On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 21:09, you wrote: > Some information from fdisk -l > > > Disk /dev/hda: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 7476 cylinders > Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 bytes > > Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System > /dev/hda1 * 1 1275 10241406 7 HPFS/NTFS > /dev/hda2 1276 2812 12337951+ f Win95 Ext'd (LBA) > Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary: > phys=(1023, 0, 63) should be (1023, 254, 63) > /dev/hda3 2812 7476 37471581 b Win95 FAT32 > /dev/hda5 1276 2681 11293663+ 83 Linux > /dev/hda6 2682 2811 1044193+ 82 Linux swap > > Now is there a way to fix this?... Truth be told I'm not sure what the > Win95 Ext'd (LBA) part is... AFAIK I have three partitions, Windows XP (I'm > assuming the HPFS/NTFS), RedHat 9.0 (I'm assuming Linux and Linux swap) and > a Common partition (again assuming the Win95 FAT32) There seems to be some off by one errors here. See how /dev/hda2 finishes on the same cylinder at which /dev/hda3 starts. i.e. an overlap of 1. Also note how there seems to be a confusion This is imho what is probably causing your problems. Similarly there seems to be a considerable overlap between hda2 and hda5. Were these partitions created using different partitions tools?
Also it is unusual in the Linux world for the primary partition which contains the extended, or logical, partitions to be hda3. It's usually hda4. What to do? 1) Boot the system using a rescue disc or diskette. ( lnx-bbc, Knoppix, or Tom's Root and Boot ). 2) I'd backup all data which you value in any partition. 3) Make a copy of the partition table as it stands to a file on a removeable medium, as well as a print on paper. 4) Using the Linux fdisk I'd remove partitions hda2, hda3, hd5, hda6. 5) Write this partition table to disk. 6) Recreate partitions for the existing data with Linux's fdisk correcting the above problems. This, with a good deal of luck, will fix the problems. 6a) Alter /etc/lilo.conf or /boot/grub/menu.st as the case may be. 6b) Edit the file /etc/fstab partition to filesystem mount table 7) If you can now re-boot and have a sensible machine. Rejoice. If not carry on with sep 8. 8) Re-install Linux. Whether or not you have to do this depends on how much effort you will have to expend re-installing as opposed to attempting to re-create a sensible partition table for the linux partitions, with all the attendant risks, and then editing the /etc/fstab file which controls th mounting of the file systems on their respective new partitions. I am happy to be corrected, but that's what I'd do. i.e. remove linux's partitions and re-install if that's in any way practical. It's a proposition fraught with risk. Take great care. -- Sincerely etc. Christopher Sawtell NB. This PC runs Linux. If you find a virus apparently from me, it has forged the e-mail headers on someone else's machine. Please do not notify me when this occurs. Thanks.
