> On Oct 14, 2024, at 9:47 PM, Felix Miata via Freedos-user > <freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net> wrote: > > Felix Miata composed on 2024-10-14 20:47 (UTC-0400): > >> After at least 3 decades, one might think a DOS disk partitioner, or the >> FreeDOS >> installer, might have acquired an ability to not disturb anything that is >> part of >> the target partition. No such was or is apparent. Now that FreeDOS is >> installed, >> only it can be booted, because it presumed it OK to move the boot flag off >> the >> partition on which I placed it. Fdisk remains of the errant notion that the >> boot >> flag can only be valid on a DOS partition, which is wholly untrue. Now I must >> locate some bootable Linux CD to boot for the singular purpose of changing >> two >> bytes in the partition table in order to make my other 20+ operating systems >> bootable again. > >> What other damage is awaiting my discovery once the boot flag is back where >> it was? > > Turns out, lots of damage: about 29 logical partitions deleted. The following > is how I > found it after FreeDOS installation: > DFSee Linux 17.0 : executing: fdisk -r- -w- > Command timestamp : Monday 2024-10-14 17:06:43 > +---+--+--+-----------------+--------+--------+-----------+----------------------------------------+-----------+ > |ID |ux|Dr|Type, description|Format |Related |VolumeLabel|OS2-LVM/BM / GPT / > Crypt / additional in| Size MiB | > +--[/dev/sda MBR disk 1]--------+--------+-----------[ST160 PATA > 9RX4RLF0]--------------------+-----------+ > |01*| 1| |Hide 16 FAT16 |FAT16 |MSWIN4.1|P01WINDOS |P01 WinDOS > P01 WinDOS | 39.2| > |02*| 2| |Prim 0b FAT32 |FAT32 |FRDOS5.1|P02FREEDOS |P02 FreeDOS > P02 FreeDOS | 243.2| > |03>| 3| |Prim 83 LinuxNatv|EXT2 |GRUB |03boot |P03 Real /boot > P03 Real /boot | 400.1| > |04 | 5| |Log 82 SunS/SWAP|SWAP |LinuxV1 |SWAPSPACE2 |P05 swapper > P05 swapper | 188.2| > |08 | | |FreeSpace Logical|-- -- --|-- -- --|- - - - - -| > | 151757.1| > > Because the partitioner I use logs, I only needed to view the previous log > to recreate that which was deleted, with result identical to the state in > which FreeDOS found it: > DFSee Linux 17.0 : executing: part > Command timestamp : Monday 2024-10-14 17:19:05 > +---+--+--+-----------------+--------+--------+-----------+----------------------------------------+-----------+ > |ID |ux|Dr|Type, description|Format |Related |VolumeLabel|OS2-LVM/BM / GPT / > Crypt / additional in| Size MiB | > +--[/dev/sda MBR disk 1]--------+--------+-----------[ST160 PATA > 9RX4RLF0]--------------------+-----------+ > |01*| 1| |Hide 16 FAT16 |FAT16 |MSWIN4.1|P01WINDOS |P01 WinDOS > P01 WinDOS | 39.2| > |02*| 2| |Prim 0b FAT32 |FAT32 |FRDOS5.1|P02FREEDOS |P02 FreeDOS > P02 FreeDOS | 243.2| > |03>| 3| |Prim 83 LinuxNatv|EXT2 |GRUB |03boot |P03 Real /boot > P03 Real /boot | 400.1| > |04 | 5| |Log 82 SunS/SWAP|SWAP |LinuxV1 |SWAPSPACE2 |P05 swapper > P05 swapper | 188.2| > |05 | 6| |Lhid 11 FAT12 |FAT12 |mkdosfs |DUMMY |P06 dummy > P06 dummy | 7.8| > |06 | 7| |Log 06 FAT16 |FAT16 |-DFSee- |P06 SS16A |P07 DOS data > P07 DOS data | 251.0| > |07*| 8| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |08stw |P08 TW Slowroll > P08 TW Slowroll | 5600.8| > |08*| 9| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |suse114 |P09 suse114 > P09 suse114 | 4800.6| > |09*|10| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |suse121 |P10 suse121 > P10 suse121 | 4800.6| > |10*|11| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |suse122 |P11 suse122 > P11 suse122 | 4800.6| > |11*|12| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |suse123 |P12 suse123 > P12 suse123 | 4800.6| > |12 |13| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |Linux |13home |P13 /home > P13 /home | 7201.0| > |13 |14| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |Linux |14usrlcl |P14 /usr/local > P14 /usr/local | 2047.3| > |14 |15| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |Linux |15pub |P15 /pub > P15 /pub | 8589.4| > |15*|16| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |suse131 |P16 suse131 > P16 suse131 | 4800.6| > |16*|17| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |f21p17 |P17 Fedora 21 > P17 Fedora 21 | 4800.6| > |17*|18| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |f24p18 |P18 Fedora 24 > P18 Fedora 24 | 4800.6| > |18*|19| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |19sslo |P19 TW Slowroll > P19 TW Slowroll | 