Hi, I’m an arch user but i wanted to install OpenSuse on my laptop because it is the second best distribution, and a also because it’s a bit easier rotfl!
I did not want to remove factory partitionning, there are
-one with 100 or 200 mb, i think it is something that has to to with windows recovery
-one containing the OS win7 and files
Then 3 partitions /home (32mb) ext2, /root then /home ext4
-two other partions by HP
But when I install it’s like if Grub does NOT install in MBR because i get windows loader error (please insert your cd and repair), but it was supposed to, and would not mount the correct partition with an error 17.
I’m taking one month of vacation and I will not use windows the whole month, please.
Thanks
I don’t have one for the moment, but. Yeah my partitions, i guess they belong to one extended partition (/boot maybe) ,so they are secondary partitions, then in my case, EBR replaces MBR, but still i want to boot to GRUB and load my partitions, this is the first time i face such a complicated situation, do you have any idea?
I have really only come across SFS with Windows before.
I don’t want to try and help with something I’m not feeling comfortable with.
Perhaps wait and see if someone else has an idea.
Aye i found some info a bit sooner with google, it seems you have to use lvm that is the only way to “support” SFS under *nix, or simply convert my windows partition to a basic partition with a tool like Partition Wizard and then delete the rest but it is something i would not do.
But not 100% reliable infos actually, a shame that the OS that keeps farms of facebook servers running can’t just do simple things
On 2011-08-03 14:16, asof wrote:
> But not 100% reliable infos actually, a shame that the OS that keeps
> farms of facebook servers running can’t just do simple things
It is not simple at all.
I’m guessing that SFS is “Scalable File Share, storage system created by HP”.
Not the thing by HP, the windows thing So the problem is in two sides if I understand, drivers (lvm or raid may work some say) and GRUB that does not understand the format.
Ok, I should stop trying, thank you!
Do the 4 partition entries in the partition table need to be of type SFS? If the extended partition is of type 0xf and the Linux logical partition are ext2/3/4fs (or any other fs supported by Grub), I believe that Grub installed in MBR (or even in the bootsector of the extended partition, provided it has the boot flag) should be able to boot openSUSE and Arch from there.
I don’t understand.
You do suggest I convert factory partitions back to normal, and just format with whatever piece of software Yast installer uses my 3 linux partitions? but, then i would have more than 4 partitions, that would not work. I do not plan installing arch on this PC.
Oh, I thought you already had Arch on this machine, because you did mention Arch earlier. OK, this is a pure Windows laptop which shows 4 primary partitions in SFS format (according to fdisk output in post #5). We have no way to know if one of these partitions (probably the last one - sd4) is an extended partition. We don’t know how this partition is being used by Windows either. You have to find out what’s in your fourth partition? If it’s an extended partition - which I can not tell from here (and I’m not in the middle of France nor in the middle of anywhere in Europe). If I had such a laptop - which is not going to happen, because I wouldn’t touch a Windows laptop for all the tea in China - I would change the partition ID of this partition to 0x0F if it’s an extended one and if it’s not, I would delete it and create an extended partition. Inside this extended partition, I would create (at least 3) logical partitions an install Linux. I would install Grub in the Linux root partition (because it doesn’t hurt anyone) AND either in MBR or in the extended partition. Actually, I would personally install it in MBR but openSUSE’s setup will install it in the bootsector of the extended partition - which is not a bad idea in this case. So after setting the boot flag on this partition, it should be booted by default - unless the type of generic MBR your computer uses is special as well (?). Or if you put Grub in MBR, it will let you boot any Linux kernel (installed in any logical partition) or chainload any primary partition (including Windows). But I have NO idea whether Grub can chainload a SFS partition. It can chainload it for sure, but I have NO idea if it’s going to boot Windows. Also I don’t know if your Windows system can use a traditionnal extended partition. You can either wait for the advice of someone who have done this … or become the first one to do it and teach others. But this kind of partition scheme doesn’t look particularly Linux friendly.
I did not read everything in your reply yet please_try_again, but I used used diskpart>list disk and list partition under windows, it appears all my partitions are now dynamic and use GPT instead of MBR.
Strange thing, under the GUI in the OS I see 4 partitions also, but they don’t match
In the console I see Partition 1 size 992K , Partition 4 size 13GB
In the Gui i see Partition 1 size 199MB, Partition 4 size 103MB. No partition of 992k…
I’m tempted to throw that laptop through the window, or even formating the whole HDD and install some proper GNU/Linux in it!
PS: I’ve deleted the 3 partition I wanted Suse to be installed in.
Yes, I was wondering about that, not really suprised though.
fdisk can not read GPT partition tables. So whatever it displays is not reliable.
I’m tempted to throw that laptop through the window, or even formating the whole HDD and install some proper GNU/Linux in it!
Before doing that, I would try to install Ubuntu and report here. Ubuntu uses Grub2 - which is supposed to read and boot GPT. The Linux kernel itself supports GPT but the old Legacy Grub (used by default under openSUSE) does not and therefore will not boot this kind of partition (AFAIK). Further you can use Grub2 under openSUSE, but this might be more tricky than installing a minimal Ubuntu in a dedicated partition for booting purpose.
This is what windows itself tells me, both in the console and in the OS, what fdisk said, was told yesterday but at this time i did not remove the 3 partitions.
Hell, this sux. Is there a means to save the partitions HP did on my laptop, then I remove them, and then I wipe the HDD, for example.
So the problem is in two sides if I understand, drivers (lvm or raid may work some say) and GRUB that does not understand the format.