[semi-solved]During FDISK write get table fail

[sj_digriz]

LOL, I made more than 4 minutes!!! but only because I went to lunch. OK, I have /dev/sda1 (WD 74Gig SATA) as the only HD

Go into FDISK create the 3 partitions, 1 boot, 1 swap, 1 the rest.
Partitions are:

/dev/sda1p1
/dev/sda1p2
/dev/sda1p3

hit w...I get

Code: Select all

Re-reading the partition table failed with error 22: Invalid Argument

The partitions are still there if I go back into fdisk, even after rebooting. BUT, I can't put a file system on the partitions.

Code: Select all

mke2fs /dev/sda1p1

gives the error

Code: Select all

Could not stat /dev/sda1p1 -- No such file or directory
The device apparently does not exist

[NeddySeagoon]

sj_digriz,

The partitions are called

Code: Select all

/dev/sda1
/dev/sda2
/dev/sda3

when you make filesystesms.
e.g.

Code: Select all

mke2fs -j /dev/sda3

to create an ext3 filesystem on /de/vsda3

[sj_digriz]

sorry, my disks are exactly as named.

To enter fdisk I have to type /dev/sda1

then it creates partitions /dev/sda1p1, p2 and p3

[sj_digriz]

Or are you saying that the drive /dev/sda1 is the only place I can put a file system? From the example in the book they put one in the boot partition and a different one in the main partition. Both of the example partitions were created on 1 HD.

[NeddySeagoon]

sj_digriz,

SCSI includes SATA drives whe you are using the SATA driver in the SCSI branch of the kerenl.

SCSI Drives are called /dev/sda, /dev/sdb and so on. When you run fdisk you use

Code: Select all

fdisk /dev/sda

to partition the first SCSI drive.
Whe you partition the drive you can create either a maximum of four primary partitions or three primary partitions and a single extended partition. These partitions are numbered from 1 to 4. They are referenced as /dev/sda1, /dev/sda2 and so on on the first SCSI drive and /dev/sdb1, /dev/sdb1 etc. on the second SCSI drive.

You make filesystems on partitons with the various make filesystem tools.

Code: Select all

mk2fs /dev/sda1

creates an ext2 filesystem on parttion 1 of the first SCSI drive, such as you may use for /boot.

Code: Select all

mkswap /dev/sda2

marks a partition as a swap partition.

Code: Select all

mk2fs -j /dev/sda3

makes an ext3 filesystem, on the 3rd partition of the first SCSI drive.

/dev/sda1 is not a drive. Its a partition. Windows tends to blurr the difference since left to its own devices, it creates a single partition that fills the whole drive.

Run

Code: Select all

fdisk -l /dev/sda

(thats a lowercase letter L for list) to see how /dev/sda is partitioned now.
If windows is installed on that drive, repartitioning it will destroy windows unless you shrink the windows partition first.

[sj_digriz]

when I run fdisk -l it returns /dev/sda1

That was BEFORE I ever ran fdisk....When I went into fdisk, there were no partitions. I created the first 1 and it auto named itself /dev/sda1p1

[sj_digriz]

If I try to do fdisk /dev/sda it says drive not found..
If I do fdisk /dev/sda1 it goes into the util for me to do my partitions.

[sj_digriz]

ok, even though I had deleted the format of the drive there was an existing NTFS partition on the drive that was pissing off fdisk. As I get more experience I'm gonna need to figure out how to get the 2 file systems to share the same drive. I have a semi-idea how it works. Thanks for all the tries. Sorry to be a pain.

[NeddySeagoon]

sj_digriz,

fdisk is dumb. It doesn't do anything automaically.
At your command, it cand delete an exiting partition or add a new new one. The other commads are not very useful on must modern PCs.

If you have a brand new drive (with no partitions) and ask fdisk to add a parttion, by defualt it will create a partition that fills the drive. You need to specifiy the size of each partiton manually if you want more then one partition per drive.