Fecked up during ubuntu install

oeb

Hey guys, so I have been using ubuntu for a while (Through Wubi), but as I had to re-install windows on my machine today, I said I would go whole hog and set up a dual boot, only I messed up the install and I just need to know what to do next.


Here is what I did.

I partitioned the hard disk (When installing windows) as follows
C: 60GB NTFS (Windows primary partition
60GB Unformatted (Set aside for Linux Primary & Linux Swap)
E: 100GB NTFS (Generic partition for files that I may want to access from both systems)

First I installed windows in the first partition.

Next I booted from the 64bit ubuntu cd and went through the install process. When you are resizing partitions etc is where I messed up. I intended to install on the middle partition, but I could not clearly see how to do this from the partition screen. So I accidently allowed the ubuntu installer to resize the 100gb partition and create an additional 2.5gb partition with the space it freed up. It installed ubuntu and it's swap in this space.
Now the problem with this, is that the ubuntu install fills that space almost perfectly. That partition is reading as 0b free, which is obviously a problem as I can not update the operating system or install anything. I can see the other partitions from there fine though, and I can mount them etc.

What do I do? It is a fresh install, so I don't mind installing linux again. The only partition with anything that I want to keep on it at the moment is the 60gb windows partition (I have spent all morning restoring backups etc and I don't want to do it again)

Can I resize the linux partition to take up the 60bg of space that is unformatted? (I can not see that to mount it in ubuntu, I can see it in windows, but it is unformatted)

Cheers,
Ian

niallb

Hi,
it is possible to resize the partition, especially if the extra space is immediately after the 2.5GB. There are variables however, and it depends on the filesystem you chose too. If it's an ext3 partition, delete it and recreate it with the same starting block and a larger end block and restart. Then resize2fs will adjust it to the size of the partition.
Using a boot disk like the System Rescue CD, or partedmagic, you can automate a lot of that.

2.5G was very small, and if it's actually reading 0 space available,
it's likely the install itself didn't complete perfectly.
It would be faster to reinstall, and just choose the manual installation option.

One thing though, unless you have a very good reason for picking a 64bit install,
I'd strongly recommend you go for a 32bit install this time.
There are several things that do not work reliably out of the box in a 64 bit environment, and unless you have a specific reason, you are going to give yourself unnecessary problems! Build up some more experience first.

Hope it works out well for you!

oeb

niallb wrote: »

Hi,
it is possible to resize the partition, especially if the extra space is immediately after the 2.5GB. There are variables however, and it depends on the filesystem you chose too. If it's an ext3 partition, delete it and recreate it with the same starting block and a larger end block and restart. Then resize2fs will adjust it to the size of the partition.
Using a boot disk like the System Rescue CD, or partedmagic, you can automate a lot of that.

2.5G was very small, and if it's actually reading 0 space available,
it's likely the install itself didn't complete perfectly.
It would be faster to reinstall, and just choose the manual installation option.

One thing though, unless you have a very good reason for picking a 64bit install,
I'd strongly recommend you go for a 32bit install this time.
There are several things that do not work reliably out of the box in a 64 bit environment, and unless you have a specific reason, you are going to give yourself unnecessary problems! Build up some more experience first.

Hope it works out well for you!

Cheers, I think the 2.5 gig just came from the fact that that was the minimum possible size. The 2.5 is at the very very end of the disk.

If I re-install 32bit ubuntu (I just chose 64bit because I have a 64bit processor, I did not think there was compatability issues), will it give me the option to remove the other ubuntu install during the process, or am I better off just fdisking the partition away?

Webmonkey

You can do what you like with the partitions / resize, move around using GParted's boot cd: http://sourceforge.net/projects/gparted/files/gparted-live-stable/