Acess/Mounting errors with some Windows partitions on Linux

MarsRed · 2023-09-20 09:55:39

Hello, I have used Arch for some Months now and finally stumbled upon one error, that I cannot solve myself.

I had an old Windows 10 Pc with some drives, that I partitioned there.
A few weeks ago I put them in my new Pc running on Arch and everything worked fine.
But now I have realized, I cannot access some of the most important partitions anymore and I also can't mount them anymore.
Could have been happened after a pacman -Syu, but I am not sure since when it has stopped working.

I am using Dolphin as File Manager and I when I click on some of the partitions displayed there (for example one I named Plasma), I get errors like (translated from german):

An error occurred during access, the message reads: The specified operation has failed: Error mounting /dev/sda5 at /run/media/MarsRed/Plasma: Unknown error when mounting /dev/sda5

This only happens on sda4 (Games2) sda5 (Plasma) and sdb1 (Games and Programs).
Output of lsblk:

NAME        MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE  MOUNTPOINTS
sda           8:0    0   1,8T  0 disk  
├─sda1        8:1    0 100,7G  0 part  
├─sda2        8:2    0     3G  0 part  /run/media/MarsRed/Sicherungen
├─sda3        8:3    0 289,9G  0 part  
├─sda4        8:4    0 195,3G  0 part  
├─sda5        8:5    0     1T  0 part  
├─sda6        8:6    0  97,7G  0 part  /run/media/MarsRed/Volume
└─sda7        8:7    0 146,5G  0 part  
sdb           8:16   0 931,5G  0 disk  
├─sdb1        8:17   0 195,3G  0 part  
├─sdb2        8:18   0  48,8G  0 part  
├─sdb3        8:19   0 146,5G  0 part  
├─sdb4        8:20   0 195,3G  0 part  
└─sdb5        8:21   0 345,6G  0 part  
sdc           8:32   0 111,8G  0 disk  
├─sdc1        8:33   0   548M  0 part  /run/media/MarsRed/System-reserviert
├─sdc2        8:34   0 110,7G  0 part  /run/media/MarsRed/86540E11540E0521
└─sdc3        8:35   0   537M  0 part

Output of fdisk -l:

Disk /dev/sda: 1.82 TiB, 2000398934016 bytes, 3907029168 sectors
Disk model: ST2000DM001-1ER1
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0xa5acfaef

Device     Boot Start        End    Sectors  Size Id Type
/dev/sda1          63 3907027119 3907027057  1.8T 42 SFS

Partition 1 does not start on physical sector boundary.


Disk /dev/sdb: 931.51 GiB, 1000204886016 bytes, 1953525168 sectors
Disk model: ST1000DM003-9YN1
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x0b867398

Device     Boot Start        End    Sectors   Size Id Type
/dev/sdb1          63 1953523119 1953523057 931.5G 42 SFS

Partition 1 does not start on physical sector boundary.


Disk /dev/sdc: 111.79 GiB, 120034123776 bytes, 234441648 sectors
Disk model: Samsung SSD 840 
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x8ac4e3d7

Device     Boot     Start       End   Sectors   Size Id Type
/dev/sdc1  *         2048   1124351   1122304   548M  7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdc2         1126400 233333363 232206964 110.7G  7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdc3       233334784 234434559   1099776   537M 27 Hidden NTFS WinRE

If I try to mount them manually (mount /dev/sda5 /run/media/MarsRed/PlasmaMount1), I get the following output:

Failed to read last sector (2467026942): Invalid Argument
HINTS: Either the volume is a RAID/LDM but it wasn't setup yet,
   or it was not setup correctly (e.g. by not using mdadm --build ...),
   or a wrong device is tried to be mounted,
   or the partition table is corrupt (partition is smaller than NTFS),
   or the NTFS boot sector is corrupt (NTFS size is not valid).
Failed to mount '/dev/sda5': Invalid Argument
The device '/dev/sda5' doesn't seem to have a valid NTFS.
Maybe the wrong device is used? Or the whole disk instead of a
partition (e.g. /dev/sda, not /dev/sda1)? Or the other way around?

So I guessed could be something being wrong with the partitions and followed this solution:
https://unix.stackexchange.com/question … ast-sector

Created a backup of the mounttable and run ntfsfix, but it failed and didn't do anything.

Mounting volume... Failed to read last sector (2467026942): Invalid argument
HINTS: Either the volume is a RAID/LDM but it wasn't setup yet,
   or it was not setup correctly (e.g. by not using mdadm --build ...),
   or a wrong device is tried to be mounted,
   or the partition table is corrupt (partition is smaller than NTFS),
   or the NTFS boot sector is corrupt (NTFS size is not valid).
FAILED
Attempting to correct errors... Failed to read last sector (2467026942): Invalid argument
HINTS: Either the volume is a RAID/LDM but it wasn't setup yet,
   or it was not setup correctly (e.g. by not using mdadm --build ...),
   or a wrong device is tried to be mounted,
   or the partition table is corrupt (partition is smaller than NTFS),
   or the NTFS boot sector is corrupt (NTFS size is not valid).
FAILED
Failed to startup volume: Invalid argument
Failed to read last sector (2467026942): Invalid argument
HINTS: Either the volume is a RAID/LDM but it wasn't setup yet,
   or it was not setup correctly (e.g. by not using mdadm --build ...),
   or a wrong device is tried to be mounted,
   or the partition table is corrupt (partition is smaller than NTFS),
   or the NTFS boot sector is corrupt (NTFS size is not valid).
Trying the alternate boot sector
The alternate bootsector is usable
The startup data can be fixed, but no change was requested
Volume is corrupt. You should run chkdsk.
No change made

As far as I can see the only solution might be putting the drives into a Windows-PC again and running chkdsk or using chkdsk with Wine.
Currently I don't dare to try anything else, since it might just create more damage.
Did some backups of some of the most important files, when the partitions where still accessible, but I would prefer the other data not to be lost aswell.

