Barbara Pfieffer wrote: > But, the problem is, the partition I added is my /home partition. I'm > afraid I'll lose it, following your instructions. > > Here's fdisk p output and my df. Will I lose my /home partition? > > Barbara > > Disk /dev/hda: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 2431 cylinders > Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes > > Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System > /dev/hda1 * 1 1640 13173268+ c Win95 FAT32 (LBA) > /dev/hda2 1641 2431 6353707+ 5 Extended > /dev/hda5 1641 1671 248976 82 Linux swap > /dev/hda6 1672 2057 3100482 83 Linux > /dev/hda7 2058 2115 465853+ 83 Linux > > Command (m for help): q > > [root@mhar bjp]# df > Filesystem 1k-blocks Used Available Use% Mounted on > /dev/hda6 3051760 2149852 746884 75% / > none 192116 0 192116 0% /dev/shm > /dev/hda8 2498348 283956 2087484 12% /home > /dev/hda1 13159416 9178120 3981296 70% /mnt/windows > > > tester wrote: > >> Barbara Pfieffer wrote: >> >>> I used Diskdrake to add a partition, and now, when I run it, it >>> shows an empty harddrive. There is a partition table and fstab works, >>> since I can boot into both Windows and Linux. Is there a way to fix >>> it so I can use it to resize a partition? >>> >>> Barbara >>> >>> >>> >>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >>> >>> Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to >>> http://www.mandrakestore.com >>> >> >> You added a "linux-extended" partiton type, most probably. >> >> In most circumstances Diskdrake can make sense of this, but it is a >> partition table recovery item, so it will not always do so. >> >> You see, the partition table on a drive is 66 bytes, the last 66 bytes >> of the 512 bytes of the first sector on the disk >> >> Each entry is 16 bytes and there are two signature bytes at the end of >> the 4 entries. >> >> A primary partition has the first and last block of the partition, a >> number, and a type. There can be at most 4 primary partitions. >> >> An extended entry just points to the first sector of an extension and >> defines the total area. In the first sector of the extension are two >> partition table entries, the first a partition definition just like >> the primary partition table that points to the firast genuine >> partition, and then a pointer to the first sector of the remaining >> partition available for additional extensions.... >> >> >> So extensions are defined in a chain. This explains why people with >> windows extended partitons sometimes can no longer findd them after >> installing linux--the windows search quits as soon as it encounters a >> non-windows partition. >> >> Now if you say a partition type is "linux-extended" or just "extended" >> then the data fields to be read will have either random data from >> previous use or filler characters from a previous format, not likely >> to define a proper chain. >> >> In most circumstances, Diskdrake detects this situation and decides >> thaqt since it is the last entry, the partition table can be >> corrected... just drop the extended partition. >> >> But if the data defines something possible but say overlapping with >> previous partitioning, diskdrake gives up with a blank table. >> >> OK >> >> Open a terminal >> >> su to root >> >> # fdisk /dev/hda >> >> or whatever is the drive where you added the partition >> >> p >> >> to print the partition table on your screen note the number of the >> partition you added. >> >> d >> >> to delete the last entry it will ask for the number >> >> w >> >> to rewrite the partition table and exit >> >> # reboot >> >> Now you should be able top proceed as before, with a partition table >> that diskdrake can recognize >> >> Naturally, next time you call diskdrake, note that you can save the >> partiton table to floppy or restore it from floppy from within diskdrake. >> >> Civileme >> >> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >> >> Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to >> http://www.mandrakestore.com >> > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? > Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com >
You are correct. You would lose /home. Thewre is nothing in that partition table to make diskdrake act that way. The likeliness of a bad load or bad store of diskdrake is very very high. It suggests either bad media or a disk with failure imminent, but the fact that diskdrake worked correctly once suggests about zero chance for the bad install. OK that is very strange, Back up all data and get a new disk. I can find you a 40G for less than $100 including shipping if you like.. Something is amiss, and it is not likely to get better with age Civileme
Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com
