[SOLVED] MBR, GRUB and Partitions messed up : Partition table entries are not in disk order

fabien · 04-10-2012, 11:58 AM

I formated a partition with disk utility. Then it won't let me create a new partition.
After reboot I had a grub error.
I then used 12.04beta2 on a USB and used the boot repair tool, like 10 times, I don't know what to do.

Now at reboot it enters window7 but no news of my ubuntu.
Furthermore GParted and the ubuntu live cd installer don't see my partitions. So I can't do an install without erasing my whole hard drive.

Here is a report I got from the boot repair tool:
paste.ubuntu.com/923016

Let me know if you understand that report
Thank you

jschiwal · 04-10-2012, 01:29 PM

If you haven't used Ubuntu yet, you might want to delete. Sda5 on, and rerun the installation, if one of your partitions is /boot and it's around 12GB. If boot is a directory instead of a partition, you can locate the kernel in grub, and boot into Ubuntu from your install disk. Then fix the the from inside Ubuntu.

From the grub shell, enter "kernel (hd0,4)" and press the TAB key. The autocomplete will list the files and directories. If you see the kernel, start typing it at the end of the file and press TAB to finish typing. If you see /boot, enter that and press TAB again. If wouldn't find the kernel, try (hd0,5)/ then (hd0,6), etc. Do the same for the "initrd (hd0,... line. Months third line enter "go" and the ENTER key to launch the installation.

syg00 · 04-10-2012, 10:35 PM

That answer just has to be in the wrong thread.

Quote:

Error: Invalid partition table on /dev/sda -- wrong signature 0.

is why this is all going wrong. Let me do some testing, and get back to you.

syg00 · 04-11-2012, 01:39 AM

That appears to be an error in the chaining for the logical partitions. Presumably sda10 that was deleted.
As it turns out the partition table itself is should be o.k. - likewise the "MBR".

Let's see the output from

Code:

sudo fdisk -l

It's (hopefully) going to give a warning about invalid flag - let's see everything it produces.

fabien · 04-11-2012, 10:44 AM

Thanks to all.

sda10 had my encrypted home folder of ubuntu 10.04.4 which failed when upgrading to 12.04.
I then intalled ubuntu 12.04beta2: root to sd8 and home to sda9
Then when I deleted the partition sda10 it went all wrong:

here is the what I get when I want to create a new partition in sda10 with disk utility:

Quote:

Error creating partition: helper exited with exit code 1: In part_add_partition: device_file=/dev/sda, start=92016738304, size=220001065472, type=0x83
Entering MS-DOS parser (offset=0, size=500107862016)
MSDOS_MAGIC found
looking at part 0 (offset 32256, size 41094144, type 0xde)
new part entry
looking at part 1 (offset 41943040, size 11974737920, type 0x07)
new part entry
looking at part 2 (offset 12016680960, size 50000000000, type 0x07)
new part entry
looking at part 3 (offset 62016977920, size 438089810944, type 0x05)
Entering MS-DOS extended parser (offset=62016977920, size=438089810944)
readfrom = 62016977920
MSDOS_MAGIC found
readfrom = 62016978432
MSDOS_MAGIC found
readfrom = 487101081600
MSDOS_MAGIC found
readfrom = 442100804096
MSDOS_MAGIC found
readfrom = 462101151744
MSDOS_MAGIC found
readfrom = 92024432640
No MSDOS_MAGIC found
Exiting MS-DOS extended parser
Exiting MS-DOS parser
MSDOS partition table detected
containing partition table scheme = 1
got it
Error: Invalid partition table on /dev/sda -- wrong signature 0.
ped_disk_new() failed

here is what I get from fdisk:

Quote:

sudo fdisk -l
omitting empty partition (10)

Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x77e3ed41

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 63 80324 40131 de Dell Utility
/dev/sda2 * 81920 23470079 11694080 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda3 23470080 121126329 48828125 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda4 121126910 976771071 427822081 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 609409773 863478132 127034180 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 121126912 179720191 29296640 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 951369728 976771071 12700672 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda8 863479808 902541311 19530752 83 Linux
/dev/sda9 902543360 951367679 24412160 83 Linux

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdb: 15.5 GB, 15479537664 bytes
64 heads, 32 sectors/track, 14762 cylinders, total 30233472 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000225bd

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 32 30232575 15116272 c W95 FAT32 (LBA)

In sda9 I have a grub folder and a boot folder and a lost+found folder; thats it: I dont know what they do here. I have never seen them before: may be because of boot repair.

Hopefully you will have a better idea than me.Thanks

fabien · 04-12-2012, 10:29 AM

Hi,

To reply to jschiwal, I have no grub menu when booting with my USB, so I dont know how to access the grub shell.

Now I cant boot anymore with my USB at start up. I now get "grub error". I then press enter and it enters window.

I will see if I can do something from W7.

If you have any idea your are welcome!
thanks

fabien · 04-12-2012, 01:37 PM

Finally it worked out!

I made a new USB install that worked much faster that time.

So I used ubuntu 12.04beta2 on my new live usb.

The key phrase of my problem is: Partition table entries are not in disk order

So in a terminal I wrote:

Quote:

sudo fdisk /dev/sda

Then press

Quote:

p

Then press

Quote:

w

It then says "partions altered"
I had to do it twice because I had no results the first time