Query installing PCLinuxOS using custom partition

[durkhrod chogori]

I got Ubuntu in one partition and Windows in the other. I am trying to install PCLinuxOS on the Windows partition, hence Win will go.

Now I decided to got for a custom partition and PCLOS is asking me for:

Where do you want to mount device hda1?

I have several options in here:

1. /
2. /boot
3. /home
4. /mnt/windows
5. /opt
6. /tmp
7. /usr
8. /usr/local
9. /var
10. /var/ftp
11. /var/http

Logically it would be /mnt/windows, but I am not 100% sure.

If I select the option number one ("/") then it is asking me for an extension to it: ext2/ext3, reiserfs, xfs, or jfs.

Need advice in here, plz.

Thx in advance.

[abhishek456]

are you replacing windows with linux if such is the case

Select hda1 partion to mount "/" select any of ext2/ext3

ext2 is faster than ext3 but ext3 is more data reliable than ext2

[durkhrod chogori]

Hi,

I got there 3 coloured tabs in the following order from left to right:

1. Blue (hda1): /ext3 32GB (the one I just mounted)
2. Red (hda3): type Journalised FS: ext3
3. Blue (hda5): 35 GB. Here I have Ubuntu running.

PCLinuxOS is asking me to mount the root partition? How do I do it?

And before posting again for more help, will it ask me to mount the swap file? If so I need the instructions, plz.


Thx.

[abhishek456]

Hi,

I got there 3 coloured tabs in the following order from left to right:

1. Blue (hda1): /ext3 32GB (the one I just mounted)
2. Red (hda3): type Journalised FS: ext3
3. Blue (hda5): 35 GB. Here I have Ubuntu running.

PCLinuxOS is asking me to mount the root partition? How do I do it?

And before posting again for more help, will it ask me to mount the swap file? If so I need the instructions, plz.


Thx.

when it asks where to mount /(root) use hda1 or hda3 and set filesystem type to ext2 or ext3
but hda1 is 32gb.You don't need that huge partion for "/".So resize the partion to 4-6gb

regarding swap you need double the amount of RAM you current have on your machine.

if you have 256 mb ram you need 512 mb swap. Set Filesystem type and select "Linux swap".

for detailed discription of PCLINUXOS hardware partioning check Here

[devils casper]

Hi,

I got there 3 coloured tabs in the following order from left to right:

1. Blue (hda1): /ext3 32GB (the one I just mounted)
2. Red (hda3): type Journalised FS: ext3
3. Blue (hda5): 35 GB. Here I have Ubuntu running.

PCLinuxOS is asking me to mount the root partition? How do I do it?

And before posting again for more help, will it ask me to mount the swap file? If so I need the instructions, plz.

I would suggest you to boot up Ubuntu, execute 'sudo fdisk -l' in Terminal and post output here. Post the contents of /etc/fstab file too.

There are a good chances that you might format Ubuntu's swap or boot partition during PCLinuxOS's Installation process. Let us look into existing partition structure of your Hard Disk.

[durkhrod chogori]

I would suggest you to boot up Ubuntu, execute 'sudo fdisk -l' in Terminal and post output here. Post the contents of /etc/fstab file too.

There are a good chances that you might format Ubuntu's swap or boot partition during PCLinuxOS's Installation process. Let us look into existing partition structure of your Hard Disk.

I wish I read this advice before. Now I am stuck in a hole.

Well, I tried the PCLinuxOS partitioning without taking a good read of the available wiki:

Partitioning/0.93 - PCLinuxOS Documentation Wiki

And OBVIOUSLY I stuffed up the whole thing. I no longer can reboot either Ubuntu or Windows. The boot up screen comes up with the famous: GRUB loading please wait. No errors after that though. It just hangs.

I can't even do a custom partition because when I try to resize the following message comes up:

ntfsresize failed
ntfsresize v1.13.1 (libntfs 9:0:0)
Error: Device '/dev/hda1" is mounted read-write. You must unmount it first.

I have been googling around a bit and yes I have accidentally deleted Ubuntu's swap file for not being able to do a proper custom install (mainly because of not reading the instructions and because I didn't follow this installation sequence: first create a swap space, then a /home, then the /. Proceeding with these steps resolves nearly all install failures.


So, I tried instead following the method of "useingexisting partitions" and the wizard leads me to:

hda3 (22GB, ext3) =
hda5 (372MB, ext2) =
hda6 (450MB, ext2) =
hda10 (1.6GB, ext2) =


Why four? Shouldn't they be 3: "/home, /swap and / "?


I am wasted.

I also posted at PCLinuxOS forums but nothing, no one has replied yet.

Need help, plz. I am frightened with the idea of losing all my Ubuntu files....


Thx in advance.

[devils casper]

First of all, re-install Ubuntu's GRUB. Download SuperGRUB .iso image, burn it to CD and boot from it. Select re-install GRUB option from its Menu.
You can use Ubuntu LiveCD to execute sudo fdisk -l command. We have to check partition structure first.

hda3 (22GB, ext3) =
hda5 (372MB, ext2) =
hda6 (450MB, ext2) =
hda10 (1.6GB, ext2) =

Why four? Shouldn't they be 3: "/home, /swap and / "?

There isn't any SWAP partition in above list because filesystem of SWAP is swap only and all partitions listed above have ext2 filesytem.
Post the output of fdisk -l command here.

[durkhrod chogori]

Devils_Casper,

I executed that command you just mentioned and got this:

[root@localhost ~]# sudo fdisk -1
fdisk: invalid option -- 1

Usage: fdisk [-b SSZ] [-u] DISK Change partition table
fdisk -l [-b SSZ] [-u] DISK List partition table(s)
fdisk -s PARTITION Give partition size(s) in blocks
fdisk -v Give fdisk version
Here DISK is something like /dev/hdb or /dev/sda
and PARTITION is something like /dev/hda7
-u: give Start and End in sector (instead of cylinder) units
-b 2048: (for certain MO disks) use 2048-byte sectors
[root@localhost ~]#


But I don't know how to execute SuperGRUB because I am running on the Live CD?

What's next?

Thnx.

[abhishek456]

I executed that command you just mentioned and got this:

[root@localhost ~]# sudo fdisk -1
fdisk: invalid option -- 1

it's not fdisk -1

it's fdisk -l

after burning SuperGrub on to CD boot using it and you can find options there to reinstall Grub

[durkhrod chogori]

Hi abishek456,

You see in what sort of mess I am in! Because of not reading instructions.

Here:

[root@localhost ~]# sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/hda: 100.0 GB, 100030242816 bytes
16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 193821 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 = 516096 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 66397 33464056+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda2 66398 193821 64221696 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/hda3 68229 114336 23238022+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda5 66398 67153 380992+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda6 67314 68228 461128+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda7 116424 189242 36700461 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda8 114336 116424 1052194+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/hda9 189243 190331 548824+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/hda10 190332 193821 1758928+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda11 67154 67313 80608+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order
[root@localhost ~]#

after burning SuperGrub on to CD boot using it and you can find options there to reinstall Grub

Problem is that I solely am running on a live CD as I can't boot and I don't know how to burn it because if I extract the live CD then Linux won't work!

Now I am trying to eject the live CD and I can't otherwise Linux wouldn't be able to run.


Cheers.