Robert Nichols wrote:
Jim Cornette wrote:
My guess would be that the motherboard has a chip inside that has a
compressed image of what was originally installed on the computer,
like what a install CD would have. hitting that button probably
launches the flash image which expands it from the end of the disk on
forward. That would explain why it took over the tail end of the LVM
partitioned off space. There are probably no safeguards for the
routine to check first what is setup before going to town and doing
its thing.
That's almost certainly what happened. There was undoubtedly a hidden
partition at the end of the disk, and that partition got wiped out when
the Linux installer was told to use the whole disk. Pressing the magic
button restored that hidden partition, overwriting the end of the LVM
in the process.
Simplest preventive measure is to leave that partition in place when
creating the LVM.
I can see a value for the button if one has a disk failure so the disk
information can be restored to original condition. Since the button will
overwrite whatever is contained on your hard disk, leaving it intact
does make sense. If I ever purchase a computer with the "easy button" I
would leave the partition intact since now reading how other's lost
working systems because of that feature.
I guess his best option would be to wipe out the partition table and
then press the "easy button". Afterward he could setup his alternative
installation. (Or cover up the button.)
Jim
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