I use the command line tools directly, so I can't help you with
GParted-specific usage.
>Isn't there an open-source master boot record available for the GNU/linux
operating systems ?
This and your other messages reflect a misunderstanding of what “master
boot record” is.
Your approach is itself a typical case of the problem sometimes called “XY
problem” (which is a very bad name, but I don't know of a better one): you
have a real problem: that you can't install Trisquel; but you think that the
cause is another (supposed) problem: that you haven't created a master boot
record (which you do not know what is).
Like I told you already, the MBR is just a part of the boot code and the
table of primary partitions; also, it is modified (and if it did not exist,
created) as as consequence of creating partitions. You don't need to find a
“an open-source master boot record available for the GNU/linux operating
systems”. Since the table of partitions is specific to your setup (it is
possible but extremely unlikely that it will be the same as other system), it
makes no sense to try to find an existing MBR, or to put special attention to
it. What you should pay attention to, is to partition the disk properly, and
the MBR will be correct as a consequence.
Apparently you have selected “Try Trisquel without installing” from the
installation CD, and then clicked the icon “Install Trisquel 7.0”; is
that right?. In the “Installation type” dialog, what have you selected?.
What have you done, apart from this?. You mentioned that you did: “1. Start
GParted; authenticate (i.e., run with root permissions);”, but that is
inconsistent with what you said later: “2. Choose "Something Else" so that
I can do the next two steps;”; that is an option of the Trisquel graphical
installer, not of GParted. Don't confuse those 2 programs. Why do you want to
partition manually?. As a general rule, if you don't know why you want to
change the default options, don't change them.
I have not used the graphical installer (I use the text-based installer), but
common sense tells me that unless there is a good reason for not doing so,
using the option “Erase disk and install Trisquel” is the more sensible
approach for you.
>Here's another attempt, trying to follow marioxcc's suggestion:
No, I never suggested or would suggest that and you misunderstood what that
procedure does. It has nothing to do with your problem.
It seems to me like ALL of the problems you are having are caused because you
are doing things that you don't understand at all for no good reasons. If you
continue with your current approach you will break your system often and
eventually lose important information. It's fine to practice and see what
unknown things do with informatics if you do so in an isolated environment
(for instance, in a virtual machine), but not with a system you intend to use
for something else than practicing.
Do not speculate about things that you do not know about (as you clearly have
been doing). You will almost surely be wrong, and you will just lose your
time. You may and should research what you need and do not know yet, and only
then, once you are well informed, use that information when troubleshooting.
I really hope this message helps and you will take into account what I wrote.
I have spent some time using the graphical installer in a virtual machine to
try to figure what you are doing and more so trying to describe the situation
properly.
Regards.
