Oh. ****.

[Guest]

Ok, here's what's going on.
I went to install Kubuntu 11.03 on my friend's laptop. I used the KPartitionManager to shrink the Vista partition by 10GB, and create a new 10GB partition for Linux to live on. Only problem is, when I did this, Kubuntu decided it wanted to shift the Vista partition. So, after realizing that it was going to take 10 hours to moving the partition, I canceled it at 7%. I can't reboot into anything Windows (the Win XP install CDs - both 32 and 64 bit - keep BSOD on me, and the Windows Recovery Partition didn't work). I ran fdisk -l and the partition shows up, so I tried using ntfsfix but it didn't work.
----------------
Failed to startup volume: Permission denied.
FAILED
Attempting to correct errors... Error opening partition device: Permission denied.
FAILED to startup volume: Permission denied.
Volume is corrupt. You should run chkdsk.
----------------
But I can't run chkdsk, because nothing windows wants to start!! Help...how do I fix this? How do I restore the NTFS filesystem so my friend can get back into his data? Kubuntu didn't do this on my laptop when I installed it...

[blackpaw]

Re: Oh. #&%$.

Boot using the Live Kubuntu CD and see if the vista partion is readble from that. If so, backup your friends data to a flash drive. Then we can consider rescue options

[oshunluvr]

Re: Oh. #&%$.

The good news is unless you wrote something to the hard drive, all your friends data is likely intact. The bad news is it's going to take a lot of work and a little luck to get to it. Likely the BSOD is caused by that trashed partition table on the hard drive. IMO chkdsk would probably make things worse.

It's possible the by restoring the partition table to it's earlier state it will be readable again - but still in danger of having lost data.

The program that may help you is called testdisk. I would boot to a liveCD or USB stick and give it a try. It may allow you to realign the partition to it's old boundaries so tools like ntfsfix can work on it. Then, like blackpaw says, backup everything you can.

There's a very good data recovery tool called UFS Explorer which will recover almost everything but it's not free. $50 might just save your friendship.

BTW, I realize you're upset and in a fix but I feel it unfair to characterize this problem as Kubuntu's fault. I have done this exact procedure six times this year and not once has anything gone wrong. The cancelling of a formatting operation will always result in a trashed partition table and data. Also, it's likely that the time involved would have been less than 10 hours, the time calculations are always off.

TIPS FOR OTHERS READING THIS THREAD:
1. Never mess with partitions on a drive until you have first made a backup of anything you don't want to lose.
2. A gparted liveCD is a better choice for pre-install partition adjustments. It's just more stable and been around a long time. I would never rely on an installer to do this step - much safer to do it in advance of the install.
3. Plan on a partition move to take a large amount of time. Don't do it in a hurry, don't do it on battery power only, don't do it during a storm.
4. Have a recovery plan in place before you begin - a liveCD or USB that has been tested at a minimum.
5. If a friend asks you to install linux for him, you're too busy right now but offer them a CD and a link to this forum!

[dibl]

Re: Oh. #&%$.

TIPS FOR OTHERS READING THIS THREAD:
1. Never mess with partitions on a drive until you have first made a backup of anything you don't want to lose.
2. A gparted liveCD is a better choice for pre-install partition adjustments. It's just more stable and been around a long time. I would never rely on an installer to do this step - much safer to do it in advance of the install.
3. Plan on a partition move to take a large amount of time. Don't do it in a hurry, don't do it on battery power only, don't do it during a storm.
4. Have a recovery plan in place before you begin - a liveCD or USB that has been tested at a minimum.
5. If a friend asks you to install linux for him, you're too busy right now but offer them a CD and a link to this forum!

6. Search/review the procedure that you intend, if you are not certain about exactly what to do. For example, #4 in the "Top 20 FAQs" (link in my signature) in our "How To" documentation, would have led you to this link: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windo...windows-vista/ where you would have learned that you DON'T use GParted or a Linux installer to shrink a Win 7 partition.

I'm with oshunluvr on the blame thing -- this would have happened with any Linux installer that you tried it with.

[SteveRiley]

Re: Oh. #&%$.

6. Search/review the procedure that you intend, if you are not certain about exactly what to do. For example, #4 in the "Top 20 FAQs" (link in my signature) in our "How To" documentation, would have led you to this link: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windo...windows-vista/ where you would have learned that you DON'T use GParted or a Linux installer to shrink a Win 7 partition.

7. Refuse any requests by seatmates on airplanes to make their laptop look "sexy" like yours. Even if you happen to be installing Kubuntu on your own computer mid-flight.

[oshunluvr]

Re: Oh. #&%$.

I think there 's a funny story behind steve's post...

[SteveRiley]

Re: Oh. #&%$.

You know how, sometimes, the person you get stuck with on a trans-continental flight just Wont.Shut.Up? I had one of those a while ago. Apparently, intense gaming on a PSP with noise-canceling headphones wasn't a sufficiently strong indicator to leave me alone. So I thought I'd try the other supposedly universal signal: pull out the laptop and do some work. Alas, I actually hate working on planes, so I thought I'd perform my long-planned Windows to Kubuntu conversion.

I took out the laptop, copied ISOs and documents to a portable hard drive. Then I booted from a USB stick and started my setup. I should have realized that installing an operating system during a flight is a highly unusual activity, which captivated my neighbor so much that his incessant yakking reached a fever pitch. While Ubiquity was copying the system files to the hard drive, I proceeded to don my headphones, play some music on my PSP, and read my Nook -- and that jerk still wouldn't clam up!

When the install finished and I booted into Kubuntu for the first time, Mr. Constant Yammerer announced to the entire first class section that he was "looking at the sexiest computer ever!" Then -- get this -- he pulled out his MacBook and asked if I could install "that Linux thing" on his computer, right there on the plane. I made up some crap about how the USB ports on Macs operate with proprietary voltages, require incompatible cables, and need bits that vibrate at different frequencies than PCs.

The guy across the aisle snickered a bit at that. My previously noisy neighbor sank into a quiet sulk during the remainder of the flight. Peace, at last.

[Snowhog]

Re: Oh. #&%$.

That's funny! "proprietary voltages" "bits that vibrate at different frequencies"

[oshunluvr]

Re: Oh. #&%$.

I knew it...lol

[sithlord48]

Re: Oh. #&%$.

i currently have a few mac's at my house waiting for me to install that "linux thing" on them . both are G4 PPC (one imac one ibook). its not going to be the easeist install but after i write the xorg.conf and cobble together a ppc desktop.( lxde is good for those old things).it will be much better then the versions of mac os they can run, apple has all but droped any and everthing that has to do w/ the old "newworld" mac's (G3,G4,G5 based macs),and there is no other software for ppc machines. looks like i need to dig out my special usb stick that works with those properiatary voltages .