Unidentified partition (W98)

[CharlieBaratski]

I've got a real zinger here. I hope someone can help.

Recently I attempted to install Mandrake Linux. I wanted to see what all the hype was.

The install didn't go well. The installer said I didn't have enough space on my HD for linux. (I actually had about 15-16 GB). I ended up, very quickly, removing disc1 of linux install before it rebooted. I didn't know of any other way to stop the process.

I chose to cancel the install, but it kept rebooting from the linux install cd. A never ending loop.

That's the least of my problem. This is all after the fact.

By this point linux was already past the partitioning phase.

I didn't realize this until I tried to reinstall GoBack. GoBack let me know I had some partitioning problems (basically). Sure enough, in My Computer, my C drive was short about 1GB of space. But no other drive letters or partitions showing other than what I actually have.

I installed PartitionMagic. PM fixed some table errors, but it got to the point where it couldn't identify a partition letter. PM closes and won't run.

So. This is my dilema.

About 1GB of disc space tied up on my HD with no identifing drive letter.

I like to "tinker" with technology. I need to fix this problem so that I can install GoBack!

Help.

[CharlieBaratski]

I know this is a tough one. But does anyone have some suggestions?
Thanks.

[adg]

As long as you like to tinker.....

try fdisk and delete non-dos partition. Then recreate the partition and format. If you aren't familiar or comfortable with fdisk, be very careful.

Allan
<a target="_blank" href=http://www.tweakdatabase.com/idealbb>tweakxp.com</a>

[mysterywolf]

my guess is goback beieng the orig culprit. it creates this first small partition - no letter since after boot it points to the first 'real' partition and this is regarded as C . that tiny partn is seen and used only by goback..........
..until along comes something which directly accesses the hardware and therefore sees the real and full hardisk. I suspect linux saw this small partition as the first and the one to install to - hence the space problem. i have come across win2k installs with similar problems!.

when goback logo is displayed can you press spacebar for boot options?

[CharlieBaratski]

Tried to install GoBack again, but I don't get any options. It complains about not having the correct kind of FAT tables.

I used fdisk, and deleted a 455MB chunk of a EXT DOS partition.

After rebooting I went back to fdisk and checked partition information, and here's what it spit back at me.
==========================
Partition: C:1
Status: A
Type: Primary DOS
Volume Label: Gateway
Mbytes: 19116
System: FAT32
Usage: 98%

Total disk space is 19571 Mbytes

(I understand the difference in size.
The 455MB is now unallocated.)
==========================

Now off to windows and "My Computer"
==========================
C: is showing only 18.6MB

Somewhere is 1.4GB. Where?
I haven't the slightest idea.
It's not showing up. Not even in PartitionMagic.
Fortunately, PM will run now.
==========================

PartitionMagic
==========================
Disk: 1
Partition: C:Gateway
Type: FAT32
Size MB: 19116.4
Used MB: 3712.7
Unused MB: 15403.7
Status: Active
Pri/Log: Primary

Disk: 1
Partition: *:
Type: Unallotcated
Size MB: 455.0
Used MB: 0.0
Unused MB: 0.0
Status: None
Pri/Log: Primary

I've tried to redistribute free space, but the before and after disk space size never change in the wizard.
==========================

So here I am. This is the best I could do with my limited experience in these types of problems.

I'm still missing a bunch of disk space somewhere.

[mysterywolf]

if you can afford to lose it all, personally i would start afresh!. unistall goback if that's possible. get rid of anything created by pmagic and ditch that too for now.
then, using a known good fat32 created win98 ebd bootdisk which gives you fdisk run FDISK /MBR
reboot and run fdisk again. remove the lot in the order nondos, log drives, ext dos part, primary dos part.
reboot the fdisk /mbr again.
reboot and fdisk and create a primary dos part of whatever size. (e.g. half disk).make it active. reboot and format that partn.
reboot and fdisk the ext part and create logical drives as wanted.
reboot and format them.
reboot into fdisk and verify all are fat32.

unless you yourself are naming it 'gateway' it should be obvious that what you are partitioning/formatting is not what you think it is.

fdisk allows only one primary and one extended dos partition. goback and pmagic have their own rules. things which access hardware directly and things which take notice of drive overlays and such see different worlds.
you've introduced a lot of potential variables and without a full understanding of the mechanisms involved it is easy to screw things up.

[CharlieBaratski]

Thanks. I'll give it a try...at some point. It's really no skin off my back to try (almost) anything. It's my home home pc.

I have been able to reinstall GoBack. (That's GOOD!) I must've done something right. Woo-hoo!

I reformatted today. I use my recovery disk, and o/s backup cd. I reformat quite a lot. I like starting with a fresh system. With me and my two little boys goofing around on the computer all the time, it comes in handy. I can do it blind folded.

