Created attachment 699223 [details] storage.log from anaconda Description of problem: I am attempting to install Fedora 18 to a system which has Windows Vista and Fedora 17 already installed on its hard drive. After choosing the installation disk in anaconda, it proceeds as if the entire disk is free. This hard drive has the standard partitioning scheme as follows: sda1: MediaDirect, from Microsoft sda2: Recovery, from Microsoft sda3: Windows Vista boot image sda4: Extended partition sda5: unknown sda6: /boot, for Fedora sda7: LVM2 PV, doled out as follows: lv_root_a / lv_root_b /oldroot lv_home /home lv_swap I've successfully installed Fedora 18 on two systems with purely standard partitions, i.e. no LVM, so that might be a relevant factor here. This error is being reported from the Live DVD, but the same error occurs when running from the install DVD, or from the install DVD on a USB stick. I will try to attach the anaconda log files and a screenshot, as I definitely see the names of the pre-existing partitions in storage.log. Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): Fedora 18 How reproducible: Each time. Steps to Reproduce: 1. Run anaconda (from live or install DVD) 2. Select installation disk and manual partitioning 3. Notice that it says it's entirely free, with no knowledge of prior partitions Actual results: No display of the existing partitions Expected results: A display of the existing partitions, available for modification Additional info:
Created attachment 699224 [details] anaconda.log from anaconda
Created attachment 699225 [details] program.log, presumably from anaconda
Created attachment 699226 [details] anaconda screenshot showing disk as completely free
Please attach all the *log files from /tmp/ as well as /var/log/messages
18:29:16,300 DEBUG storage: looking up parted Device: /dev/sda 18:29:16,301 DEBUG storage: DeviceTree.handleUdevDeviceFormat: name: sda ; 18:29:16,301 DEBUG storage: DeviceTree.handleUdevDiskLabelFormat: device: sda ; label_type: dos ; 18:29:16,302 DEBUG storage: DiskDevice.setup: sda ; status: True ; controllable: True ; orig: False ; 18:29:16,303 DEBUG storage: DiskLabel.__init__: device: /dev/sda ; labelType: msdos ; exists: True ; 18:29:16,483 INFO storage: no usable disklabel on sda 18:29:16,485 DEBUG storage: no type or existing type for sda, bailing Looks like parted doesn't like the disklabel for some reason. What does the output of 'parted -s /dev/sda p' look like?
Created attachment 699271 [details] ifcfg.log, from anaconda activity
Created attachment 699272 [details] /var/log/messages from after the anaconda run
Brian, I've attached the suggested log files. In addition, there was a zero-length packaging.log file in /tmp. I think you're onto something with the disklabel. Here's the output from "parted -s /dev/sda p": Error: Can't have overlapping partitions. Model: ATA TOSHIBA MK1637GS (scsi) Disk /dev/sda: 160GB Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B Partition Table: unknown Disk Flags:
Below is the output of "fdisk -l /dev/sda" (from Fedora 17). I'll have to do more research on how to clean this up. The background is that this is a Dell Inspiron 1420 laptop (2007) with a "media" button that triggers the boot of a limited OS, in order to satisfy customers who want to play a CD or DVD without waiting for a full boot of Windows. A quick web search showed that other people are confused by the type DD partition, too. --- Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders, total 312581808 sectors Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes Disk identifier: 0xe8000000 Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System /dev/sda1 * 307337216 312578047 2620416 c W95 FAT32 (LBA) /dev/sda2 161792 21133311 10485760 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT /dev/sda3 21133312 166023151 72444920 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT /dev/sda4 166031836 312578047 73273106 f W95 Ext'd (LBA) /dev/sda5 307337216 312578047 2620416 dd Unknown /dev/sda6 * 166035456 167059455 512000 83 Linux /dev/sda7 167061504 307322879 70130688 8e Linux LVM Partition table entries are not in disk order
Well, it isn't confusion, it's just plain wrong. You can't have 2 partitions pointing to the same disk space. So in this case we're doing the right thing and not allowing the disk to be used (or damaged). You'll have to clean it up somehow before you can run the install.
Brian, I agree that the partition table is just plain wrong. The confusion is in fact caused by the set-up of the Dell MediaDirect feature. Quoting from its wikipedia page, "The chosen approach causes disk geometry to be deliberately misreported, can prevent the successful backup of hard disks and may trigger catastrophic data loss when MediaDirect is launched". Not exactly a pleasant thing to discover in a computer that one has purchased. I forget what command-line tools I used for allocating space for Linux on this hard drive back in 2008, but it's entirely plausible that it was bamboozled by the actions of Dell's system preparation. I've deleted the partition denoted by /dev/sda1 in the above list, and now the installation proceeds to show me the pre-existing partitions, twice actually, but I'm still getting used to the Fedora 18 anaconda approach. I suspect that the installation will now work fine, despite the slightly confusing display now. I'll make sure to define my desired mount points only once. However, one could say that the Principle of Least Astonishment was violated earlier by displaying a bootable disk as enitirely available. It might be better for anaconda to state that the partition table was invalid, rather than treat it as a blank slate. Seeing no warnings about deletion of pre-existing partitions, newcomers might wipe out their disk, then go away grumbling and never use Linux again.