5600.8| > |19*|20| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |20mga09 |P20 Mageia 9 > P20 Mageia 9 | 5600.8| > |20*|21| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |f28p21 |P21 Fedora 28 > P21 Fedora 28 | 4800.6| > |21*|22| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |suse132 |P22 suse132 > P22 suse132 | 4800.6| > |22*|23| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |debian13 |Debian 13 Trixie > Debian 13 Trixie | 5600.8| > |23 |24| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|unknown |Linux | |- > | 5600.8| > |24 |25| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|unknown |Linux | |- > | 5600.8| > |25 |26| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|unknown |Linux | |- > | 5600.8| > |26 |27| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|unknown |Linux | | > | 5600.8| > |27 | | |FreeSpace Logical|-- -- --|-- -- --|- - - - - -| > | 2651.4| > |27*|28| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |mageia8 |Mageia 8 > Mageia 8 | 4800.6| > |28*|29| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |debian10 |Debian 10 Buster > Debian 10 Buster | 4800.6| > |29*|30| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |f30p30 |P30 Fedora 30 > P30 Fedora 30 | 4800.6| > |30*|31| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |debian11 |Debian 11 Bullseye > Debian 11 Bullseye | 4800.6| > |31*|32| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |debian12 |Debian 12 Bookworm > Debian 12 Bookworm | 5600.8| > |32*|33| |Log 83 LinuxNatv|EXT3 |GRUB |fedor29 |Fedora 29 > Fedora 29 | 4800.6| > |36 | | |FreeSpace Logical|-- -- --|-- -- --|- - - - - -| > | 13392.6| > > All good now, but disappointed in FreeDOS. > -- > Evolution as taught in public schools is, like religion, > based on faith, not based on science. > > Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks! > > Felix Miata The Installer uses FDISK for partitioning and changing the Boot Flag. When possible, it will automatically partition the drive behind scenes in Normal mode. If that is not possible or advanced mode is being used, it will launch FDISK form manual partitioning. Like nearly all other operating systems, it will also make the installation the active partition by default. See all other DOS or Windows versions. This is a common practice and should be assumed to occur. However, the Installer may possibly be updated at some point to prompt for this action when run in advanced mode. Unfortunately, there were a number of serious bugs in the version of FDISK that was available for FreeDOS 1.3. Some, bugs involve incorrect values being generated for partition sizes. And if I recall correctly, there was also a bug that would cause FDISK to modify the partition table just by accessing it. Even if the Installer provided the option to not update the Boot Flag, it absolutely needs to check for what partitions exist. Once again, if I recall correctly, simply checking the partition table with that version of FDISK would most likely damage such a complex partition table. There have been numerous fixes to FDISK and other programs since the release of 1.3 that are included on the monthly FreeDOS Interim Test Builds ( available at https://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/distributions/test/ ). However, I would still back up the boot code and partition table using a utility like MBRtool. Jerome _______________________________________________ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] not pleased with 1.3 installer
Jerome Shidel via Freedos-user Tue, 15 Oct 2024 10:25:00 -0700
- [Freedos-user] not pleased with 1.... Felix Miata via Freedos-user
- Re: [Freedos-user] not pleased... Felix Miata via Freedos-user
- Re: [Freedos-user] not ple... Chips Olden via Freedos-user
- Re: [Freedos-user] not... Felix Miata via Freedos-user
- Re: [Freedos-user] not ple... Jerome Shidel via Freedos-user
- Re: [Freedos-user] not... Michał Dec via Freedos-user
- Re: [Freedos-user]... Felix Miata via Freedos-user
- Re: [Freedos-user] not ple... Robert Thorpe via Freedos-user
- Re: [Freedos-user] not... Jerome Shidel via Freedos-user
- Re: [Freedos-user] not... Felix Miata via Freedos-user
- Re: [Freedos-user]... Robert Thorpe via Freedos-user
- Re: [Freedos-user] not... Thomas Cornelius Desi via Freedos-user
- Re: [Freedos-user]... Robert Thorpe via Freedos-user
- Re: [Freedos-user] not pleased... Daniel Essin via Freedos-user
- Re: [Freedos-user] not pleased... Felix Miata via Freedos-user
