GParted says hard drive is "unallocated"

[oldfred]

If you really have gpt and then Windows has to be in UEFI mode. And all gpt partitions are primary.

Boot flag should then be on the efi partition, although in gpt/UEFI it is not the same as a boot flag on MBR. Partition tools call it that but it really is a gpt code ef00 in the partition type where the old MBR boot flag really was a partition setting in the partition table.

If you add boot flag does it boot?

Boot Repair -Also handles LVM, GPT, separate /boot and UEFI dual boot.:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair
You can repair many boot issues with this or 'Create BootInfo' report (Other Options) & post the link it creates, so we can see your exact configuration and diagnose advanced problems.


From liveCD you should be able to mount partitions if they now work and see files.

[Cipher1874]

Alright, so after getting all the files out, I only have one final thing left to do, which is to repair / re-install the OS. I tried with the WIN7 ISO that I burned, and although it runs, it doesn't seem to fix the problem using startup repair and when I try to install the OS, it says that there is information missing (I can't remember the exact wording). So I'm guessing that it's just something missing from the ISO?

I'll try making a new one today using the WIN7 tool and the ISO on their website.

[oldfred]

While the Boot-Repair will only reinstall a Windows boot loader, not make other fixes to Windows, run the report just to document system and see what is where.

[Cipher1874]

Run what report? You mean post the results of the startup repair?

[oldfred]

Post the link to the BootInfo report that this creates.

Boot Repair -Also handles LVM, GPT, separate /boot and UEFI dual boot.:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair
You can repair many boot issues with this or 'Create BootInfo' report (Other Options) & post the link it creates, so we can see your exact configuration and diagnose advanced problems.

[Cipher1874]

Alright, installing it and going to run it in a sec!

[Cipher1874]

http://paste.ubuntu.com/1288083/

[oldfred]

It looks like a standard UEFI install with gpt partitions.

But script is reporting these errors.

Warning: /dev/sda contains GPT signatures, indicating that it has a GPT table. However, it does not have a valid fake msdos partition table, as it should. Perhaps it was corrupted -- possibly by a program that doesn't understand GPT partition tables. Or perhaps you deleted the GPT table, and are now using an msdos partition table. Is this a GPT partition table? Error: Both the primary and backup GPT tables are corrupt. Try making a fresh table, and using Parted's rescue feature to recover partitions.

Download gdisk and run it, it may update gpt tables and repair them.
Or try parted's rescue feature as suggested by Boot-Repair.

repair gpt:
http://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/repairing.html

GPT fdisk Tutorial -srs5694 in forums
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1439794
http://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/

gdisk is in the repository so you can add it to liveCD or USB from terminal:

sudo apt-get install gdisk

[Cipher1874]

Okay, I'll try this next time I boot!

That fixed it, so now I'm actually able to boot the OS and everything is as it was before. Except one thing, now instead of just showing the C: drive, with 500 GB of space, it shows:
OS ( C: ) 100 GB free of 186 GB NTFS
SYSTEM ( D: ) 165 GB free of 196 GB FAT32
DATA ( E: ) 254 GB free of 254 GB NTFS
RECOVERY ( G: ) 11.4 GB free of 24.4 GB NTFS

Any reason as to why this may be?

[oldfred]

Not sure.

Testdisk may have changed some sizes.

Your actually had more than just c: before. This is typical Windows partitions as suggested my Microsoft:
Microsoft suggested partitions including reserved partition for gpt & UEFI:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l...8WS.10%29.aspx
Windows technical info on gpt and GUIDs
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/wi...sktop/aa365449

You may need to also add the MSR partition. It seems to be just space Microsoft wants and is not formated. It looks like it want only 128MB.

Was E: what you were planned as unallocated for Ubuntu? With gpt partitions there is no 4 primary partition limit so you can make as many partitions you want. Actual limit is 128 it you really want a lot.

You already have the efi partition. I normally suggest a shared NTFS for any data you may want in both Ubuntu & Windows. Then you can set the c: drive partition as read/only in Ubuntu to avoid issues or accidents of deleting something you should not.

Ubuntu only needs / (root), most have swap as another partition, and some have /home or other data partitions.

Herman on advantages/disadvantages of separate system partitions post#3
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1410392
Install with creating partitions screen shots
http://members.iinet.net.au/~herman546/p22.html

several threads where users installed UEFI with dual boot.
UEFI dual boot trouble: Win7x64 - Ubuntu 12.04 LTS amd64
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2003442
GUIDE: (U)EFI installation Also full install post #52 superfreak on pg.6
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1958383

UEFI screen shots with choice to boot
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...7#post12030957