Plz Help me on my HDD problem

[sabusomu]

I am really new to Linux and thought that u guys might help me out on my problem. Plz read on to know about my problem indetail.
I own a P III 500 Mhz, 256 MB SD Ram, 30 GB (Master) and 10 GB HDDs.
I use Windows 98. Installed Mandrake Linux 8 a year earlier and used its automatic partion feature to partion the 10 GB drive. After deleting those mandrake Linux partiontions I am getting a dissk error.
Windows98 and Partition Magic reports my 10 GB drive as only 7.5 GB. But when installed WinXP it was able to recover the total disk space and that 2.5 GB as a separate partion. I can even work in this 2.5 GB from both 98 and XP. But PM still showing that there are some errors in my drive. PM Partion Info gives following info about that disk:


  ucBeginCylinder (1253) must be less than 1024.
Error #109: Partition ends after end of disk.
  ucEndCylinder (1321) must be less than 1024.



===============================================Disk Geometry Information for Disk 2:    1024 Cylinders,  240 Heads,  63 Sectors/Track
System              PartSect  # Boot BCyl Head Sect  FS    ECyl Head Sect    StartSect     NumSects
===============================================
NO NAME                    0  0  00     0    1    1  0B     751  239   63           63   11,370,177
                           0  1  80   752    0    1  83     846  239   63   11,370,240    1,436,400
                           0  2  00   847    0    1  83    1023  239   63   12,806,640    6,138,720
Info: End C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
  Actual values are:
        0  2  00    847    0    1  83   1252  239   63  12806640   6138720
Error #109: Partition ends after end of disk.
  ucEndCylinder (1252) must be less than 1024.
                           0  3  00  1023  239   63  0F    1023  239   63   18,945,360    1,058,400
Info: Begin C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Info: End C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
  Actual values are:
        0  3  00   1253    0    1  0F   1322  239   63  18945360   1058400
Error #107: Partition begins after end of disk.
  ucBeginCylinder (1253) must be less than 1024.
Error #109: Partition ends after end of disk.
  ucEndCylinder (1322) must be less than 1024.
SWAPSPACE2        18,945,360  0  00  1023  239   63  82    1023  239   63   18,945,423    1,043,217
Info: Begin C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Info: End C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
  Actual values are:
 18945360  0  00   1253    1    1  82   1321  239   63  18945423   1043217
Error #107: Partition begins after end of disk.
  ucBeginCylinder (1253) must be less than 1024.
Error #109: Partition ends after end of disk.
  ucEndCylinder (1321) must be less than 1024.


I partioned that 10 GB drive with PCQLinux 2004 and did n't reported anything wrong either.
Partions created through Linux are

Fat 32      5.50GB
ext3   /   700MB
ext3   /usr   3 GB
swap      510MB

Linux was unable to partion 7.4 MB and left it untouched. This place is unallocated.

Please help me :cry:  :cry:  :cry:  :cry:  :cry:  :cry:

[Ricky]

This is nothing to worry .. Your HD are fine..
If you note or give deeper view than you will find that even latest partition magic can't support linux fs properly so it is giving. What is my personal experience that if you are using dual booting and partitioned using linux partition tool during installation of linux then never use Partition magic.. It can really cause the mess.
What I suggest either use partition magic or linux partition system. NOT BOTH.
For your 7.5 MB.. that is left untouched as it is created by WinxP mostly. it is I think a hidden partition.

Hope you got ur answers::...

BTW. .. Your AVATAR is very impressive

[sabusomu]

Thank you! buddy. Thank you! a lot for the clarification.