The end result is I still have a 455MB chunk of disc space that I can't get back. Can't merge, allocate, or anything.

It's label is "*:"
Status = None
Primary.
Used=0.
Unused=0.

But I rarely ever come close to maxing out my hard drive. Everything boots fine. No other problems that I haven't come across before.

But I will look into trying your advice.

Thanks to all for the help.

Let this be a lesson for all you curious cats out there ;-)

[mysterywolf]

although this from msoft refers to ME i think you'll get the gist of it... XP, 2000 also pose potential problems (and linux of course), and MSoft even advise against installing 98 with goback running (they say disable it - esp. if you get SU0409 error during setup!).

quote..
...Adaptec's GoBack software changes the partition information on your computer's
startup drive when it is installed. The type of partition in the master boot
record (MBR) is changed by GoBack to Type 44, which is a non-standard type. For
this reason if you restart directly from the Windows Me Startup disk you cannot
access the hard disk......

i suspect that * is used by goback and the only way to free it up is to have goback running and use its own uninstall routine. ( i'm sure you don't need warning as to the data loss involved here!).

[prbenson]

I had something similar happen to a Linux install gone awry...and the easiest way out of it was to download a drive util from the drive manufacturer, (Maxtor, in my case..) and do a complete low-level format...writing 0's to the entire disk, then fdisk or PM and start fresh...you'll have the whole drive back..:)

[Jama]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

I used fdisk, and deleted a 455MB chunk of a EXT DOS partition

<hr></blockquote>

That’s where the disappearing hard disk space is! You have deleted a partition and didn’t create one in its place. Windows will not see nor use an unallocated hd space. And Partition Magic will display an idle space as;
Partition: *:
Type: Unallocated
Size MB: xxx
Used MB: 0.0
Unused MB: 0.0

If you want to recover that space, you’ll have to do one of the following;
1- Use fdisk to delete ALL the partitions on your hd then create one primary partition that uses all the available space and reinstall. (You’ll lose all your data if you do it this way)
2- Use Partition Magic (PM) to enlarge your existing primary partition (c:\) to take up all the available hard disk space.
Open PM, it’ll show you a graphical representation of your hd. the first partition (on the left side of the image) is your current c:\ drive. Right-click it and select Resize/Move, the type 0 in “Free space after” and hit ok followed by Apply changes.

If you want to give Linux a try (highly recommended,), there are a few things you have to do, namely;
1- GET RID OF GOBACK. It won’t allow you to dual boot your pc. Since you’ve recently reformatted your hd, its unlikely you’d have much valuable data on your hd, so now is the best time to experiment and live dangerously.
2- Lilo (Linux Loader) will not boat a Linux partition that lies after cylinder #1024. So you’ll have to install it in;
A- the Master Boot Record (MBR) – I wouldn’t recommend this.
B- Install Lilo in the Linux partition (since that partition is outside of the 1024, it will be unbootable) but you’ll be able to boot Linux from the emergency boot disk you’ll be asked to create during setup.
C- Use PM to create a 7Mb partition right at the beginning of the disk (you need less than 2Mb for Lilo but 7.8 is the smallest partition size you can create) and install Lilo there. To keep your current data, use PM and right-click your c: drive – Resize/Move then enter 7 in the “Free space before”. During the Linux install you’ll be asked where to install Lilo, select that partition.

Once have taken care of the boot partition, you’ll have to create the other partitions required by Linux. I find it easier to use PM to shrink the windows partition and leave approximately 2.5GB unallocated space at the end of the hd. I then use Disk Druid during setup to create the Linux partitions. Those partitions are:
1- /root (required)
2- /swap (highly advisable. Make it 1-2x the amount of RAM you have)
3- /home (optional, but I always create it)


Good luck

Jama

[CharlieBaratski]

Thanks again to everyone.

I did expand my first logical drive, and it ate up that 455MB.

Everything shows 19,574MB (Normal)... Except My Computer.

I use a detail view in explorer, and My Computer shows my C drive at 19.1.

But, hey. PM is only showing one logical partition.

I'm happy (somewhat), but I don't think I'll be going out to buy a new hard drive. That was going to be my final solution.

About Linux...

I have tried Red Hat. And was totally confused. (Spoiled Windows user I guess)

The file structure totally blew me away. I couldn't figure out how to install anything. Like shareware or freeware off the net.

I did get all the major stuff working tho'. Sound, printer...etc..

Anyhow, the nightmare came when I tried to un-install it. Whooooo-doggy!

Why I ever thought that I'd give Mandrake a shot is beyond me.

And I'm not ripping you Linux users. I'm sure it's a nice o/s.

Thanks again people of the forum.