Partition disk with fdisk and windows can't be installed.

McZ · 2008-01-31 18:42:01

so I have been running ArchLinux for a few days, have successfully trashed my partition table once and lost everything on my systemdisk sh*t happens thats why I have one drive as system disk

Anyway, since all my partitions died I thought I could repartiotion the disk (I had been thinking of doing it anyway). So I booted the ArchLinux install disc once again and then partition my disk something like this:

/dev/sda1 - ntfs (for my windows xp)
/dev/sda2 - /
/dev/sda3 - /home
/dev/sda4 - swap

All partitions are primary since I only need 4. So off I go install Arch, config everything and so on. Then today I decided to install windows, so I reboot and insert my windows disc and press any key too boot from the CD and then Nothing. My computer just stands there black screen my CD spindowns and stops my HD is chewing away like crazy.
I have no idea what to do, thought my disk has been broken or something so I open my computer case and disconnect all disks attach my secondary disk as my only one just to see if the install starts and so it does (but I don't install because it is wrong disk ). Then I thought it might be the sata-cable who is bad (happend before) so I tried another one and my systemdisk again, but no luck. After that I boot archlinux installdisc and clear my entire partition table, recreate one 20gb ntfs partition make sure it has boot-flag and reboot. Still no luck, so back into linux and remove everything on that disk and reboots. And now the installation finally starts but instead of creating a partition during xp-install I reboot linux once again to create it in fdisk, and once again the installation doesn't start. So now I have cleare the entire disk from partitions again and created my XP partition during the XP install.

WHY can't I create my partitions by using fdisk in linux? and yes I did create ntfs filesystem on my partition (mkntfs or what the name was, exists on archlinux ftp install disc)

xploded101 · 2008-02-01 18:51:46

It's always best to install windows 1st as it will overwrite the mbr and you won't be able to boot into arch, the windows setup should allow you to create a partition for windows then leave the rest empty and use fdisk to create the partitions for arch, install arch and setup grub to recognize the windows partition.

schivmeister · 2008-02-01 19:47:39

Windows WILL overwrite MBR. At least XP, so you're out of luck. Image the Arch install and back it up, then start from ground zero with the Windows install being #1.

Last edited by schivmeister (2008-02-01 19:48:12)

gazj · 2008-02-01 19:58:25

Wait!!!

Don't re-install!!

You can re-install grub over the windows mbr. Start from any live cd (the arch installer cd should be able to do this) then issue as root

mount /dev/sda2 /mnt
grub-install ('hd0') --root-directory=/mnt
umount /dev/sda2

Then reboot

This should restore the grub bootloader to your mbr

Last edited by gazj (2008-02-01 20:00:35)

McZ · 2008-02-01 20:03:57

Yes I do know Windows will overwrite the MBR but that isn't the problem and overwriting the MBR doesn't destroy my partitions just uninstalls lilo (yes I use lilo, to lazy to learn using grub when lilo do the job god enough for me)

My problem is that I can't start the windows install. Here is what I did after ArchLinux was installed

1) Start my computer
2) insert windows install CD when computer is doing the BIOS startup stuff
3) Now I get a message to press any key to boot from the CD, this is from the Windows install CD and I do press the key.
4) Normally I would get into the Windows Install program here But now I Don't, NOTHING happens.

Then I started my search on what was wrong. I have installed Linux many times before windows and I have reinstalled windows lots of times without the need of reinstalling linux or repartition my drive.

In short, after lots of testing my computer does not start the windows install if my first disk has been partitioned with fdisk in linux (havn't tried other partition tools in linux).

EDIT: The windows install starts if I boot into linux and use fdisk to clear the entire drive from all partitions, yes no partitions at all not even one for windows.

Last edited by McZ (2008-02-01 20:07:42)

gazj · 2008-02-01 20:10:21

How about starting up fdisk, removing your ntfs partition and leaving some blank space at the start of your disk, and then let windows create the ntfs partition with the available space, never done things this way round, but it's an idea. I only say this as over time there have been several versions of ntfs, so maybe xp can't see the version created by fdisk. Just a thought?

McZ · 2008-02-02 00:51:48

gazj wrote:

How about starting up fdisk, removing your ntfs partition and leaving some blank space at the start of your disk, and then let windows create the ntfs partition with the available space, never done things this way round, but it's an idea. I only say this as over time there have been several versions of ntfs, so maybe xp can't see the version created by fdisk. Just a thought?

I have tried that but it didn't help. I had to delete All partitions and create the windows partition using partition tool in windows install, then I created the rest in windows and made them ext3 in linux and reinstalled it. Still annoying though that I had to redo my "perfect" partitioning

zlowly · 2008-02-02 01:39:00

Same thing happened here too. Finally I had to delete all ext3 partitions to make Windows Install CD running.

Arch Linux

#1 2008-01-31 18:42:01

Partition disk with fdisk and windows can't be installed.

#2 2008-02-01 18:51:46

Re: Partition disk with fdisk and windows can't be installed.

#3 2008-02-01 19:47:39

Re: Partition disk with fdisk and windows can't be installed.

#4 2008-02-01 19:58:25

Re: Partition disk with fdisk and windows can't be installed.

#5 2008-02-01 20:03:57

Re: Partition disk with fdisk and windows can't be installed.

#6 2008-02-01 20:10:21

Re: Partition disk with fdisk and windows can't be installed.

#7 2008-02-02 00:51:48

Re: Partition disk with fdisk and windows can't be installed.

#8 2008-02-02 01:39:00

Re: Partition disk with fdisk and windows can't be installed.

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