Doesn't detect partions

User Name. · 09-20-2006, 03:39 PM

I used fdisk to create my partions, but setup doesn't detect them. My system specs.

Computer = HP pavilion dv5000
Harddrive = 120 gig
Ram = 2 gig

Alright, I try to make a swap partion.
First.

Code:

fdisk /dev/hda

Then

Code:

I see no partions

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It asks external or primary partion

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The partion number

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it says, "First cylinder (1-81, default 1):"

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Then says, "Last cylinder +size or +sizeM or +sizeK (1-81, default 81):"

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+2000M

then says out of range, but wasn't I supposed to make the swap twice as much as ram?

Code:

+81M

then I change the type to 82

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Now I make another partion, (the slackware book told me too.)

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Now the type

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Partion number,

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Then says,(to the best of my memory, probaly wrong) "first cylinder (12-81, default 81):"

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then, (to best of memory) "last cylinder or +size or +sizeM or +sizeK (12-81, default 81):"

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Then last

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then shows root screen.

Code:

setup

Displays a message about not being able to find partions.

I have been trying for about 30 minutes, the same thing over and over.

Brian1 · 09-20-2006, 07:20 PM

First do a ' /sbin/fdisk -l ' and post output.
Just want to see what fdisk is seeing.

Now as far as swap size goes in the days when ram cost big money it was recommended to double swap size based on ram. Today ram is cheap and much faster on last few year old computers. So swap can be whatever you think you may need. If you see you are using up the ram then getting into swap then it would be best to add more ram than increasing swap size just for performance enhancement. 200 meg is not over doing by any means. I use 256meg but seldom get into it with a 1 gig of ram. Once in a great while depending on what I am doing. With 2 gig you have I doubt you will get to swap space by much. But again depends on what you do. Over all with a Gui like KDE or Gnome and single user running then you are about into 150meg of ram. Depends on services runing as well. Start run multiple users with multiple guis then it disappears quickly.

Brian1

michaelk · 09-20-2006, 08:08 PM

Do you know the make / model number of the hard drive?
81 total cylinders seems a little on the low side for a 120GB hard drive.

User Name. · 09-21-2006, 05:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelk

First do a ' /sbin/fdisk -l ' and post output.
Just want to see what fdisk is seeing.

I typed that, in root@slackware, but it just entered another line. I got another root prompt:

Code:

root@slackware~# /sbin/fdisk -l
root@slackware~#

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelk

Do you know the make / model number of the hard drive?
81 total cylinders seems a little on the low side for a 120GB hard drive.

120 GB 4200 RPM Hard Drive
That's all I got from hp's website.

gnashley · 09-21-2006, 12:49 PM

Is that a SATA drive?

User Name. · 09-21-2006, 02:45 PM

Yes, I am pretty sure it is a SATA harddrive.

Randux · 09-21-2006, 04:19 PM

Like the guys said, 81 cylinders is suspicious. Either you have a BIOS/drive incompatibility where it can't see the real size of the drive or you have partitions created already on that drive, or you have a kernel that can't read your drive (likely- if what you say is true about SATA). A 120G drive with standard (255 heads, 63 sectors/track) geometry has around 14,500 cyls.

I second the idea of not using more than 256M swap with a reasonable processor and 2G of RAM I will be surprised if you ever swap. But you probably also need the SATA kernel and to compile it again with highmem support or it won't see all your RAM.

Brian1 · 09-21-2006, 04:27 PM

I guess just do ' fdisk -l ' as root. Does seem odd it does not post info on drives and partitions it sees.

I figured it was IDE based on /dev/hda when you run fdisk. Sata would be /dev/sda.

Brian1

Randux · 09-21-2006, 04:39 PM

No, SCSI is /dev/sda. SATA are IDE variants.

User Name. · 09-21-2006, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randux

Like the guys said, 81 cylinders is suspicious. Either you have a BIOS/drive incompatibility where it can't see the real size of the drive or you have partitions created already on that drive, or you have a kernel that can't read your drive (likely- if what you say is true about SATA). A 120G drive with standard (255 heads, 63 sectors/track) geometry has around 14,500 cyls.

I second the idea of not using more than 256M swap with a reasonable processor and 2G of RAM I will be surprised if you ever swap. But you probably also need the SATA kernel and to compile it again with highmem support or it won't see all your RAM.

And I do have ubuntu still on this computer, how could I remove that?
So, I do need swap?

Quote:

Originally Posted by brain1

I guess just do ' fdisk -l ' as root. Does seem odd it does not post info on drives and partitions it sees.

I figured it was IDE based on /dev/hda when you run fdisk. Sata would be /dev/sda.

Brian1

Still nothing shows.

Brian1 · 09-21-2006, 05:53 PM

Still seems odd on the fdisk -l command. I can run the command as a user and get nothing like you. Then I su - in and did the command again and got the info showing partition info. Just very odd on your system.

Anyways the info I would like to see is the same when you do the ' p ' option in the fdisk command. It should list all partitions. What does it show.

Brian1

Brian1 · 09-21-2006, 06:01 PM

Quick thought: None of these partitions are already mounted are they? Can't modify anything that is already mounted.

Brian1

michaelk · 09-21-2006, 06:14 PM

USB, Firewire and SATA all use SCSI subsystem modules and are assigned a sda device ID. I believe the early 2.4 kernel SATA modules did assign hdx device IDs. HP's website does not mention the hard drive interface but reviews on the laptop wrote that is SATA. Are you using the sata.i boot disk? If that fails you might see if the BIOS has a PATA compatable setting.

User Name. · 09-21-2006, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian1

Still seems odd on the fdisk -l command. I can run the command as a user and get nothing like you. Then I su - in and did the command again and got the info showing partition info. Just very odd on your system.

Anyways the info I would like to see is the same when you do the ' p ' option in the fdisk command. It should list all partitions. What does it show.

Brian1

It didn't show anything when I tried it. Well it did show something, but no partions showed.

edit: Well, I hope they aren't mounted...

Brian1 · 09-21-2006, 06:45 PM

You have one strange fdisk command as far as I can tell. Even if no partitions exist it should show something like this with the ' p ' command from fdisk /dev/hda.

Code:

Disk /dev/hda: 100.0 GB, 100030242816 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 12161 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Hi michealk
I was pretty sure Sata is seen as sd devices. But I have read some are seen as hd devices but it all depends on the module it uses from what I did some quick searches on. One actually said there were two modules it could use for the controller. One would see it as hda the other as sda. Isn't Linux fun.

Brian1