Cannot Change Partition Table After Windows Install

I’m attempting to get my desktop to dual boot windows 7 and openSUSE 13.1

After installing windows on a previously blank hard drive, running the openSUSE installer from a DVD can’t format the disk in any way to create new partitions or adjust the existing ones without prompting the error message:

Operation not permitted on disk /dev/sda

The partitioning on your disk /dev/sda is either not readable or not supported by the partitioning tool parted used to change the partition table.

You can use the partitions on disk /dev/sda as they are or format them and assign mount points, but you cannot add, edit, resize, or remove partitionsfrom that disk here.

You can initialise the disk partition table to a sane state in the Expert Partitioner by selecting “Expert”->“Create New Partition Table”, but this will destroy all data on all partitions of this disk.

What I’ve read so far seems to indicate I could install linux next to windows but it isn’t allowing me to. How can I install Linux now that Windows is installed?

On 2014-07-15 02:56, Baldarun wrote:

>> Operation not permitted on disk /dev/sda
>>
>> The partitioning on your disk /dev/sda is either not readable or not
>> supported by the partitioning tool parted used to change the partition
>> table.

We need to see the partition table, as Linux sees it. You can boot about
any Linux live cd or usb stick⁽¹⁾, and run “fdisk -l”, and post it back
here - and please do so inside code tags (the ‘#’ button in the forum
editor). See photo

You could also post the output of “gdisk -l /dev/sda”

(1) If you don’t have any yet, I suggest you download and use the
openSUSE 13.1 XFCE rescue image.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” at Telcontar)

My guess is that you used the old MBR or DOS partitioning and Windows used up all the partitions. Only 4 can be created. But 1 can be extended and you can then add more in the extended partition. That is what normally triggers that error. If you used a Windows ecovery disk it may well have created 4 partitions. With a real Install disk you do have more controls.

I managed to solve this problem by deleting everything on the disks using the console and then going through the installation process again. Thanks for the help anyway.

Hi, I once had a similar problem.

Under certain conditions, the installer of windows 7 creates some weird partition table.

There is a lengthy thread on that - if you want to read it, see
http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/475347-Error-occurred-while-installing-GRUB-during-oS-11-4-installation-Error-25-ASUS-EFI-BIOS

Anyway:

Please boot any live Linux.
Open a terminal.
Say, as root: ‘parted -l’ (the last char is an ell).
Post the output here.

Good luck
Mike

Yes, I believe that, and that probaby is the only way to fix it.