[ltp] partitioning

/dev/rob0 linux-thinkpad@linux-thinkpad.org
Wed, 22 Dec 2004 23:45:39 -0600


On Wednesday 22 December 2004 21:10, Rei Shinozuka wrote:
> i want to recreate this system on a larger 80GB drive, using
> systemrescueCD and partimage, but i cannot seem to use qtparted
> make the same device name/numbers for the 8 slices.  if i make
> the third partition the extended partition, it skips hda4 altogether:

I agree with morpheus, in that you don't usually get good control when 
using Windows-based tools. This would not be a problem with fdisk or 
cfdisk. But you need to understand DOS partition tables (that's what 
Linux normally uses.)

There are four primary partitions. One of the four can be an extended 
partition, and that one can contain any number of "logical" partitions 
numbered 5 and above. Partitions 1-4 are the primaries.

> this will be a problem as fstab will point to the wrong slices, and

"$EDITOR /etc/fstab" can solve that easily enough.

> the hibernate which is expecting to use hda4 won't find it.

I'm new to thinkpadding, but I think I have read that the hibernation 
partition has to be the last one on the disk. Look at your start and 
end cylinders: it was on the end of the first disk, but not on the new 
one. You had this (in disk order):
    1 2 3: < 5 6 7 8 9 > 4 (where "3:" is the extended partition)
and now you have this:
    1 2 3: < 5 6 7 8 9 10 > (with no 4th primary.)
If I'm right, hibernation certainly will not work in that position.

I don't think that the partition NUMBER has any meaning to the 
hibernation feature. It probably just wants the physical last primary 
partition on the disk, and it checks the partition type (A0.)

> how can i get the device name/numbers in the above example?

In cfdisk I'd make the first two partitions at the beginning of the 
disk, then make the hibernation partition (also a primary) at the end. 
Then use all the remaining space for your extended partition.

I see that you're using the extra space and then some for Windows, and 
you probably want to know how to do this without having to reinstall 
that OS. I wouldn't know how, in particular, but in general it is as 
simple as getting the boot loader (ntldr or MS-DOS depending on type) 
installed, and then files can simply be copied over. If it's MS-DOS, 
it's very simple: from a DOS bootdisk, "sys c:". If it's ntldr, you 
might be able to copy the files and "repair" it from the install CD, 
but I have never tried this.

Rather odd to see someone who has started in Linux sliding back into 
further dependence on Windows. For me and most people I know it's quite 
the opposite. I've given up on Windows altogether since about 2002, and 
stopped regular use of Windows in 1999.

Good luck, HTH.
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