Paritioner messages about hard drives

[eldiener]

When I run Partitioner I get the message:

"The partitioning on /dev./sdb is not readable by the partitioning tool 'parted', which is used to change the partition table.

You can use partitions on /dev/sdb as they are. You can format them and assign mount points to them, but you cannot add, edit, resize, or remove partitions from that disk with this tool"

The same message comes out for /dev/sdc, but evidently /dev/sda is fine with 'parted'.

I have Minitools, EaseUS, and Acronis Diskl Director 11, all of which, running under Windows or booting up standalone, can read all the partitions on my hard disks. Furthermore when I use Clonezilla if can also find all the partitions on all my hard disks. Finall;y when 'parted' does come up it shows all the partitons on all my hard drives.

Does anyone know why Linuix 'parted' cannot read the partitioning on the last two of my hard disks. The hard disks are all 2 TB disks, formatted as MBR, and divided up into various partitions for Linix and Windows.

[jdmcdaniel3]

When I run Partitioner I get the message:

"The partitioning on /dev./sdb is not readable by the partitioning tool 'parted', which is used to change the partition table.

You can use partitions on /dev/sdb as they are. You can format them and assign mount points to them, but you cannot add, edit, re-size, or remove partitions from that disk with this tool"

The same message comes out for /dev/sdc, but evidently /dev/sda is fine with 'parted'.

I have Minitools, EaseUS, and Acronis Disk Director 11, all of which, running under Windows or booting up standalone, can read all the partitions on my hard disks. Furthermore when I use Clonezilla if can also find all the partitions on all my hard disks. Finally when 'parted' does come up it shows all the partitions on all my hard drives.

Does anyone know why Linux 'parted' cannot read the partitioning on the last two of my hard disks. The hard disks are all 2 TB disks, formatted as MBR, and divided up into various partitions for Linux and Windows.

So I can't say why but there must be some sort of data in the partition table that is not standard to parted. I can say the first time I saw this on a drive that was working, I removed all of the partitions with another tool and reloaded openSUSE and did not see this issue come up again. I also have Acronis and it is possible it did something that the openSUSE Partitioner did not like. In general, I have decided to keep Windows on one hard disk and openSUSE on another hard disk and I use Windows for NTFS partitions and openSUSE Partitioner for all things Linux, and this has avoided such messages. As long as all is working, you can keep on trucking, but the day you get tired of the message, you will need to take a similar action as I did. I must also add that on a different computer, I got this message from a SSD, formatted with openSUSE. Later, that SSD disk just died and was even replaced under warranty. It was kind of strange to have this (SSD fail and a Partitioner error message before it failed) happen at all.

Thank You,

[hcvv]

When you want any comments on this, as allways we need computer evidence, Let us start with the old well known

fdisk -l

[eldiener]

When you want any comments on this, as allways we need computer evidence, Let us start with the old well known

fdisk -l

Here is the fdisk -l output:

"WARNING: GPT (GUID Partition Table) detected on '/dev/sda'! The util fdisk doesn't support GPT. Use GNU Parted.


Disk /dev/sda: 2000.4 GB, 2000398934016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 243201 cylinders, total 3907029168 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: 0x00000001

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 63 469274714 234637326 17 Hidden HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 * 469274715 1159025489 344875387+ 17 Hidden HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3 1159041555 1169499869 5229157+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda4 3904758900 3907024064 1132582+ 1c Hidden W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/sda5 1159041618 1161146069 1052226 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 1161146133 1163202389 1028128+ bb Boot Wizard hidden
/dev/sda7 1163202453 1165306904 1052226 bb Boot Wizard hidden
/dev/sda8 1165306968 1167411419 1052226 bb Boot Wizard hidden
/dev/sda9 1167411483 1169499869 1044193+ bb Boot Wizard hidden

WARNING: GPT (GUID Partition Table) detected on '/dev/sdb'! The util fdisk doesn't support GPT. Use GNU Parted.


Disk /dev/sdb: 2000.4 GB, 2000398934016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 243201 cylinders, total 3907029168 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
Disk identifier: 0xd5f572fe

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 16065 1063711844 531847890 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
Partition 1 does not start on physical sector boundary.
/dev/sdb2 * 3479646870 3907024064 213688597+ 17 Hidden HPFS/NTFS
Partition 2 does not start on physical sector boundary.
/dev/sdb5 16128 104872319 52428096 83 Linux
/dev/sdb6 104872383 209728574 52428096 bb Boot Wizard hidden
Partition 6 does not start on physical sector boundary.
/dev/sdb7 209728638 314584829 52428096 bb Boot Wizard hidden
Partition 7 does not start on physical sector boundary.
/dev/sdb8 314584893 419441084 52428096 bb Boot Wizard hidden
Partition 8 does not start on physical sector boundary.
/dev/sdb9 419441148 524297339 52428096 83 Linux
Partition 9 does not start on physical sector boundary.
/dev/sdb10 524297403 626695649 51199123+ bb Boot Wizard hidden
Partition 10 does not start on physical sector boundary.
/dev/sdb11 626695713 729110024 51207156 bb Boot Wizard hidden
Partition 11 does not start on physical sector boundary.
/dev/sdb12 729110088 831508334 51199123+ bb Boot Wizard hidden
/dev/sdb13 831508398 947851064 58171333+ 83 Linux
Partition 13 does not start on physical sector boundary.
/dev/sdb14 947851128 1055534759 53841816 b W95 FAT32
/dev/sdb15 1055534823 1063711844 4088511 82 Linux swap / Solaris
Partition 15 does not start on physical sector boundary.

