1 Topic by Will Pittenger

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Topic: GParted LiveCD won't let me create extended partition

I have a new Windows 7 PC that I resized the initial partition to create more room above it.  Now GParted won't let me create an extended partition.  I can create a primary, but HP already has 3 partitions on there.  Last I knew, you could only have 4 primary partitions or 3 primaries and 1 extended partition.  Did something change?

Initially, I was using version 0.11.0-7 of the ISO as that was the latest copy I had burned.  I then went to the latest ISO I had local. That was 0.12.1-5.  It failed to start X.  So I downloaded the latest ISO on the website and burned that.  It did the same thing that 0.12.1-5 did.  Then using that, I went to conservative video settings.  They didn't help.  I then tried the failsafe option.  That didn't help.  AMD video card.

As for the extended partition issue, the disk manager in Windows 7 won't create one either.

2 Reply by gedakc

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Re: GParted LiveCD won't let me create extended partition

What partition table are you using?  (msdos or gpt)?

To see, you can start up GParted and use the "View --> Device Information"

If the partition table is GPT, then no extended partitions are permitted.  On the plus side you can create ~128 primary partitions.

Which AMD video card does your PC have (Model #)?

3 Reply by Will Pittenger

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Re: GParted LiveCD won't let me create extended partition

Is there a way tell which partition table is used from Windows?  The disk was originally formatted by HP, not me or GParted.

4 Reply by gedakc

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Re: GParted LiveCD won't let me create extended partition

I'm not sure where Windows would indicate this type of information.  You might try creating 5 or more primary partitions.  If this works, then you probably have a GUID Partition Table (GPT).

5 Reply by Will Pittenger

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Re: GParted LiveCD won't let me create extended partition

Well, I finally got done with other stuff.  So I had the Windows 7 tool attempt to create new partitions.  It quickly created two of them.  So it must be this GPT.  Thanks anyway.

6 Reply by Will Pittenger

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Re: GParted LiveCD won't let me create extended partition

Well, I did something, but I don't know what.  Windows won't boot even into the Recovery mode.  I can't think of anything that might done something like that.  (I had to reboot as I accidentally unplugged the computer.)  I booted 0.11.0-7 again (as it does boot), but it just says the OS partition is corrupt.  Any ideas how to fix it?  It was complaining about Cluster Accounting (extra cluster in bitmap).

7 Reply by gedakc

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Re: GParted LiveCD won't let me create extended partition

You might try booting from the original Windows 7 install media and using the recovery console.

If you do not have the original Windows 7 media, then check the GParted FAQ for links to a Windows 7 recovery disk.

8 Reply by Will Pittenger (edited by Will Pittenger 2012-08-31 00:07:39)

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Re: GParted LiveCD won't let me create extended partition

No media was included.  HP's software provides a way to create a recovery disk.  But I didn't have a DVD-R available.  So I hadn't gotten around to creating one.  I already had seen the GParted link, but you have to pay for the disk due to royalty issues.  Something that can do a NTFS repair would be best.

9 Reply by gedakc

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Re: GParted LiveCD won't let me create extended partition

You might try the "ntfsfix" command on the GParted Live image.  This can fix some NTFS problems, but not all of the inconsistencies Windows chkdsk can.

10 Reply by Will Pittenger

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Re: GParted LiveCD won't let me create extended partition

How do I access it?  Start up a command line window?

11 Reply by gedakc

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Re: GParted LiveCD won't let me create extended partition

Will Pittenger wrote:

How do I access it?  Start up a command line window?

Yes, open a terminal window and then enter "sudo ntfsfix /path-to-your-ntfs-partition".

12 Reply by Will Pittenger

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Re: GParted LiveCD won't let me create extended partition

I found it on another disk.  Didn't help.

13 Reply by gedakc

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Re: GParted LiveCD won't let me create extended partition

Your best bet then is to use the Windows install media to repair the file system.  Since you did not create the rescue disks for your PC, you will need to acquire the Windows install/rescue media by a different method.

14 Reply by class413

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Re: GParted LiveCD won't let me create extended partition

You can even use another install dvd for your o.s. version, not the same one used to install your own pc. i.e. from a friend, as far as you are legal owner and user of the o.s.

Another idea would be to connect the hard drive to another win7 pc as second hard drive, to be able to run checks.

*** It is highly recommended to backup any important files before doing resize/move operations. ***