Ubuntu
ubiquity package

Persistent changes to the Extended Partition during the installation of Ubuntu 10.4 (Desktop)

Asked by Hanna

Hello,

I've been experiencing potentially dangerous and unwanted changes of my Extended partition during the installation of Ubuntu.

Until recently my hard drive had 2 OSs (Win98se & WinXP) installed on their own partitions. I also had the Extended partition with 2 logical partitions in it: Docs & Backups. All my partitions, physically located in the presented order, were FAT32. There was also Unallocated area at the end of the drive. There were no problems whatsoever.

As soon, as I started installing Ubuntu the situation changed dramatically. For Ubuntu installation, I added 2 partitions: the Ubuntu root and Swap. I experimented with location of the Ubuntu: before the Extended, after it or even in the Extended partition, whereas the Swap partition was always located at the end of Extended partition.
I've also experimented with partitioning and formatting of these two Ubuntu partitions, using both Ubuntu and/or external software.
In all cases the starting sector of my Extended partition was shifted by 61 with respect to its original location, whereas its ending sector remained unchanged. At the same time my first logical partition was always in its original place. In other words, the Extended partition started too far.

For your convenience, the changes in the Extended partition, as viewed in the MBR option of BiNG for this partition are presented below:

Before installation
MBR Entry2: 1023/0/1, Fh; 1023/254/63; 114,382,800; 56,613,060

After installation
MBR Entry2: 1023/254/63, Fh; 1023/254/63; 114,382,861; 56,612,999

On basis of my many installation tries, it seems to me that the culprit is the Swap partition 'formatting' in step 5 advanced option of the installation.

Are you familiar with such a behavior of Ubuntu installer?
What can I do to prevent this situation from occurring?

Thanks for your help.

Kind regards,
Hanna

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delance (olivier-delance) said : 		#1

It's not an expected behavior, and it should imply moving previous logical partitions inside extended one.
You need to log a bug against ubiquity, and to explain what is external software.

Revision history for this message
Hanna (aha2102) said : 		#2

"You need to log a bug against ubiquity, and to explain what is external software"

Wait a sec, I'm really new to Ubuntu. I need more detailed instructions.
1. What bug do I need to log against ubiquity and what does it mean?
2. What's ubuiquity?
3. What external software do you mean?
- if you mean partitionner/formatter that I used for the last installation, then it's BiNG (of Terabyte)
- I can send the report of PartInfo (also of Terabyte), if it's useful

Revision history for this message
delance (olivier-delance) said : 		#3

1-People who answers questions are not people who fix software. I'm working with software as it is, to find solution to a specific user problem or an acceptable workaround. People who fix software programs work in Bug part of Launchpad. You should have a link on web page to convert question into a bug.
2-Ubiquity is software who install Ubuntu on hard disk.
3-"I've also experimented with partitioning and formatting of these two Ubuntu partitions, using both Ubuntu and/or external software."
For detail of how to report bug, you will have to provide partition table.
Unfortunately, with release of Maverick, I'm afraid people are very busy.

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Provide an answer of your own, or ask Hanna for more information if necessary.

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