Just try this with windows!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RudeCat7]

I was dicking around with fdisk(linux) on a spare machine that also has Suse installed. Since I don't know who to use the linux version, I was just kinda playing around. Anyhow, I deleted all the partitions, so as far as I'm concerned, I fucked up my suse install, right?

Nope! I rebooted, the kernel found some errors, fixed them, and next thing you know, the login screen pops up, and everything is o.k.

Who can explain this? I know this would be impossible with any windows crap!

P.S.- I was doing this because I was trying to install Slackware, I'm tired so I gave up quickly.

[Fett101]

Your making me sad. Next time I somehow accidentally delete all my partitions, I'm not gonna get them back. Guess I'll have to give up playing with a startup disk in DOS. And that was my favorite past time *sniff*

[psyjax]

quote:Originally posted by fett101:
Your making me sad. Next time I somehow accidentally delete all my partitions, I'm not gonna get them back. Guess I'll have to give up playing with a startup disk in DOS. And that was my favorite past time *sniff*

Ummm... adamant windows user? Yes, no?

[LorKorub]

quote:Who can explain this?

I am not quite sure on this, but as long as you didn't delete LILO, or if you didn't fuck with the MBR, the Linux Kernel should detect an erroneous partition table and repair it automatically. I am guessing that you just used FDISK, but you didn't format or erase any of the data inside of the partitions, no?

I've never tried it on Window$, so I wouldn't know.  With windows, fucking around with FDISK is just asking for trouble.

[Master of Reality]

it depends what command you used to exit fdisk. if you did "w" it will write that partitions and exit. if you did "q" it will quit without changing anything.

[RudeCat7]

Yeah, you're probably right, I didn't do anything to the MBR, or LILO so that was probably intact. Still cool though, the robustness I mean. So, today I'm still trying to install the "undead linux" or "evil entity" distro.

I must've done something wrong in my first try. LILO hangs at "LI" but I will try again. I think I've seen this problem posted a lot of times, so I will look.

[Fett101]

quote:Originally posted by psyjax:


Ummm... adamant windows user? Yes, no?

undecided. XP's been fine to me so far, but I want to give Linux another go. I'd love to try out a Mac though since I've never touched on before.

[sAvAgE]

Does suse U have run Grub??? if so you can modify the kernel parameters and put back your ext3 partitons somehow... is that what you did? if so tell me how you did it I would love to know

[RudeCat7]

Nah, like I said, I didn't know what I was doing at the time with FDISK. I did change the partitions a little bit, but I didn't do any serious "writes" to really mess up LILO and the MBR.

[Centurian]

First the self fixing is linux using the backup copy of the partition table. It is my understanding that linux only changes the first copy. Then when it boots satisfactory it auto changes the second copy. That is why you got everything back so easily.

Second not all distros will work with LILO or GRUB on a particular machine. It seems that one or the other will always work though. I had the same thing happen to me with Mandrake trying to install GRUB so I had to use LILO then. Now I use REDHAT so I am using GRUB.