My Partition is not there!

FlamingMuffin · 01-04-2008, 08:45 PM

Hi ... I had Ubuntu 7.10 on a 30 GB Partition and OpenSUSE on a 23 GB Partition. I wanted more space on Ubuntu, and so I uninstalled OpenSUSE. I then tried to boot and my computer said there was no active partition. I installed CentOS 5 on the 23 GB Partition to see if I could fix it.

When I reboot, only CentOS 5 shows up. It says I only have 23 GB. The Ubuntu partition doesn't show up anywhere. I would like to have Ubuntu only, with my current partition, and have it take up all of my diskspace.

I have most of it backed up though, except for the programs I had installed via Synaptic. I would really rather not reinstall Ubuntu.

I was booting through the OpenSUSE GRUB loader ... did I break it??

Acron_0248 · 01-04-2008, 08:58 PM

Hi,

From CentOS, could you post the output of?:

Code:

fdisk -l

How did you erase SuSE? Just to know if the method you used could damage in someway the other partition..

I could guess that SuSE was the primary boot on the grub and since you erased you got the error, but that's just a guess.

Regards

FlamingMuffin · 01-04-2008, 09:53 PM

Fdisk is a Windows command. I did try it, just to make sure, but it said command not found. To uninstall OpenSUSE I deleted it's partition in GParted on Ubuntu.

syg00 · 01-04-2008, 10:18 PM

fdisk is also a Linux command - in Linux it's useful. Centos is derived from Redhat, and carries a lot of the deadrat baggage. Try

Code:

/sbin/fdisk -l

If you merely deleted the partition, is that a BIOS message ???.

FlamingMuffin · 01-05-2008, 03:09 AM

Well, when I type in only

Code:

fdisk

It doesn't work ... when I typed in

Code:

/sbin/fdisk

it printed out

Code:

/sbin/fdisk: invalid option -- 1

Usage: fdisk [-b SSZ] [-u] DISK     Change partition table
       fdisk -l [-b SSZ] [-u] DISK  List partition table(s)
       fdisk -s PARTITION           Give partition size(s) in blocks
       fdisk -v                     Give fdisk version
Here DISK is something like /dev/hdb or /dev/sda
and PARTITION is something like /dev/hda7
-u: give Start and End in sector (instead of cylinder) units
-b 2048: (for certain MO disks) use 2048-byte sectors

Here is the complete dialog I have:

Code:

[Myname@localhost ~]$ /sbin/fdisk -1
/sbin/fdisk: invalid option -- 1

Usage: fdisk [-b SSZ] [-u] DISK     Change partition table
       fdisk -l [-b SSZ] [-u] DISK  List partition table(s)
       fdisk -s PARTITION           Give partition size(s) in blocks
       fdisk -v                     Give fdisk version
Here DISK is something like /dev/hdb or /dev/sda
and PARTITION is something like /dev/hda7
-u: give Start and End in sector (instead of cylinder) units
-b 2048: (for certain MO disks) use 2048-byte sectors
[Myname@localhost ~]$ fdisk
bash: fdisk: command not found
[Myname@localhost ~]$ fdisk -l
bash: fdisk: command not found
[Myname@localhost ~]$ /sbin/fdisk -l
[Myname@localhost ~]$

syg00 · 01-05-2008, 03:41 AM

Lower case ell (for list), not the digit one - as you apparently tried in your last attempt.
Bloody stupid restriction. Try it as

Code:

sudo fdisk -l

Gawd I hate redhat ...

FlamingMuffin · 01-05-2008, 04:16 PM

Code:

Myname@localhost ~]$ sudo fdisk -1
Password:
Sorry, try again.
Password:
Myname is not in the sudoers file.  This incident will be reported.

I don't like it either really, which is why I want Ubuntu back. I don't have the Ubuntu install CD handy so I downloaded a new ISO and I'm about to burn a CD and try the rescue function. I'll post back if it works.

FlamingMuffin · 01-05-2008, 08:03 PM

Alright. I'm now in Ubuntu with the Live CD. I have used GParted to delete the CentOS 5 Partition, and increase the size of the Ubuntu partition. I ran a check on it as well.

