Crasy "fdisk -l" output

Isix · 01-19-2009, 09:31 PM

In Kubuntu, after mounting a 8GB vfat USB stick, and doing "fdisk -l" I get:

Code:

delbert@delbert:~$ sudo fdisk -l                                            
[sudo] password for delbert:                                                

Disk /dev/sda: 60.0 GB, 60011642880 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7296 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0006bb9d                     

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1        2006    16113163+  83  Linux 
/dev/sda2            2007        7296    42491925    5  Extended
/dev/sda5            2007        3975    15815961   83  Linux   
/dev/sda6            3976        4113     1108453+  82  Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda7            4114        7296    25567416   83  Linux               

Disk /dev/sdc: 8086 MB, 8086618112 bytes
249 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1023 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 15438 * 512 = 7904256 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x2c6b7369

This doesn't look like a partition table
Probably you selected the wrong device.

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdc1   ?      125407      245362   925929529+  68  Unknown
Partition 1 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(116, 100, 32) logical=(125406, 168, 29)
Partition 1 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(288, 101, 46) logical=(245361, 67, 59)
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sdc2   ?       86163      121076   269488144   79  Unknown
Partition 2 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(357, 32, 43) logical=(86162, 245, 47)
Partition 2 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(0, 13, 10) logical=(121075, 74, 42)
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sdc3   ?       34914      125493   699181456   53  OnTrack DM6 Aux3
Partition 3 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(345, 32, 19) logical=(34913, 40, 18)
Partition 3 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(324, 77, 19) logical=(125492, 109, 49)
Partition 3 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sdc4   ?       90338       90339       10668+  49  Unknown
Partition 4 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(87, 1, 0) logical=(90337, 81, 36)
Partition 4 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(335, 78, 2) logical=(90338, 176, 44)
Partition 4 does not end on cylinder boundary.

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Anybody with any idea what went wrong here? Should I format the USB stick in linux?

Isix

Drakeo · 01-20-2009, 02:02 PM

looks good to me sdc is an incrypted windows partion. If it isn't then it needs to be
dosfsck -f -r /dev/sdc but this looks like a fresh install and the program wrote the fstab as it was seen. if dosfsck -f -r /dev/sdc does not repair then it is encrypted.
my choice would to wipe out all the non linux partions and use all linux.
if you cfdisk /dev/sdc it will return bad block or bad stuff. and if you try to fdisk /dev/sdc and it does not work it is encrypted. you will need to use the program that encrypted it to fix or repair or format. good luck.

Isix · 01-21-2009, 10:50 PM

Thanks I did the filesystem checks --- note that today the system read the USB stick as sdb and not as sdc:

Code:

delbert@delbert:~/Documents$ sudo dosfsck -f -r /dev/sdb
dosfsck 2.11, 12 Mar 2005, FAT32, LFN
/dev/sdb: 3 files, 245785/493326 clusters

As you said for:

Code:

sudo cfdisk /dev/sdc

I get a black screen with:
"FATAL ERROR: Bad primary partition 0: Partition begins after end-of-disk: Press any key to exit cfdisk"

So this means that the USB is a FAT32. Should I re-format it as FAT32 with Kubuntu's partition editor, because I have no idea what programme formatted it initially --- just bought it now. I would like the stick to be read by a Winblows machine as well, hence the vfat-like type I want.

vinnywrite · 01-21-2009, 11:07 PM

it nead's to stay FAT32 if it's gowing to be seen by windows.

why do yo want to format it?

I have a 2 Gig and have formated it partitioned it and used it to death and it still works fine.

rite now it reads as

Model: Tribeca (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 2097MB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 32.3kB 1629MB 1629MB primary fat32 boot
3 1629MB 1678MB 49.4MB primary fat16
2 1678MB 2089MB 411MB extended
5 1678MB 2089MB 411MB logical linux-swap

(parted)

and runs a live distro ;-)

Drakeo · 01-21-2009, 11:22 PM

ok here is the problem the only time I have ever seen an out put on a drive like that was a usb flash pen. and I had to /fdisk/ /dev/sdc/
and delete all the partitions then create a new one then format it as 0b
b win 95 32 then your done now windows can use it and linux can use it.
if it does not take then you have to reformat it with windows and the company's software.

vinnywrite · 01-21-2009, 11:36 PM

I think fdisk has issues with larg partitions use parted if you have it.

ya why not?---- repartition and format as 1 big FAT32