Installing OpenSuse10.3 - "seeing" partitions 16+

[john_ker]

My system is working very well but I would like to use partitions 16 and above. I have done some heroic ,for me, editing and feel lucky that my system still works. As in painting by numbers could someone explain how to execute the message:

Use the old IDE drivers:Boot again and add
'hwprobe=-modules.pata'as argument to the kernel

Clearly, I don't know what to edit.

Thanks for any help the forum can give me.

John Ker

[Jonathan183]

I think your asking for trouble ... but the kernel parameter is likely to be in your bootloader config ...
If you have a separate boot partition it will be in /grub of the partition. If you don't have a separate boot partition it will be in /boot/grub. There should be a menu.lst file. You should be able to edit this from in Yast anyway ... Yast->system->bootloader.

If you need to change it to get the system to boot then at the grub menu press escape to exit graphical menu, select normal boot entry, press e to edit, select kernel line and e to edit, add the text you want then press enter then b to boot.

[john_ker]

Dear Jonathan,
Sorry i have not replied sooner. I had given up on replies.
Trying what you suggest was more or less (i think) among my so-called "heroic" attempts. I followed these instructions from OpenSuSe 10.3 release notes;
"Technical
libata for IDE Devices

libata uses /dev/sda for the first harddisk instead of /dev/hda. Disks with more than 15 partitions are not handled automatically right now. You can disable libata support by booting with the following kernel parameter:

hwprobe=-modules.pata

Then you see all the partitions > 15 again and can access them for installation."

On startup I changed to "opensuse 10.3 (failsafe)" and edited the boot options by adding the above command. There was no change in partition recognition. (Nor any problems)
I then added the command to the boot loader settings using yast - again no change but neither any problem. I then removed the annotation and moved on accepting the fact I couldn't use my additional 3 partitions until someone updates the system (I suppose)

Anyway thank you very much for taking the trouble to reply.
Kind regards
John Ker

[Jonathan183]

A quick google revealed some discussions which implied the parameter is needed by the installer. Did you try passing the parameter to the installer to see if the partitions are detected? I would expect the installer to add the correct parameters for system boot to the grub config.

[john_ker]

The installer is on my Windowsxp which is my primary partiton. Linux is on 1 0f 18 logical partitions in the one extended partition I have. I installed grub in the linux partition and boot from there. I use boot magic to control my three installations, viz Windows, Suse 10.3 and 10.2. Windows is my "volvo" boring but reliable; Suse are my "batmobiles" exciting to drive and ALWAYS interesting. I don't usually tinker with or even use much my volvo. I had a look at the essentially Windows-type files in the installer and decided not to disturb any of them. The MBR is in the first section of the Windows partition and if "stuffed" results in having to reinstall Windows, something I really dislike. In contrast I enjoy installing SuSe - hence my rather cavalier attitude to her. So, it seems to be quite difficult to decide where the boot process is getting its instructions from in my case, I guess I should be glad the system works as well as it does. As you say a quick google shows there are a lot more problems with 10.3 around I could have; my problem seems the least of them. Still it would be nice to solve.

Once again many thanks for your interest..

[Jonathan183]

I think we may be misunderstanding each other ... when you boot your machine from the Linux CD (I'm assuming that is what you are using) you can pass the installer parameters - things like nopcmcia etc, I can't remember which function key lists them (I think its F1 or F6), you pass the Linux installer the required parameter. I am not suggesting you reinstall Windows ... just the version of Linux which does not recognize your partitions past 15.

Just out of interest ... what are your 18 logical partitions for ... you can have
root
home
for each version of Linux and they can share the swap. Even with a boot partition thats only 6 logical partitions

[john_ker]

I should perhaps tell you that I am a retired veterinary surgeon
who had his first introduction to computers by being "supervised"
by the receptionist at the local further education college while
taking a self-help distance learning course of three modules in
"Works for Windows" (which was even out-of-date when I retired).
My first Linux was SuSe 8.0. So it is perhaps not surprising that
I am incoherent; though I am flattered by your interest.

Previous editions of SuSe have booted straight into the
installation routine. My present OS was downloaded as a 4.1 GBP
ISO image from the Open SuSe web page. When I inserted the
burned DVD I was surprised when it booted into Windows,
installing a Windows installer of SuSe 10.3 which via a menu then
proceeded to go through the usual installation routine. The next
time I booted into Windows, it asked if I wanted to uninstall the
Suse installer, which I did. I have not yet investigated how one
installs the OS directly. At anyrate, 10.3 has been the best
yet-and free.