I typed in

Code:

sudo fdisk -l

and I got

Code:

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 58.5 GB, 58506416640 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7113 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0004c020

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1               1        6817    54757521   83  Linux
/dev/sda2            6818        7113     2377620    5  Extended
/dev/sda5            6818        7113     2377588+  82  Linux swap / Solaris

I think I know the problem now though -- GParted says the filesystem isn't mounted.

I mounted it in Nautilus and I could poke around in my system.

In GParted, it now says it is mounted at

Code:

/media/disk

I am going to reboot and see if it works now.

FlamingMuffin · 01-05-2008, 08:20 PM

Well, at first it looked promising. I got a GRUB boot loader.

It was just text, and it printed out the introduction and then
'grub>'

I put in the boot command and got told that the kernel was not loaded. I booted back to the CD and brought up GParted again. It says my partition is not mounted.

Acron_0248 · 01-05-2008, 09:36 PM

While using the gparted livecd and assuming that it keeps saying that the partition is at /media/disk, open a console and try this:

Code:

sudo chroot /media/disk

Then:

Code:

sudo grub-install (hd0)

That should recreate the grub on the MBR of the disk

Regards

FlamingMuffin · 01-06-2008, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acron_0248

While using the gparted livecd and assuming that it keeps saying that the partition is at /media/disk, open a console and try this:

Code:

sudo chroot /media/disk

Then:

Code:

sudo grub-install (hd0)

That should recreate the grub on the MBR of the disk

Regards

Code:

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo chroot /media/disk
root@ubuntu:/# sudo grub-install (hd0)
bash: syntax error near unexpected token `('

Acron_0248 · 01-06-2008, 05:25 PM

Hmmm....I'd read about similar problems on the bugtrack of ubuntu but I can't find it =/

Anyway, try with any of this options (whatever of this options you choose, A or B or C is to be executed after the chroot like you did before):

A)

Code:

# sudo grub-install hd0

b)

Code:

# sudo grub-install /dev/sda

c)

Code:

# sudo grub
grub> find /boot/grub/stage1

This should gives you a name like: (hd0,x) where 'x' will be a number, then you issue this command, replacing the x by the number the console gives you:

Code:

grub> root (hd0,x)
grub> setup (hd0)
grub> quit

Restart the system and check if grub works

The 'grub>' is what you gonna see at the console, is not for you to type it

Regards

FlamingMuffin · 01-06-2008, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acron_0248

Hmmm....I'd read about similar problems on the bugtrack of ubuntu but I can't find it =/

Anyway, try with any of this options (whatever of this options you choose, A or B or C is to be executed after the chroot like you did before):

A)

Code:

# sudo grub-install hd0

b)

Code:

# sudo grub-install /dev/sda

c)

Code:

# sudo grub
grub> find /boot/grub/stage1

This should gives you a name like: (hd0,x) where 'x' will be a number, then you issue this command, replacing the x by the number the console gives you:

Code:

grub> root (hd0,x)
grub> setup (hd0)
grub> quit

Restart the system and check if grub works

The 'grub>' is what you gonna see at the console, is not for you to type it

Regards

A:

Code:

root@ubuntu:/# sudo grub-install hd0
/dev/sda1: Not found or not a block device.

B:

Code:

root@ubuntu:/# sudo grub-install /dev/sda
/dev/sda: Not found or not a block device.

C:

Code:

       [ Minimal BASH-like line editing is supported.   For
         the   first   word,  TAB  lists  possible  command
         completions.  Anywhere else TAB lists the possible
         completions of a device/filename. ]

grub> find /boot/grub/stage1

Error 15: File not found

Acron_0248 · 01-06-2008, 06:11 PM

Are you sure that you're using those command after the chroot?

I mean:

Code:

# sudo chroot /media/disk
# sudo grub-instal .... or B or C

Can you post the output of?:

Code:

ls /media/disk/boot/grub

(Assuming that /media/disk is where the partition is mounted)

Regards

syg00 · 01-06-2008, 08:10 PM

Try it without the "/boot"

Code:

find /grub/stage1

Proceed as per above.