1 Topic by johnwerneken (edited by johnwerneken 2014-03-26 22:50:41)

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Topic: SOLVED GPARTED LIVE can'r see my partitions . windoze can

Long story but I have mbr max partitions; gparted live now sees one exactly, with an arbitrary size in excess of any current or previous partition.

what to do?

CAUSE: Last Windows 8.1 version change but one, of the three Linux related partitions two ext4 one Fat32 for boot loader for Ubuntu to fit Win8.1 as boot for multi boot set up..I deleted the Linus swap. So as to expand the experimental windows partition. Tried to create a new one. Can't remember what my excuse was - was related to creating a primary for Ubuntu - so I resized moved deleted re-created the experimental windows partition and the three Linux related ones. bad idea.

Neither a windows nor a Ubuntu installer can find a primary drive...restored the old win experimental, Ubuntu, Linux swap, Fat32 from external image.

Managed to use a windows-based tool (easeUS partition manager) to restore mbr; re-installed the windows experimental as a primary, updated in to 8.1 Spring Update, it is fine; changed it to logical.

Removed all Linux related partitions; used DVD based easeUS to again rebuild mbr. re-created a primary for Ubuntu a swap a FAT32

Windows sees all the partitions  - from running OS, from an installer DVD, from various partition managers.

GPARTED LIVE DOES NOT

2 Reply by gedakc

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Re: SOLVED GPARTED LIVE can'r see my partitions . windoze can

From your description it sounds like you've made quite a few changes to the partitions.

Would you be able to provide the output from the following two commands?

sudo fdisk -l -u

where one of the options is a lower case "L" and not the number one.

sudo parted /path-to-your-device unit s print

where /path-to-your-device is something like /dev/sda.

3 Reply by johnwerneken

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Re: SOLVED GPARTED LIVE can'r see my partitions . windoze can

the various windoze os work, after a lot of fussing; Ubuntu installer is the one that STILL can not see any partition, just makes the drive and the main windoze 8.1 show, the later as I think dev1
gparted does not see them either

I think i'll try the Ubuntu 'try it' boot fro dvd, and then the gparted live same, see if can get terminal and do that. i'll post my results. rebooting in about 90 mins have a bit of web aggregator stuff I try to look at daily; want that done before rebooting.

4 Reply by johnwerneken

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Re: SOLVED GPARTED LIVE can'r see my partitions . windoze can

TY here it is

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo fdisk -l -u

Disk /dev/sda: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders, total 1953525168 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: 0x00018555

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1            2048      204799      101376    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda2   *   648729920  1750522724   550896402+   7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda3      1916474175  1953520064    18522945    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda4          206785  1916474174   958133695    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5          206848   648726179   324259666    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda6      1750522789  1906160444    77818828    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda7      1906160508  1906240769       40131    b  W95 FAT32
/dev/sda8      1906240833  1916474174     5116671    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdh: 7864 MB, 7864320000 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 956 cylinders, total 15360000 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: 0xe3c99228

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdh1               2    15359999     7679999    b  W95 FAT32

Disk /dev/sdg: 1000.0 GB, 999983939584 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121574 cylinders, total 1953093632 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: 0x053dba7b

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdg1            2048  1953086309   976542131    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$


*********************
Report bugs to bug-parted@gnu.org
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo parted /dev/sda unit s print
Error: Can't have overlapping partitions.                                 
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$


So it has to do with what the windows tools did to the partition data, which I put in an rtf file but can't seem to paste here. Had same effect on windows before I ran EaseUS tool partition master to attempt recovery of then-existing partition data. there are three primary (sys, win 8.1, the one I want to re-install Ubuntu on) an extended and four logical in that extended (win 7 win 8.1 Spring Update, Linux swap, and a fat32 where I intend to install the Linux call to the Ubuntu bootloader. The 8.1 Spring was the one easeUS restored at least to the point I could re-install 8.1 spring on it.

5 Reply by gedakc

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Re: SOLVED GPARTED LIVE can'r see my partitions . windoze can

Thank you for providing the fdisk and parted output.  It appears that there are problems with overlapping partitions in the partition table.

From a quick look I can see that primary partition sda2 resides incorrectly within extended partition sda4.  This is not valid because only a logical partition can reside within an extended partition.  This doesn't look like an easy thing to fix, short of backing up all your partition data, deleting all partitions, recreating valid partitions, and then restoring the data.

