Linux can't read my partition table?

[Deeko]

So I have Vista on my box. Awhile back I attempted to install Ubuntu via their "install within Windows" option. It added Ubuntu to my bootloader, but when it loaded, it would tell me I had no root partition or something along those lines and it couldn't complete setup because of it.

So yesterday I uninstalled Ubuntu via Windows, resized my Windows partition successfully, and attempted to install Fedora the old-fashioned way. The installer tells me the partition table is not initialized, and it needs to start fresh, erasing everything. Naturally I don't want to do this.

What's odd is that this is from the LiveCD, and it reads and mounts my Windows partitions just fine - but the installer can't see them, fdisk -l says "unable to open /dev/sda". Any ideas why this would be happening?

 

[Nothinman]

What kind of hardware do you have?

 

[Deeko]

Dell XPS M1530 laptop (a google search on my issue shows a lot of laptops - especially a lot of dell laptops - but few solutions)
160GB SATA HD
Intel Core2 Duo 2.2ghz

 

[Nothinman]

Odd, I don't see anyone complaining about the storage controller not being supported or anything. What version of Ubuntu are you using?

 

[Deeko]

8.10, tried both 32bit and 64bit

 

[Nothinman]

Something else has to be up, I can't believe it wouldn't support the SATA controller in there.

 

[Deeko]

What's especially strange is that it can indeed read the disks. From the Fedora/Ubuntu Live CDs, I can see the partitions, and read and write to them, with no issue at all - but when fdisk or the partitioner in the installer tries, it fails.

 

[Nothinman]

After you boot the the livecd 'dmesg | grep hd' and 'dmesg | grep sd' which one has the hard disk listed?

 

[Deeko]

[liveuser@localhost ~]$ dmesg | grep hd
ALSA sound/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:3021: autoconfig: line_outs=1 (0xd/0x0/0x0/0x0/0x0)
ALSA sound/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:3025: speaker_outs=0 (0x0/0x0/0x0/0x0/0x0)
ALSA sound/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:3029: hp_outs=2 (0xa/0xf/0x0/0x0/0x0)
ALSA sound/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:3030: mono: mono_out=0x0
ALSA sound/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:3038: inputs: mic=0xc, fmic=0xe, line=0x0, fline=0x0, cd=0x0, aux=0x0
ALSA sound/pci/hda/patch_sigmatel.c:2377: dac_nids=3 (0x2/0x5/0x3/0x0/0x0)
ALSA sound/pci/hda/hda_intel.c:609: hda_intel: azx_get_response timeout, switching to polling mode: last cmd=0x222f000c
[liveuser@localhost ~]$ dmesg | grep sd
Driver 'sd' needs updating - please use bus_type methods
sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] 312581808 512-byte hardware sectors (160042 MB)
sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Write Protect is off
sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Mode Sense: 00 3a 00 00
sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] 312581808 512-byte hardware sectors (160042 MB)
sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Write Protect is off
sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Mode Sense: 00 3a 00 00
sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
sda: sda1 sda2 sda3 sda4 < sda5 >
sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Attached SCSI disk
sd 0:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg0 type 0
sdhci: Secure Digital Host Controller Interface driver
sdhci: Copyright(c) Pierre Ossman
sdhci-pci 0000:03:09.1: SDHCI controller found [1180:0822] (rev 22)
sdhci-pci 0000:03:09.1: PCI INT B -> GSI 18 (level, low) -> IRQ 18
sd 5:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk
sd 5:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0
SELinux: initialized (dev sda3, type fuseblk), uses genfs_contexts

 

[Nothinman]

sda: sda1 sda2 sda3 sda4 < sda5 >

Well there's your partition table right there so it's seeing the disk.

 

[Deeko]

and it mounts the disk too! Which makes it all the more strange that the partitioner in the installer can't read it.

 

[Deeko]

I noticed something kinda strange.

My HD is in 3 partitions (created by Dell) - OS, MediaDirect, and Recovery. Fedora sees and mounts OS, and then MediaDirect twice. I'm thinking it doesn't like something about those two (MediaDirect and Recovery). Considering they are both pretty much worthless, I'm going to launch the Windows install disk, which can see all of them just fine, delete those two, and then try re-launching the Linux installer.

 

[Nothinman]

Yea, Linux is showing 5 partitions so if you're saying there's really only 3 then something is definitely up.