WARNING: GPT (GUID Partition Table) detected on '/dev/sdc'! The util fdisk doesn't support GPT. Use GNU Parted.


Disk /dev/sdc: 2000.4 GB, 2000398934016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 243201 cylinders, total 3907029168 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: 0x1aeffb21

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 * 16065 207302759 103643347+ 5 Extended
/dev/sdc5 16128 102494699 51239286 bb Boot Wizard hidden
/dev/sdc6 102494763 207302759 52403998+ bb Boot Wizard hidden"

I do not know why the fdisk -l command thinks I have GPT drives. They are all MBR drives and show as such in all the partition managers I mentioned in my OP.

Edward Diener

[jdmcdaniel3]

Let us try using parted instead:

sudo parted -l

When you post the results here, use the Advanced Message Editor, highlight the new text and press the Code # option so that it looks like the command above, only larger.

Thank You,

[eldiener]

Let us try using parted instead:

sudo parted -l

When you post the results here, use the Advanced Message Editor, highlight the new text and press the Code # option so that it looks like the command above, only larger.

Thank You,

Here is the output from parted -l

linux:~ # parted -l
Model: ATA Hitachi HDS72302 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 2000GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number  Start   End     Size    Type      File system  Flags
 1      32.3kB  240GB   240GB   primary   ntfs         hidden, type=17
 2      240GB   593GB   353GB   primary   ntfs         boot, hidden, type=17
 3      593GB   599GB   5355MB  extended               type=05
 5      593GB   595GB   1077MB  logical   ext3         type=83
 6      595GB   596GB   1053MB  logical   ext3         type=bb
 7      596GB   597GB   1077MB  logical   ext3         type=bb
 8      597GB   598GB   1077MB  logical   ext3         type=bb
 9      598GB   599GB   1069MB  logical   ext3         type=bb
 4      1999GB  2000GB  1160MB  primary   fat32        hidden, lba, type=1c


Warning: /dev/sdb 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?
Yes/No? No                                                                
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/4096B

Warning: /dev/sdc contains GPT signatures, indicating that it has a GPT table.  However, it does not have a valid fake msdos partition ta
corrupted -- possibly by a program that doesn't understand GPT partition tables.  Or perhaps you deleted the GPT table, and are now using
partition table?
Yes/No? No                                                                
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B

Warning: Unable to open /dev/fd0 read-write (Read-only file system).  /dev/fd0 has been opened read-only.
Error: /dev/fd0: unrecognised disk label                                  
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B

I do not know why it thinks that the drive(s) contain a GPT signature. I may have once had them as GPT and then converted them to MBR, but surely that would have removed any GPT signatures.

[nrickert]

When I run Partitioner I get the message:

"The partitioning on /dev./sdb is not readable by the partitioning tool 'parted', which is used to change the partition table.

You can use partitions on /dev/sdb as they are. You can format them and assign mount points to them, but you cannot add, edit, resize, or remove partitions from that disk with this tool"

Yes, I regularly get that message.

I'm pretty sure that it is because I am installing from a USB, and "/dev/sdb" is that install USB. It uses a hybrid format so that the iso can be booted when written to a CD/DVD or to a USB. And "parted" does not seem to like that hybrid format.

If I wanted to install to that USB, I would write a block of binary zero over the MBR, then repartition with "fdisk" before starting.

[eldiener]

Yes, I regularly get that message.

I'm pretty sure that it is because I am installing from a USB, and "/dev/sdb" is that install USB. It uses a hybrid format so that the iso can be booted when written to a CD/DVD or to a USB. And "parted" does not seem to like that hybrid format.

If I wanted to install to that USB, I would write a block of binary zero over the MBR, then repartition with "fdisk" before starting.

My hard disks are not USBs. I have read about "hybrid" formats but I know I have a MBR hard drive and I am pretty disappointed that a core Linux program like 'parted' does not recognize it as such. All the other partitioning programs I use, largely Windows based, clearly recognize my hard drives as MBR. I believe Linux 'parted' needs to be updated to correctly understand MBR and GPT drives. Its lack in correctly identifying the difference has already affected me on some Linux distro installations and, in one case, wiped out my hard disk's MBR partition table. This is not good for Linux distros, to say the least.

[robin_listas]

On 2012-10-08 14:56, eldiener wrote:

> My hard disks are not USBs. I have read about "hybrid" formats but I
> know I have a MBR hard drive and I am pretty disappointed that a core
> Linux program like 'parted' does not recognize it as such. All the other
> partitioning programs I use, largely Windows based, clearly recognize my
> hard drives as MBR. I believe Linux 'parted' needs to be updated to
> correctly understand MBR and GPT drives. Its lack in correctly
> identifying the difference has already affected me on some Linux distro
> installations and, in one case, wiped out my hard disk's MBR partition
> table. This is not good for Linux distros, to say the least.

No, both fdisk and parted say that you have a GPT table. Windows partitioning software has been
known for ages to interpret things differently than their Linux counterparts.

--
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 12.1 x86_64 "Asparagus" at Telcontar)

[Knurpht]

Both fdisk and parted are right. My brother in law saw exactly this on a 1TB disk he had used and transformed through windows, fdisk and parted kept complaining. After he "dd"-ed the entire disk to zeros, the problem was gone. But then again, he only had stored about 120GBs on the disk, so backup was easy and quite fast.