-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On 08/01/2010 01:47 AM, Paul Cartwright wrote: > On Sat July 31 2010, you wrote: >> The fdisk -l must be done as root. >> >>> I can't copy & paste because I am not on that laptop right now.. >> >> The above output (which you haven't provided, yet) will tell whether you >> have spare space for an installation, or not. >> >> Once that is provided, I, or others, might be able to shed light on your >> problem. >> >> All the best, > > oops, as I found out from another email, I wasn't doing that as ROOT... > # fdisk -l > > Disk /dev/sda: 100.0 GB, 100030242816 bytes > 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 12161 cylinders > Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes > Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes > I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes > Disk identifier: 0xa8a8a8a8 > > Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System > /dev/sda1 * 1 4462 35840983+ 7 HPFS/NTFS > /dev/sda2 4463 4717 2048287+ e W95 FAT16 (LBA) > /dev/sda3 4718 12162 59793409 5 Extended > Partition 3 does not end on cylinder boundary. > /dev/sda5 4718 5961 9989120 83 Linux > /dev/sda6 5962 8094 17133291 83 Linux > /dev/sda7 11919 12162 1951744 82 Linux swap / Solaris > /dev/sda8 8095 11918 30716248+ c W95 FAT32 (LBA) The above clearly describes your problem. You have no free space to do another install. you have 12161 cylinders. From the 2nd line of the output, which details your disk geometry: > 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 12161 cylinders Your primary partitions (1 thru 4) map fully, all 12161 cylinders. > Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System > /dev/sda1 * 1 --> 4462 35840983+ 7 HPFS/NTFS > /dev/sda2 4463 --> 4717 2048287+ e W95 FAT16(LBA) > /dev/sda3 4718 --> 12162 59793409 5 Extended Follow the "start" and "end" cylinders. Every cyl between 1 and 12161 (the last physical cyl) is mapped. This, in and of itself, is not a problem, as long as one is an extended partition, which it is. Now look at the extended partition. The purpose of the extended partition is to allow partitioning to go beyond the 4 primary. Any of the 4 primary can be designated as an extended. Many times it is partition 4, but it need not be, and there is nothing wrong with it not being. In your case it is partition 3. Notice that partition 3 maps from where partition 2 left off to the end of the disk (i.e. look at the start/end cyls. The partitions created in the extended partition are commonly refereed to as "logical partitions". In Linux you may have up to 11 logical partitions. That is to say, in linux, your per disk partition limitations are: 1 thru 4 are the primary, and among them the entire disk should be be mapped. Any disk cyl's not mapped via 1 thru 4 is not accessable. Any of 1 thru 4 may be flagged as an extended partition, but only 1. The extended partition can map partitions 5 thru 15. Note that the 1st logical partition is 5, EVEN IF you did not use all 4 primary partitions (as in your case here). Any disk in the extended partition that is not mapped by a logical partition, is not accessable until it is. If you run out of logical partitions, then it is not accessible. When the installer looks for disk space to lay down an install, the above are the rules that it must follow. Therefore it will look for unmapped disk space, and a partition id (or id's) to map that unmapped disk space. Now, looking at your logical partitions (with minor rearrangement to make things more obvious): > /dev/sda5 4718 --> 5961 9989120 83 Linux > /dev/sda6 5962 --> 8094 17133291 83 Linux > /dev/sda8 8095 --> 11918 30716248+ c W95 FAT32(LBA) > /dev/sda7 11919 --> 12162 1951744 82 Linux swap Suddenly, the reason for the installer's message is glaringly obvious. You do not have any unmapped disk cylinders (as I suspected when I asked for your fdisk -l) What you DO have is a 17 gb linux partition (#6) and a 30 gb windows partition (#8). Some possibilities that you might consider: 1) using partition magic in windows, you might consider reducing the size of the windows partition. 2) In Linux, it is possible to reduce the size of the FILESYSTEM on /dev/sda6, and then reduce the associated partition. It is a 2 step process (as just mentioned), and you must be very very careful in the 2nd step (reducing the associated partition). I usually use fdisk to do this. The following are the caveats when using fdisk: - Since partition 6 is not the last partition, you will necessarily need to delete partitions 6, 7, 8, and then recreate them, with a filler partition between 6 & 7. - when 7 & 8 are recreated, they *must* be recreated with exactly the same start/end cyl boundaries. Failure to do this *WILL* result in catastrophic loss of any and all data in the partition. - Since the new partitions that map what used to be partition 7 and 8 will most likely be different partition numbers, you MAY need to make some adjustments in the original os's that reference the original 7 and 8 partitions (since the partition id's will most likely change). Either of the above will yield free (unmapped) disk space that the installed can then use for laying down a new install. > cfdisk -Ps > FATAL ERROR: Bad primary partition 2: Partition ends in the final partial > cylinder ignore the immediate above. The rest is superfluous. > # <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass> > proc /proc proc nodev,noexec,nosuid 0 0 > # / was on /dev/sda5 during installation > UUID=c2b10e6e-41fc-4fbd-bb7c-1a1974eaafd3 / ext4 > errors=remount-ro 0 1 > # /home was on /dev/sda6 during installation > UUID=40436719-5fde-4f48-93f2-49457f0e1264 /home ext4 defaults > 0 2 > # swap was on /dev/sda7 during installation > UUID=03344fb4-f605-4675-92b9-090a48e88d0b none swap sw > 0 0 All the best, - -Greg - -- +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ Please also check the log file at "/dev/null" for additional information. (from /var/log/Xorg.setup.log) | Greg Hosler ghosler@xxxxxxxxxx | +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v2.0.14 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Fedora - http://enigmail.mozdev.org/ iEYEARECAAYFAkxU81AACgkQ404fl/0CV/TWVACcDZR52s6qfFIOJPfQVxPkC2uj xQIAnj4ZjyFoN0CqigMJQVd1PtHh0q1x =V4sL -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- users mailing list users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe or change subscription options: https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/users Guidelines: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines