Topic: GParted Live CD: X-Server hangs
Computer: Dell Optiplex 755 SFF, with one SATA 500 Gb HD, with only Windows 7 Pro installed, CPU Intel Core2 Duo 3.00 GHz, 8 Gb memory.
Chipset Intel Q35 - OpenGL version 1.4
Versions of GParted tried: 1.2.1 and 1.3.1 (both i686 and amd64) Live CD.
GParted hangs when I try to use to use Option 1 - start X to use GParted automatically (see attached screenshot)
GParted also hangs if use the option 1 to start GParted manually with "Forcevideo" (see screenshot attached) regardless of using options like
"vga=normal" or "vesa".
GParted (both versions and flavors) exhibits the same behavior when I use the First (default) Boot Menu option or use the RAM (copy to RAM) option on the Boot menu.
Reading through the Gparted online manual does not give me a clue on any boot options that could start GParted in a graphical environment
UNTIL I chose to enter the command line and use the old "startx" command which finally gave me a clue as to why the X server aborts: I need OpenGL 2.1 (see screenshot attached).
Unfortunately, my computer is old (but I'm perfectly happy with it (I have another exact one with Ubuntu 16.04 LTS installed) and it runs perfectly!
Unfortunately, on my computer, I cannot upgrade to OpenGL 2.1 or greater as Intel has stopped production/development of drivers for the G35 series.
Here's the rub:
CONUNDRUM 01:
After searching (fruitlessly) for a list of CLI options to start the GParted graphical environment, I turned to System Rescue Disc (v8.04 i686 which I had
lying around - I keep it since it has a lot of tools (including Truecrypt 7.1) that I use from time to time.
guess what? Sys Rescue 8.04 i686 has GParted on it and it booted into its graphical environment just fine WITHOUT squealing about OpenGL not being 2.1 or greater.
The version of GParted on the Sys Rescue CD is 1.3.0.
I resized my Windows 7 Pro (ntfs) partition (not the Boot partition) successfully!
Would appreciate it if someone could help me with Gparted 1.2.1 or 1.3.1 (i686 or amd64) Live CD boot options to get to work with my computer (regardless of OpenGL version
required) since Sys rescue CD works with OpenGL 1.4. I'm sure that it is possible.
CONUNDRUM 02:
Although I have used GParted (< v1) before, and successfully used the graphical environment, I have never run into problems of a Windows (XP or 7 Pro) not booting after the resize/move operations.
Unfortunately, the GParted FAQ (https://gparted.org/faq.php) spells dire warnings of Windows will not boot after resize/move operations and will need to be fixed
manually (bootrec commands - see FAQ #6
"NOTE: If you move a partition that is used in the operating system boot process, (for example
the C: drive in Windows), then the operating system might fail to boot, especially on LILO/GRUB
Legacy or Windows systems using the MBR partitioning scheme"
And FAQ #14 & 15) - I had to dig out my original Dell OEM Windows 7 x64 DVD just in case this happened - but it did not!
Using Sys Rescue CD 8.04 i686 and the GParted v1.3.0 on it, I did not run into my Windows 7 NOT booting.
Am I missing something or just plain lucky all these years?
Would appreciate the experts or noobies on this forum to weigh in on these issues (including the Conundrums) - any advice would be appreciated (except the sop of
"upgrade your computer or upgrade your graphics with a SFF PCI card" - there's no elegance/merit/challenge in that advice.)