It is technically possible to convert sda2 from a primary partition to a logical partition, but I am not aware of tools that will easily accomplish this.

6 Reply by johnwerneken

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Re: SOLVED GPARTED LIVE can'r see my partitions . windoze can

Was afraid of that. Data are imaged, using Macrium Reflect on Windows PE, to external drive.

Further QUESTION: supposing drive fdisked, would reimage from external just re-create the over-lapping partition structure in the partition table? If not, what would prevent it?

7 Reply by gedakc

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Re: SOLVED GPARTED LIVE can'r see my partitions . windoze can

You might try using fdisk to try to fix the problem.  The steps would be something like print out the exact sector partition boundaries, delete the sda2 primary partition, then create a new logical partition with the same partition boundaries, and of course write the changes to disk.

As always it is important to have a backup of your data in case anything goes wrong.

8 Reply by johnwerneken

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Re: SOLVED GPARTED LIVE can'r see my partitions . windoze can

Thanks, fixed it. The image drive wipe drive reimage without resroring old partition table was time consuming but is done. Both windoze and gparted live SAW the correct partitions. Resetting the bcd and getting each os happy, reinstalling linux, updating them all was a chore lol

all is well!

next step: image entire working drive icluding now-working partition table.

in future: no using one style of tool to mess with another type of file system partition data.

HERE IS TODAY:

johnwerneken@johnwerneken-AY603AA-ABA-HPE-150f:~$ sudo fdisk -l -u
[sudo] password for johnwerneken:

Disk /dev/sda: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders, total 1953525168 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: 0x00018555

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *          63      202814      101376    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda2          208845  1142815904   571303530    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda3      1142815968  1909276671   383230352    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda4      1909277055  1939993851    15358398+  83  Linux
/dev/sda5      1142815970  1791335301   324259666    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda6      1793576978  1908264953    57343988    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda7      1908264960  1909276671      505856    b  W95 FAT32
/dev/sda8      1791336448  1793576959     1120256   82  Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdg: 1000.0 GB, 999983939584 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121574 cylinders, total 1953093632 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: 0x053dba7b

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdg1            2048  1953086309   976542131    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
johnwerneken@johnwerneken-AY603AA-ABA-HPE-150f:~$


johnwerneken@johnwerneken-AY603AA-ABA-HPE-150f:~$ sudo parted /dev/sda unit s printModel: ATA ST31000528AS (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 1953525168s
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number  Start        End          Size         Type      File system     Flags
1      63s          202814s      202752s      primary   ntfs            boot
2      208845s      1142815904s  1142607060s  primary   ntfs
3      1142815968s  1909276671s  766460704s   extended                  lba
5      1142815970s  1791335301s  648519332s   logical   ntfs
8      1791336448s  1793576959s  2240512s     logical   linux-swap(v1)
6      1793576978s  1908264953s  114687976s   logical   ntfs
7      1908264960s  1909276671s  1011712s     logical   fat32
4      1909277055s  1939993851s  30716797s    primary   ext4

johnwerneken@johnwerneken-AY603AA-ABA-HPE-150f:~$

9 Reply by gedakc

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Re: SOLVED GPARTED LIVE can'r see my partitions . windoze can

Thank you for reporting back with how you resolved the issue.

You can help others searching for answers to similar questions by editing your initial post and prefixing "SOLVED" in front of the title.

10 Reply by johnwerneken

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Re: SOLVED GPARTED LIVE can'r see my partitions . windoze can

SOLVED.

EaseUS makes a Windows product, non free version Partition Manager, will (a) rebuild mbr (b) recover partitions. Macrium makes a windows product, reflect, non free version allows imaging partitions/drives and (1) perusal/copy from backuped images; (2) restore (3) restore while preserving EITHER target's partition table (in my case, after backed up images, wiped drive repartitioned to legit partitions with same sizes as backed up images) or use SOURCE partition table.

the GUID change so the BCD has to be redone for multiboot.

11 Reply by johnwerneken

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Re: SOLVED GPARTED LIVE can'r see my partitions . windoze can

EasyBCD and windows bcdedit I used to rebild BCD. Iceflatline has some great posts on windows/Linux multi boot for ppl who are mostly more knowledgable of windoz than unix/Linux, like me.