[justcyn]

The 7.4MB in question are a common thing I have found and it is not a hidden partition. It doesn't show in your OS as anything. Not because it is hidden but because it is UNALLOCATED. It is dead unused space on the HD. It is almost always this exact amount in WINxp (sometimes I find 7.8MB) but can be anywhere from 2MB to 16MB in WIN98 or WIN ME. This unallocated space is easily seen in the older operating systems if you display the partition information in fdisk in the older OSes. The partitions show how much is allocated to each one and then the total capacity of the drive is shown below. These should match exactly if you have only one primary partition and you have allocated the entire drive space to it. OR the total of two partitons should equal the total capacity exactly with no MBs leftover. A sum of 2 partitions may be 1 MB different than the capacity due to rounding of the 10s of the MBs but no more than 1MB. If it is any more you have what I call (and have never heard it discussed anywhere) the Missing Megabytes Virus.
I am a technician and I first heard of this when working on a new Gateway computer whose modem, by all rights, should have worked. It reported to the computer, it picked up dial tone, it dialed, it screeched the handshake---but it never, never could connect. Three new modems from Gateway later, all doing the same thing I finally found a Gateway tech who knew what this was. He had me look in fdisk.
His only solution was to delete the partition and reload everything (this was a WIN ME computer). I did that and it worked. Since then I have seen this time and time again (frighteningly too many times!!!)and the modem not connecting is the odd but classic symptom of this virus. I am not a real virus expert but I assume this is some sort of boot sector virus. It is never caught by any anti-virus software and is never discused anywhere by anybody, especially Norton or McAfee. I guess 'cause they can't figure out how to catch it or fix it.
It many times remains latent and does no harm and does not exhibit the modem no connect problem. I see it in EVERY WIN xp computer and it only stops the modem occasionally. But every time I get rid of it WIN xp finds new hardware upon the reboot.  What it is now seeing that it didn't before I don't know.
I didn't repartition and reload too many computers to solve it before I got the idea to try to get rid of it with my Partiton Magic. It works like a charm. Here's what you do.
You don't do anything to the unallocated MBs. Don't convert them to a file system or format them or anything. You can't merge them either. You RESIZE your primary partition to encompass and include the unallocated MBs. Depending on how your partitions are laid out you might have to move them around to encompass the unallocated MBS onto the partition that you want. Since it is only a maximum of 16 MB I recommend simply resizing the easiest partiton next door to it to be a few MBs bigger than it was. Can't vouch for Linux but it works almost always without a hitch in the Fat 32 and the NTFS. If you have errors on the drive you have a different problem but it solves the modem no connect problem without reloading.  I now routinely check and get rid of the missing megabytes on every machine I see especially in WIN xp even if there is no immediate problem.
Hope this helps somebody. I've known about it for about 3 years and still never hear any talk of it. Every once in awhile I look to see if anyone ever posts anything about this anywhere and I found this Linux forum. I don't do Linux but, well, we all do computers don't we? I get a lot of answers to tricky problems from odd tech forums and maybe I can return the favor.

[Ricky]

woah .. really long .. for a while I thought it is copy - past .. but now I kno it is all your experience which you are trying to share with us.
BTW.. I have used Linux as much as i have used windows .. but windows lil more. So in windows i was always curious abt that thing but never thought that way. Anyway modem not connecting seems to be lil logical as various times i found that my internet is connected but data transfer is nil.. although my ISP people say that is it fine from their side. Then wht I do simply change the computer .. changing OS never worked. I am sometimes on linux and sometimes on windows. Well may the reason you provide is behind my problem.
But how it can be a virus ? if it is a virus then y it is not ever discussed, may be your conclusion is wrong .. anyway !! now I will look around lil more abt this. I mostly try to avoid winXP as I found my Linux Smooth for internet stuff although for some designing purpose I have to use windows..

[justcyn]

Sorry it was so long but I thought it was no longer than all those log files people post and a lot more useful info!!! The Gateway guy called it a virus and I didn’t know at first either. But when it started to cure the no connect modem thing I figured, if it fixes something it must be something bad. Whatever it is, maybe, just maybe, starting this little discussion will finally bring some information about this phenomenon out in the open.

[dragoncity99]

I agree with what justcyn said. Interesting, i did the same too to avoid that waste of 8 MB of free space.