recover from a bad F16 install

[R. G. Newbury]

Paul Allen Newell wrote
 >>>> its does the same "No usable disks"

 >>
 >> PartedMagic was the one option I asked about in my original email and it

 >On both the LiveCD and the installation DVD troubleshot into a bash
shell, I am getting "parted - Invalid partition table - recursive
partition on /dev/sr0" and I am pretty certain it is looking at the
CD/DVD as that's the device it displays. So I don't know whether I am
even able to get at the hardware via parted/cfdisk (???)
dn't make sense of them.

 >I am also going to look at the sysresccd site and see if it
presents me with easier to understand access.

 >All I want to do is get it back to a sane minimal state that I can run
the installation DVD and let it do the proper partitioning.

Paul, you really do need the system rescue disk. Grab the cd iso and 
read the instructions to make a usb stick from the iso. The iso is 
84Meg. I carry one of my oldest memory sticks in my briefcase with this 
installed. Then it is a quick matter to interrupt a boot and select the 
usb stick as the boot medium (F12 on my Thinkpad). Or change the boot 
order in the bios on the desktop.

Also, there is a good explanation of GPT vs MBR boot processes on the 
sysrescue site. I STRONGLY suspect that your prior attempt at 
installation failed with the disk prepared for, but not yet partitioned 
as GPT.

And no software not GPT-aware can deal with that. Thus 'no usable 
disks'. (The F16 repos now carry the 'gdisk' package which is a 
gpt-aware version of fdisk but I am not sure that the install uses that 
capability.)

The system rescue cd is based on the 3.2 kernel and has gparted .12, 
which should be gpt aware. It should allow you to change back to a blank 
MBR setup drive.

If that does not work, then use gdisk from the the Fedora16 LiveCD. You 
will need to use the -x option and then -z to zap the (wrong) gpt 
structures. Again, luckily you need not worry about zapping any data or 
even an mbr setup.

How did this happen? The anaconda installer will leave an mbr 
partitioned disk as is, but will use gpt if the disk is blank or if you 
let *it* partition the drive. Thus another poster's comment: 'never let 
fedora partition your disk.' Always pre-partition, and select 'Custom', 
so you are in control of the partition sizes and names.

HTH

G.
-
              R. Geoffrey Newbury