My partitions are: WindowsXP, FAT32 Page File, FAT16 Boot Magic,
NTFS (Windows Backup Files), FAT32 (2) for interchange data with
Linux), linux data (2), linux swap, 10.3 root, home, linux data
(2), 10.2 root, home.

sda3 and sda4 are unused (I think) sda2 is the extended partition
itself. The 15 above total 18.

This has been a bit wordy but I didn't want to give the
impression I have an in-depth knowledge of what I am doing.

[Jonathan183]

This has been a bit wordy but I didn't want to give the
impression I have an in-depth knowledge of what I am doing.

that has got to be one of the best closing lines for a post.

I installed SUSE 10.3 a few times and it has not started Windows to do the install. I think the default option is boot from hard drive so unless you changed it - it may have just started Windows.

It sounds as though you want your partitions so my only suggestion is if you want to reinstall 10.3 then:-
1. check BIOS is set to boot from DVD drive before hard drive
2. check any anti-virus protection in BIOS is set off
3. do a power off/on cycle and select install option from the menu, enter the addition kernel parameter hwprobe=-modules.pata and then press enter to boot the installer.
You should be able to select format your root partition and just mount your home partition - using the manual partition option.

One other thing (in-case you did not know) SUSE 10.3 supports ntfs read/write using the ntfs-3g driver so you could mount Windows drives read/write from 10.3 (I didn't know until I picked it up from one of devils caspers posts ).

[john_ker]

I had a school teaching friend who used to assert that if you
gave him half-an-hour he would teach Swahili. Not very deep
perhaps, but ... deep enough for the purpose?

At the risk of boring you; I was going to buy the commercial
release of 10.3 from Novell, but they confirmed they were no
longer supplying the OS on CD. My computer only boots from the CD
and floppy. My BIOS menu has no entry for DVD. Although there is
a position for the DVD, it was only filled after manufacture by a
DVD/writer - my son thinks (his cast-off). I have not been able
to find out how to have the system recognise it for addition to
the boot sequence in the BIOS. I tried the 10.3 "live CD" and the
"installation" CD which were not very satisfying. I thought I
might as well try the DVD and do a bit of fiddling to see what
happened. I made a boot floppy only to be informed that "this
feature is no longer available". So I didn't have much success
yet the following is as good an example of serendipity as you
will find ...

On one occasion the DVD had been left in the drive and the
machine booted into Windows, the default OS. On opening, the
dialogue appeared asking what to do with the media in the drive.
Since the "open in window" was highlighted it did so whereupon
another window opened asking if I wanted to start the Suse
installation wizard. I did so. After I installed 10.3 in the
normal way, a well-behaved Windows asked if I now wanted to
uninstall the Wizard. This was rather reminiscent of Harry
Houdini who only once failed to escape from a cell - the one
which had been left unlocked. I must have missed this helpful
information in the Open SuSe documentation. I think anyone who
proceeds in this chaotic way can hardly claim to have anything
other than a superficial knowledge.

I did not understand what you meant by "a power off/on cycle" but
I took the 10.3 CD which I had downloaded and started to install
that getting to the menu where one enters the boot options I
first left this empty and proceeded until I got the warning
message about the partitions. I aborted the installation and
booted again this time entering the parameter in the boot
options. This time it detected ALL the partitions. As you said
the instruction has to be in the INSTALLATION boot options. After
installation the instruction doesn't work in the loading boot
options. The problem solved I will meanwhile live with 10.3 as
it is. The downloaded DVD is excellent with comprehensive content
but, for me, still a little "fiddly" for some repository
dependencies compared with a commercial disc, so I will leave
well alone.

You have been very patient reading my wordy posts and I really
appreciate your help, especially considering the number of your
other posts.

Once again many thanks and all the best.
John Ker.

[Jonathan183]

They made repositories much easier in 10.3 ... its community repositories option in Yast. You just select the repositories you want from a list. I personally would stick with the free version of the OS, I think there is lots of support for it.

Being unable to boot from DVD and running through the install in Windows now makes sense (I thought you might have done something like that but was not sure it would work).

I think the idea with the live CD is it installs the minimum to get you going then you add the online repositories and download the software you want.

If you can suffer another install I'd try your Windows DVD install method and see if it lets you add boot parameters for the installer. If nothing else you could probably explore the CD, locate the installer and run it entering the additional parameters.

Anyway ... enjoy your SUSE 10.3 and give the community repository bit a try. I went from 10.0 to 10.3 and it certainly made installing software easier.