messed partitions on Arch Install but dunno why

kozaki · 2005-09-14 12:26:20

Hi Archies

I'm installing Arch on my main PC (that allready has Mandriva Cooker & a Win98 on it), after having tested it succesfully on my laptop & a small server.

Desktop PC's HDD has some room for another system, something like this :
hda1 1gig vfat (win98)
hda5-6 15gig vfat
hda7-9 10gig ext3 (Mandriva /boot, / & /usr)
hda10-12 ext3 (mandriva /home & /var/www)
Empty 9 gig <------- Where to install Arch ///////////
hda13 512mo swap (mandriva /swap)
hda14 JFS (stockage partition)

I booted on Arch CD and went in partitioning the empty place on HDD : 2 partitions, / & /home. Created them then "Write" then "Go to menu".

On next step, I see that hda13 & 14 have gone !??
I go back to FDISK and all I can see is "Not allocated space 50gig" !?
Woooh! What's that ?

Now I've been running some partition recovery tools like Ranish Partition & TestDisk. They still show all of initial partitions
But I now cannot boot Mandriva (it will boot, then end after checking file system) :!:

Now 2 questions :
- How should I proceed to recover partition table altered with Arch's FDISK ?
- How such a problem may have hapened ?

[EDIT] TestDisk, after deeper analyze, shows no Extended Partition (but every Logical one) , and also that the "swap" partition is "D" (for "Deleted").
I dunno what to do

kozaki · 2005-09-14 14:18:36

Allright, there *is* an Extended Partition (I'm learning slowly how to use TestDisk), and my files are still on HDD (as for the JFS stockage partition I can't see). Plus I used TestDisk to rebuild the MBR ---> for the bootable partition *only*
Which means Win98 starts flawlessly. How great :arf arf:
But Mandriva "has gone", the CD "rescue" mode fails to start, and I'm stucked : no Linux, not willing to give Arch another try before I understand how I messed the partitions when installing it.

kozaki · 2005-09-14 14:58:15

[presently on my main PC with Knoppix kaella
Every partition visible in QTparted, files in the JFS partition 100% accessibles
I'm restoring boot sector from a recent backup with "dd if..."

Taking the occasion to create Arch partitions in available HDD unalocated free space.
While doing this, QTparted writes this :

No Implementation: This ext2 filesystem has a rather strange layout!  Parted can't resize this (yet).

Argh! after having unmouted all partitions in /mnt and created 2 new partitions with QTparted, now, all I can see in this partition is "Lost and Found" :!:

Less & less understanding what's happening in here

Arch Linux

#1 2005-09-14 12:26:20

messed partitions on Arch Install but dunno why

#2 2005-09-14 14:18:36

Re: messed partitions on Arch Install but dunno why

#3 2005-09-14 14:58:15

Re: messed partitions on Arch Install but dunno why

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