I am partitioning an External USB-HDD with 500GB under Yast2 from the installation DVD, using the repair-toolbox. Since I applied partitioning it takes already 96 hours. The HDD had before one Fat Partition and about 4 Linux Partitions and one with NTFS. The NTFS with about 450GB I did not changed. Only the FAT Partition and the Linux I deleted. I created then 4 new Linux Partitions. Then I finished the changes and since then, the HDD is working.
Is there a chance, that work will finish once or may something just hanging? The laptop which is connected to is still reacting to key hits like Fn+Backlit.
Thanks for help.
This can’t be true for the real partitioning. Partitioning is only writing a new partition table to the disk, one block of information. When that is realy what you tried, something is rotten (either the tool or the disk).
Or are you doing more, like formatting one or more of your partitions to be used as a file system?
Well, since I’m deleted this partitions they should also be re formated. But the changes should only affect something between 20 and 30 GB not more. The main space about 450 GB in an NTFS Partition should be not affected. Could it bee, that this NTFS Partition is going to be moved? Is this taking that longe time?
Is there a way to look behind the graphic interface of the repair-toolbox?
I don’t like just to shut down because if it is really still working the data on the Disk might be lost. There are several backups on it (NTFS). And I did not back up this HDD beforr, since I don’t have a second large HDD.
Only you know what you have done?!
Why would the ntfs be being moved if you were just deleting some partitions. Unless you set it to take up all free space??
**If **you did not touch the partitions you want to be saved, there is nothing going on there and you can savely abort. A partition can not be moved when you did not ask for it and such an action requires much more then just partitioning, even more then partitioning and formatting. And certainly a partition is not moved when one does barebone partitioning. But it seems that you do not understand the differece between partitioning and formatting. Also it is not a “law”: that a partition is to be formatted (some use raw disk partitions). And when it is to be formatted that can be done later when needed (but I admit that most people want formatting to be done on a new partition and that many GUI tools offer the opportunity to define both actions in one).
There are much more possibilities then you seem to see, but we see them and we do not know whivh of them you were/are doing.
Just saying there where “about” six partitions and I removed four and created two is a bit vague (to put it mildly). It would be helpfull if you displayed the disk-layout before you started (preferable with a tool like fdisk) and then added what you tried to do.
@ dale14846
Yes I’m using the DVD. In the repair mode with the so called ‘Repair Tool Box’ the option Partitioner.
@ hcw
You are right! The Tool is doing somehow both together. It makes partitions, it formats and you can hang it in.
In the moment I can’t say for sure how the partitions had been. But it was somehow like this:
hda1 /boot
hda2 /Fat Windows95
hda3 /NTFS (450GB)
hda4 /
hda5 /swap
Maybe an other partition for /home
hda1 and 2 had been on an extended partition. Otherwise all Linux partitions had been ext3.
I deleted all partitions except the NTFS. At the free space I put up 4 Linux partitions, formated 3 as ext4 and one for swap.
At four days of running a partitioning tool I have to commend your patience
If you are still waiting and haven’t already aborted go to alt-del f2 type top then enter and see if there is gparted or fdisk running.or look at the led on your hdd to see if it shows any activity.
most likely you can safely abort then if your plan is to install
on your usbhdd use the installation partitioner
To me it seems like you don’t really know what you are doing - Sorry to be so blunt:)
The partition layout you describe makes little sense and saying hda1 and 2 were in an extended is possible but almost certainly NOT the case.
And no partitioning I ever did, even some re-sizes have never taken even close to this time.
I am fully with caf4926 (and I hope you will read in the SDB: link I gave you to understand what he says about Extended partition). Your set-up might be bogus now. In any case letting this “run” (imho it hangs or loops) is of no use.
Also I do not quite understand dale14846 when he talks about alt-del f2. When what you are in is anywhere near a live system with a GUI running on X, you can go to a terminal console using combinations like Ctrl-Alt-F1 (or Ctrl-Alt-F2, it works until 6).
In any case, when we do not get any listing from fdisk or the like, we can not give you any good advice about your present situation.
My understanding is that the OP is using the repair installed system with the DVD to do his partitioning
inwhich case alt-ctrl-f1,f3,f4 is used by the system
alt ctrl f2 is available f5 and f9 also I think
the alt-del is my error I meant alt-ctrl
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 654 5253223+ f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda2 655 1568 7341705 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 2551 60801 497901157+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda4 1569 2550 7887915 83 Linux
/dev/sda5 1 393 3156709+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 394 654 2096451 82 Linux swap / Solaris
Partition table entries are not in disk order
I will not intervene with the questions caf4926 asks because they are the next step, but I must say that this is a most extra-oridinary setup I saw in partitioning in a long time. @shepherd79G, I hope you can understand that not in our wildest dreams we could imagine this from the few lines you told.
Though there are no overlaps and it all could work, I also would not be surprised if some software does not understand this.
But yes please, do now tell us what you want to do wth this.
Well I try to explain.
This partitions I created some time ago. When I even had no experiences with Linux. I created 3 partitions: one for Linux, one for Windows and one for my data. Then I had to divide the Linux space for some more partitions.
So fare.
Now some days ago I wanted again to install Suse on this Hdd to use it, as an rescuesystem if the iternal hdd fails.
I tried to install Linux and it failed during partitioning. So I started the Repair mode of the DVD used the partitioner of the ‘Repair Tool Box’.
Then I deleted all Linux partitions and the W95 partition. This means all except sda3 (NTFS). Then I created some new partitions: one for boot, one for root, one for home and one for swap. While doing so I formated all of them with ext4 (former ext3) and in the swap format. I agreed in doing the changes. I got back to the ‘Repair Tool Box’ display with the different options and the Clock at the Pointer was turning, and I would still see it turning if I’d not be in the Terminal. The lights of the Hdd are still blinking.
Edit: I want to install a running OpenSuse 11.2 on this external hdd.