Parted! Type 'help' to view a list of commands.
(parted) print free
Model: ATA NT-256 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdb: 256GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags:

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
32.3kB 1049kB 1016kB Free Space
1 1049kB 25.0GB 25.0GB primary ext4
2 25.0GB 25.1GB 105MB primary ntfs boot
3 25.1GB 61.7GB 36.6GB primary ntfs
61.7GB 61.7GB 1048kB Free Space
4 61.7GB 252GB 190GB extended lba
5 61.7GB 252GB 190GB logical
252GB 256GB 4359MB Free Space

Now problem comes again to the same point how to create swap partition of this remaining 4GB Free space :mad: . I don't wanna create swap on HDD.

Also have a look at this:


(parted) unit
Unit? [compact]? s
(parted)
(parted)
(parted) print free
Model: ATA NT-256 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdb: 500118192s
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags:

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
63s 2047s 1985s Free Space
1 2048s 48828415s 48826368s primary ext4
2 48828416s 49033215s 204800s primary ntfs boot
3 49033216s 120508415s 71475200s primary ntfs
120508416s 120510462s 2047s Free Space
4 120510463s 491604213s 371093751s extended lba
5 120510464s 491604213s 371093750s logical
491604214s 500118191s 8513978s Free Space


And when I try to create swap


(parted) unit s
(parted) mkpart
Partition type? [logical]?
File system type? [ext2]? linux-swap
Start? 491604150
End? 500118191
Error: Can't have overlapping partitions.
Ignore/Cancel? c
(parted)



(Thanks for the tip of Advanced Editing)

[oldfred]

Your start is before the end of sda5.
You have to have at least one sector between partitions.
And start must be after end (+1) of previous sector.

491604213s
491604150 needs to be 491604215?

[anspectrum]

Oh, I kinda stumbled upon the solution. I used cfdisk utility, its menu based. I deleted the Extended logical partitions. And then create one Extended Partition. Then I sliced that extended partition into two pieces, one for swap and other one for storage. (My bad :D). Now my MBR looks like this:


sudo fdisk -l /dev/sdb
Disk /dev/sdb: 238.5 GiB, 256060514304 bytes, 500118192 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
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0xd7b0c43e

Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/sdb1 2048 48828415 48826368 23.3G 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2 * 48828416 49033215 204800 100M 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb3 49033216 120508415 71475200 34.1G 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb4 120508416 500118191 379609776 181G 5 Extended
/dev/sdb5 120510464 491706367 371195904 177G 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb6 491708416 500118191 8409776 4G 82 Linux swap / Solaris

And


sudo parted /dev/sdb
GNU Parted 3.2
Using /dev/sdb
Welcome to GNU Parted! Type 'help' to view a list of commands.
(parted) print
Model: ATA NT-256 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdb: 256GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags:

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 1049kB 25.0GB 25.0GB primary ext4
2 25.0GB 25.1GB 105MB primary ntfs boot
3 25.1GB 61.7GB 36.6GB primary ntfs
4 61.7GB 256GB 194GB extended
5 61.7GB 252GB 190GB logical ntfs
6 252GB 256GB 4306MB logical

Suddenly world seems to be a better place. xD

Thank you for the prompt responses oldfred, you have always been very helpful.

[oldfred]

Glad to offer what help I can, but seems like you solved most of it yourself. :)