Hope someone can help or guide the right direction.
Thank you.

Edit: Got some weird output while trying out fdisk -l /dev/sda1 to fdisk -l /dev/sda7
Seems like the partitions are partitoned themselfes or am I missenterpreting things?

Disk /dev/sda1: 100.7 GiB, 108130205696 bytes, 211191808 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes

------------------------------------------------------------

Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x66205247

Device      Boot      Start        End    Sectors   Size Id Type
/dev/sda2p1      1380404564 3216423027 1836018464 875.5G  a OS/2 Boot Manager
/dev/sda2p2      1309281536 3263005284 1953723749 931.6G 69 unknown
/dev/sda2p3      1735554131 3688805757 1953251627 931.4G 6d unknown
/dev/sda2p4      2978742282 2978797514      55233    27M 66 unknown

Partition 1 does not start on physical sector boundary.
Partition 3 does not start on physical sector boundary.
Partition 4 does not start on physical sector boundary.
Partition table entries are not in disk order.

-------------------------------------------------

Disk /dev/sda3: 289.92 GiB, 311298097152 bytes, 608004096 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes

------------------------------------------------

Disk /dev/sda4: 195.31 GiB, 209714151424 bytes, 409597952 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes

-----------------------------------------------

Disk /dev/sda5: 1.01 TiB, 1105832443904 bytes, 2159828992 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x66205247

Device      Boot      Start        End    Sectors   Size Id Type
/dev/sda5p1      1380404564 3216423027 1836018464 875.5G  a OS/2 Boot Manager
/dev/sda5p2      1309281536 3263005284 1953723749 931.6G 69 unknown
/dev/sda5p3      1735554131 3688805757 1953251627 931.4G 6d unknown
/dev/sda5p4      2978742282 2978797514      55233    27M 66 unknown

Partition 1 does not start on physical sector boundary.
Partition 3 does not start on physical sector boundary.
Partition 4 does not start on physical sector boundary.
Partition table entries are not in disk order.

-----------------------------------------------

Disk /dev/sda6: 97.66 GiB, 104857600000 bytes, 204800000 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x4e0a0d00

Device      Boot      Start        End    Sectors   Size Id Type
/dev/sda6p1      1920221984 3736432267 1816210284   866G 74 unknown
/dev/sda6p2      1936028192 3889681299 1953653108 931.6G 6c unknown
/dev/sda6p3               0          0          0     0B  0 Empty
/dev/sda6p4        27459978   27460418        441 220.5K  0 Empty

Partition 4 does not start on physical sector boundary.
Partition table entries are not in disk order.

-----------------------------------------------------

Disk /dev/sda7: 146.48 GiB, 157285351424 bytes, 307197952 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes

Last edited by MarsRed (2023-09-20 15:34:39)

seth · 2023-09-20 11:17:06

Apparently sda has only one partition sda1 starting at the old sector 63?
Can you "fdisk -l /dev/sda1"?
No idea how that would align w/ the lsblk output (unless that's some cached data and you trashed the partitioning afterwards)

Output is german

LC_ALL=C fdisk -l …

MarsRed · 2023-09-20 15:27:10

Thanks, edited the post with the english output.

Here again the fdisk output for just sda1 although it is already part of the output in the post above.

Disk /dev/sda1: 100.7 GiB, 108130205696 bytes, 211191808 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes

seth · 2023-09-20 15:40:13

The idea was that you maybe have sub-partitioned the partition. If you revisit your previous fdisk output, there's only one partition that spans the entire disk, but that's not reflected by the specific output, nor lsblk.
Can you "sudo fdisk -l /dev/sda2" or "sudo fdisk -lc=dos /dev/sda"?

seth · 2023-09-26 06:00:24

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php … 7#p2122577

MarsRed · 2024-09-14 16:29:46

Hey I just wanted to come back and say thanks for you help, although I wasn't able to solve my issue in the end, at least not permanent.
Sorry for the late reply, but I had issues logging in to the forums for a while and after that haven't bothered for a while.
Now, after I have logged in again and actually asked for help with another issue, I thought I should at least update this here to.
So again thanks.

In the end I was somehow able to mount the most important drive one time, after some updates of the system and was able to copy the most important data.
But this was just more of pure luck and trial and error and I don't know how exactly I have managed to do so.
Also I was never able to gain access to the drives ever again.
If I ever get my hands on a windows PC again, I will try chkdsk or sth.

So for everyone having the same Issue: good luck.
~~I will now close that threat as solved, since at least I don't need help anymore and I guess this does not have to fly around in the web still open.~~
Edit: Actually I don't know if I should mark this thread as solved, since technically people probably wont find this much helpful with similar problems and might want to find other posts (like the linked ones) directly instead of clicking this.

Last edited by MarsRed (2024-09-14 16:32:30)

Arch Linux

#1 2023-09-20 09:55:39

Acess/Mounting errors with some Windows partitions on Linux

#2 2023-09-20 11:17:06

Re: Acess/Mounting errors with some Windows partitions on Linux

#3 2023-09-20 15:27:10

Re: Acess/Mounting errors with some Windows partitions on Linux

#4 2023-09-20 15:40:13

Re: Acess/Mounting errors with some Windows partitions on Linux

#5 2023-09-26 06:00:24

Re: Acess/Mounting errors with some Windows partitions on Linux

#6 2024-09-14 16:29:46

Re: Acess/Mounting errors with some Windows partitions on Linux

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