 

[quikah]

what does 'fdisk -l /dev/sda' show?

 

[Crusty]

In my experience playing with MediaDirect is like playing with an old grenade, you never know when it's going to explode and screw your partitions/boot loader up. Which version of MediaDirect do you have? I believe with Version 3 they fixed some of those problems and it plays better with multi-boot scenarios. I've got my Inspiron 1525 triple booting XP, Vista, and Ubuntu with MediaDirect 3 still installed. I don't dare try and use it though, the last time I did that it wiped out my Ubuntu partition :Q, although that was before I setup the triple boot.

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
Yea, Linux is showing 5 partitions so if you're saying there's really only 3 then something is definitely up.

The windows partitioner shows 3 partitions, and 2 separate blocks of unallocated space. I don't know why there are two, or why Linux would think those blocks are partitions, but it does add up to 5.....

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: quikah
what does 'fdisk -l /dev/sda' show?

unable to open /dev/sda

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: Crusty
In my experience playing with MediaDirect is like playing with an old grenade, you never know when it's going to explode and screw your partitions/boot loader up. Which version of MediaDirect do you have? I believe with Version 3 they fixed some of those problems and it plays better with multi-boot scenarios. I've got my Inspiron 1525 triple booting XP, Vista, and Ubuntu with MediaDirect 3 still installed. I don't dare try and use it though, the last time I did that it wiped out my Ubuntu partition :Q, although that was before I setup the triple boot.

I'm not sure what version it is - likely whatever version was there this time last year when I bought the laptop. I have never legitimately used MediaDirect - and the last time I accidentally hit the button I'm pretty sure it crashed and I had to fight with it to get it to boot properly after that.

 

[VinDSL]

Hrm...

Not sure where all of this is leading - I just awoke and haven't had my first cup of 'black magic' yet...

Sooo... I'll tell you what I do - and we'll see if we're on the same page.

When I do a multiboot install, I prepare the disk(s) with GParted...

What I do is boot from a Live recovery CD - take your pick. SystemRescueCD is a good source for GParted, if you know what you're doing. However, I've been using the GParted utility on the Linux Puppy 4.2 Live CD lately - it boots faster, is more pleasant to look at, and works the same.

Anyway, before I try to install an OS to a multiboot disk, I use GParted to remove the 'boot' flag from whichever partition is active - then, and more importantly, I use GParted to flag ALL the other partitions as 'hidden'. The ONLY partition I don't 'hide' is the one where I want to do the new install.

THEN I do the install...

After the installation is done... I go back and unhide them, and designate a 'boot' partition.

Actually, I continue to 'hide' the partitions from each other, in day-to-day operation, using GRUB - but that's a different discussion.

Hopefully, I'm on topic with this, and the above makes sense to you!

Okay, I'm gonna go brew a pot... BBL

 

[Deeko]

Ok, turns out those rogue Dell partitions were indeed the problem. Deleting MediaDirect and Recovery fixed the problem, everything is working happily now.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: Deeko
Deleting MediaDirect and Recovery fixed the problem, everything is working happily now.

Sorry for parsing your declaration, but what do you mean by "everything"?

Fedora, Windows, Ubuntu - all "working happily now"?

You don't have ANY issues?!?!?

I'm sorry, but I installed Fedora 10, two nights ago, and wiped it off my drive within 30 minutes - so who cares if it works?

Windows? Ack, patooey! I spit on Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld...

So that leaves Ubuntu... which will be outdated in (like what) 24 hours???

Even if you're simply dismissing 'us' with a belch - you have three outdated OSs "working happily now".

I don't get it... please explain!

 

[Nothinman]

I don't get it... please explain!

Are you drunk?

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

I don't get it... please explain!

Are you drunk?

LoL!

Nah, it's just hard to fathom that "deleting MediaDirect and Recovery fixed the problem" and "everything is working happily now".

Can you explain it?

 

[Deeko]

Dell did something screwy with the partitions that caused Linux to not read them properly.

I removed those partitions.

Linux is happy!

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: Deeko
Linux is happy!

Okay, well, as long as Linux is happy - that's all that counts, I guess...

The thing is, in your original post, you asked WHY this is happening - fdisk not being able to open /dev/sda.

You deleted MediaDirect and Recovery. Does fdisk work now?