[Wylug-help] Boot Question

[James Holden]

> On Thu, 6 Feb 2003, James Holden wrote:
>
>> > I am having a problem rebooting - using SuSE 8.1
>> > Due, I suspect, to various updates over the years, I seem to have
>> ended up with the following unusual partition table :-
>> >
>> >                     start    stop    description
>> > /dev/hda1       1        1048      win95 extended (LBA)
>> > /dev/hda5       1          3         linux  ext3   /boot
>> > /dev/hda6       4          1011    linux  ext3   /
>> > /dev/hda7      1012      1048    linux swap
>> >
>> > this is all on an 8GB disc, as reported by siga.
>>
>> That doesn't look very good. hda1 is overlapping with all the other
>> partitions. The rest look okay, they're numbered as though they're
>> logical partitions but there isn't an extended partition.
>
> It's an extended partition hence the label "win95 extended (LBA)".  I
> wouldn't worry about the label being wrong too much.  Labels are for
> wusses anyway <heehee> since linux doesn't generally get in too much of
> a tizz when they're wrong.

Duh. Yeah, you're right. Can't see for looking.

>> It looks like the partition type for hda1 is wrong, should be extended
>> (0x05) not win95LBA (0x0b). That would leave no primary partition
>> though but I don't think LILO/Linux is bothered about that.
>
> Nope, it doesn't care.
>
>> > /dev/hdc is still formatted for windows as originally supplied,
>> although all the windows crap has been deleted and it is just a
>> second 8GB disc full of my data and backup stuff (ok MP3's).
>>
>> Maybe the partition table from /dev/hdc has got written to /dev/hda?
>
> Then how would you be able to boot from CD as he described?  I think the
> partition table is fine, it's the MBR that's shagged (perhaps).

I wasn't sure quite how it was booting. I've never used the Suse installer
before. The installer might look for a kernel on the linux partition, or
maybe boot a kernel from the CD with root=/dev/hda6.

>> I suspect it's the BIOS translation that's wrong. Should be an easy
>> fix.
>
> You could be right with that one.
>
> jh
>
> --
> "I want to tell you a terrific story about oral contraception.  I asked
> this
>  girl to sleep with me and she said 'no'."
>                                                      -- Woody Allen

James

--
James Holden, Leeds, United Kingdom
james-at-jamesholden-dot-co-dot-uk
http://www.microcosmos.co.uk