Ubuntu

Replacing a failed hard drive

Asked by Rodney

My hard drive failed. I replaced it with a used one I had on the shelf. Both are Pata Western Digital. By changing my BIOS to boot from a floppy, I can read a disk in the floppy drive (using an old Windows boot disk) and I can copy things from the floppy to the substiuted (old but working) disk using DOS commands such as copy A: *.* :C and then when I do a DIR :C the files are on the replaced hard drive. I then changed the BIOS to boot from the CD drive and using Ubuntu 8.4 tried to install Ubuntu. The process hangs up at step 4 with the message "No root file system is defined. Please correct this from partitioning menu." However, when the partitioning menu is displayed, all choices are greyed out. How do I get around this? Is it possible to use the old DOS FDisk to set up partitions that would be acceptable? When I select "Quit" I get the old familiar Ubunto screen and can get into the terminal. I assume I am now running off the CD. (I am on a different computer to be on the web as the one I'm trying to install Ubuntu on in case you are wondering how I'm on this forum). Any suggestion will be most welcome. Thanks

Question information

Language:
English Edit question
Status:
Solved
For:
Ubuntu Edit question
Assignee:
No assignee Edit question
Solved by:
Rodney
Solved:
Last query:
Last reply:
Revision history for this message
Savvas Radevic (medigeek) said : 		#1

Can you post a screenshot somewhere, such as http://xs.to or http://imageshack.us ?

Also while you are using the Ubuntu Live CD, go to Applications > Accessories > Terminal
Post the output of these commands:
lspci
dir -l /dev/disk/by-id/
sudo fdisk -l

Revision history for this message
Ariel Cabral (acabral1961) said : 		#2

The issue is, apparently, that your new hard drive has no space to make a new partition where to install Ubuntu.
You must use a partitioning tool to make space for your new OS. Ubuntu can read FAT partitions, but can't live on it.
Hope this help.

Revision history for this message
Ariel Cabral (acabral1961) said : 		#3

Take care with the partitions or you can loose all your data. gparted is wonderful tool to do this job.

Revision history for this message
Rodney (rciwan) said : 		#4

The live CD would not give me an answer to dir -l/dev/disk/by-id/ but the response to sudo fdisk -l is
Disk /dev/sda: 2243MB 3243663360 bytes
128 heads, 63 sectors/track, 785 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 8064X512=4128768 bytes
Disk identifier; 0x0000000
Device boot Start End blocks ID System
1dev/sdal 1 785 3165088+ b W95 FAT32

Since I am on a different computer I retyped what I got here, hope that helps.
Note that I am not planning to keep this disk, will replace it with a much larger capacity one, just trying to make sure I will be able to instal the new disk when I get it. Thanks

Revision history for this message
Savvas Radevic (medigeek) said : 		#5

I think Ariel replied to this then.
If I'm correct, you have only one partition FAT32, you'll have to resize it properly through System > Administration > Partition Editor.

Revision history for this message
Rodney (rciwan) said : 		#6

Since I wanted a larger hard drive anyway, I purchased one and V8.4 seemed to install properly but: when I restarted the computer as per instructions, I get the message GRUB loading please wait...
Error 18

and then the computer just hangs there, no further activity. What is error 18 and what do I do about it please? The installation appeared to go smoothly up to that point all the way to where it said installation complete, now restart the computer. Yes, the BIOS is set to boot from the hard drive. Thanks

Revision history for this message
Rodney (rciwan) said : 		#7

  Randy LeJeune said on 2008-02-21:
Grub error 18 means that your hard drive is larger than the BIOS can address. Linux only uses the BIOS to address the hard drive during boot so boot is the only time the problem can appear.
The way to solve the problem is to create a small partition
In searching the forums, I found the above quote. This is probably my problem. Now my question is "How do I create that small partition?" sorry to be so green at this and I sure appreciate any help.

Revision history for this message
Ariel Cabral (acabral1961) said : 		#8

Hi again,
The install program, at some point the system ask about how to partition the disk, if you choose automatic, the install program take all the hard drive as a root partition. Instead, you must go manual and assign:
for / with more than 15Gb (must be less than 120Gb to avoid error 18), choose type ext3 and mark as ACTIVE.
for swap no more than 2Gb, 1Gb is typical, type Linux swap.
for /home the rest of the disk, type ext3.
Hope this help, please let me know.

Revision history for this message
Rodney (rciwan) said : 		#9

Yes, I repartitioned and now all works okay, it is updating as I type. I am very dissapointed in the way the partition manager works though---very hard to follow and not at all intuitive.

Revision history for this message
Savvas Radevic (medigeek) said : 		#10

No-one said partitioning drives can be easy, once you go manual, you have to know the partition you want and the mount points they have to represent.