install dvd reset partitions

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1

I have a dual boot system: windows xp and suse(10.2). I had to reinstall windows(again). When I tried to use the installer, it kept reseting my partitions to 500gb+ to linux. Nothing I tried would let me put it to the way it was(50gb to linux). Repair install failed. Update wouldn’t work. MSwindows in the grub boot menu disappeared. I tried reinstalling suse. The installer blocked any attempt by me to put the partitions back to normal.

How do reset the windows and linux partitions(850gb windows, 50gb to suse linux)?

2

Boot a live cd and give us

fdisk -l
3

Disk /dev/sda: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xbb2ebb2e

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 36800 295587967 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 108361 112537 33551752+ f W95 Ext’d (LBA)
/dev/sda3 112538 112799 2104515 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda4 * 36800 108360 574813701+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda5 108361 112537 33551721 b W95 FAT32

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdb: 320.1 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x32783277

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 38912 312560608+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Drive #2(320gb) is a backup drive and the slower one. SD5 is a transfer area between windows and linux.

4

So the actual order is

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 36800 295587967 7 HPFS/NTFS **Primary
**/dev/sda4 * 36800 108360 574813701+ 83 Linux Primary
/dev/sda2 108361 112537 33551752+ f W95 Ext’d (LBA)
/dev/sda5 108361 112537 33551721 b W95 FAT32 **Logical
** /dev/sda3 112538 112799 2104515 82 Linux swap / Solaris Logical

Just confirm, that you are trying to re-install SUSE 10.2 !

5

I already have. As I said, update removed windows from the grub menu. The reinstall changed the partitions to wrong setup. Older version of suse didn’t change your setup.

6

Sorry I still don’t understand what exactly you are doing, have done…
What exactly do you want to do?

7

How do I reset the partitions back to what they were before?

50 gigs - suse

850 gigs total for windows.

8

Backup what you can first!
What you want is virtually impossible. Personally I would delete everything but sda1, put the boot flag back on sda1*
Then you will probably need to fix the MBR to get windows to boot. Use windows disk manager to resize sda1 to use all the space, then defrag it.
The re-install suse. Use the custom partitioner to get what you want.

Another option, but SUSE is way smaller than you want and you still have to re-install SUSE

Using Parted Magic:
Using Parted Magic an Introduction - openSUSE Forums

Delete sda4 and resize sda1 to take up all the free space deleting sda4 creates.
Delete sda5 and sda3 and re-create those partitions inside sda2 ext.
Re-install SUSE.

9 
 When I installed the older suse, it just partitioned the remaining space. This version had "suggested"(required) changes. You know the installer blocked any attempt to change them back.

 Hopefully the suse(10.3) will remove the "suggested"(required) partition changes. I'm just going to wait for the new suse to come out. Remove all the suse partitions. FIXMBR command. Resize the windows partition and defrag. I'll post another message if new suse installer has the "suggested" changes bug. I'll check out partition magic too. Thanks.
10

I have never seen the installer “block” manually changing the scheme unless you are trying to do the impossible.

11

The path that I used to make changes, wouldn’t change anything. When I installed Suse 10.3, I found another way to get it to use the unused space. Also, the recommended changes use partitioned space not the unpartitioned space I left for Suse. It was confused as to how to override that. It should be like the older suse installer. No recommended changes and just uses the unpartitioned space, if available.