Weird partitions table?

meulie · Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 7:20 pm Post subject: Weird partitions table?

Hi all,

Trying to add Linux on a Vista laptop. I've shrunk the original Vista-partition, and added 2 new partitions (done within Vista). Now my partition table looks as follows when I boot a Gentoo CD:

timeBandit · Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 7:46 pm Post subject:

It's normal. sda4 is an extended partition--a partition that contains an arbitrary number of other partitions. You can't create a filesystem on an extended partition. sda5 is a logical partition, contained entirely within the extended partition. That's where you want to create your Gentoo filesystem.

The extended partition is an ancient workaround for the limitation that only four partitions can be defined in the master boot record (MBR) of a disk. Vista set up the new partitions this way to allow you to add more in the future--if it had simply created another primary partition, you'd have reached the limit of four and be permanently stuck (unless you wiped and repartitioned the disk).
_________________
Plants are pithy, brooks tend to babble--I'm content to lie between them.
Super-short f.g.o checklist: Search first, strip comments, mark solved, help others.

meulie · Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 7:54 pm Post subject:

Hmm, I knew that, of course... But why didn't I THINK of it...?

_________________
Greetz,
Evert Meulie

timeBandit · Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 8:02 pm Post subject:

Perhaps because on Friday afternoon (evening) one should no longer be expected to think, until Monday.

Have fun installing!
_________________
Plants are pithy, brooks tend to babble--I'm content to lie between them.
Super-short f.g.o checklist: Search first, strip comments, mark solved, help others.