(Solved) Invalid Partition Table ! dual booting MX Linux and Peppermint Linux [Solved]

[beersloth]

Code: Select all

NAME   MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda      8:0    0 465.8G  0 disk 
├─sda1   8:1    0  58.6G  0 part 
├─sda2   8:2    0  58.1G  0 part /
├─sda3   8:3    0     1K  0 part 
├─sda4   8:4    0  58.6G  0 part 
└─sda5   8:5    0 290.5G  0 part /media/user/HOMES
sr0     11:0    1  1024M  0 rom 

[beersloth]

Code: Select all

[code]
System:
  Host: <filter> Kernel: 5.8.0-3-amd64 x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: N/A 
  parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.8.0-3-amd64 
  root=UUID=<filter> ro quiet splash 
  Desktop: KDE Plasma 5.14.5 wm: kwin_x11 dm: SDDM 
  Distro: MX-19.3_KDE_x64 patito feo November 11 2020 
  base: Debian GNU/Linux 10 (buster) 
Machine:
  Type: Laptop System: Dell product: Latitude E6430 v: 01 serial: <filter> Chassis: 
  type: 9 serial: <filter> 
  Mobo: Dell model: 0H3MT5 v: A00 serial: <filter> BIOS: Dell v: A12 
  date: 05/20/2013 
Battery:
  ID-1: BAT0 charge: 54.8 Wh condition: 54.8/62.2 Wh (88%) volts: 12.7/11.1 
  model: Sanyo DELL R2D9M5C type: Li-ion serial: <filter> status: Full 
CPU:
  Topology: Dual Core model: Intel Core i5-3380M bits: 64 type: MT MCP 
  arch: Ivy Bridge family: 6 model-id: 3A (58) stepping: 9 microcode: 21 
  L2 cache: 3072 KiB 
  flags: avx lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 23124 
  Speed: 3237 MHz min/max: 1200/3600 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 3237 2: 3239 3: 3191 
  4: 3254 
  Vulnerabilities: Type: itlb_multihit status: KVM: VMX disabled 
  Type: l1tf 
  mitigation: PTE Inversion; VMX: conditional cache flushes, SMT vulnerable 
  Type: mds mitigation: Clear CPU buffers; SMT vulnerable 
  Type: meltdown mitigation: PTI 
  Type: spec_store_bypass 
  mitigation: Speculative Store Bypass disabled via prctl and seccomp 
  Type: spectre_v1 
  mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer sanitization 
  Type: spectre_v2 mitigation: Full generic retpoline, IBPB: conditional, IBRS_FW, 
  STIBP: conditional, RSB filling 
  Type: srbds status: Vulnerable: No microcode 
  Type: tsx_async_abort status: Not affected 
Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA GF108GLM [NVS 5200M] vendor: Dell driver: nouveau v: kernel 
  bus ID: 01:00.0 chip ID: 10de:0dfc 
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.9 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa 
  compositor: kwin_x11 resolution: 1920x1200~60Hz, 1920x1200~60Hz 
  OpenGL: renderer: NVC1 v: 4.3 Mesa 20.1.8 direct render: Yes 
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel 7 Series/C216 Family High Definition Audio vendor: Dell 
  driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1b.0 chip ID: 8086:1e20 
  Device-2: NVIDIA GF108 High Definition Audio vendor: Dell driver: snd_hda_intel 
  v: kernel bus ID: 01:00.1 chip ID: 10de:0bea 
  Device-3: Harman Harman/Kardon SoundSticks type: USB 
  driver: hid-generic,snd-usb-audio,usbhid bus ID: 4-1.7.3:4 chip ID: 05fc:7849 
  Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.8.0-3-amd64 
Network:
  Device-1: Intel 82579LM Gigabit Network vendor: Dell driver: e1000e v: 3.2.6-k 
  port: f040 bus ID: 00:19.0 chip ID: 8086:1502 
  IF: eth0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter> 
  Device-2: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 [Taylor Peak] driver: iwlwifi v: kernel 
  port: e000 bus ID: 03:00.0 chip ID: 8086:0082 
  IF: wlan0 state: down mac: <filter> 
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 465.76 GiB used: 42.20 GiB (9.1%) 
  ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Western Digital model: WDS500G2B0A-00SM50 size: 465.76 GiB 
  block size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 6.0 Gb/s serial: <filter> 
  rev: 30WD temp: 34 C scheme: MBR 
RAID:
  Hardware-1: Intel 82801 Mobile SATA Controller [RAID mode] driver: ahci v: 3.0 
  port: f020 bus ID: 00:1f.2 chip ID: 8086.282a rev: 04 
Partition:
  ID-1: / raw size: 58.12 GiB size: 56.96 GiB (98.00%) used: 14.38 GiB (25.2%) 
  fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda2 
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 62.0 C mobo: 48.0 C sodimm: 42.0 C gpu: nouveau 
  temp: 67 C 
  Fan Speeds (RPM): cpu: 2868 
Repos:
  No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list 
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian-stable-updates.list 
  1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian buster-updates main contrib non-free
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.list 
  1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian buster main contrib non-free
  2: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian-security buster/updates main contrib non-free
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mx.list 
  1: deb http://la.mxrepo.com/mx/repo/ buster main non-free
  2: deb http://la.mxrepo.com/mx/repo/ buster ahs
  No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/various.list 
Info:
  Processes: 212 Uptime: 39m Memory: 7.73 GiB used: 1.53 GiB (19.8%) Init: SysVinit 
  v: 2.93 runlevel: 5 default: 5 Compilers: gcc: 8.3.0 alt: 8 Shell: quick-system-in 
  running in: quick-system-in inxi: 3.0.36 

[/code]

[beersloth]

I still have the formatted partition where Manjaro used to live and torment me. If I install another Linux there, I will go through the whole "where to install GRUB" part of the installation process. Will that overwrite the partition table and fix this ? That would be easiest if it would.

[JayM]

It won't overwrite the partition table. Gparted can do that but it would essentially wipe your drive ad cause you to have to reinstall both MX and Peppermint.

One thing I see from your Quick System Info, though unrelated to the partition table issue, is that your SATA controller is set to RAID mode in your BIOS. It should be AHCI to give you better performance with your SSD.

The reason I kept talking about grub is that you mentioned that you thought that you're still booting with Manjaro's grub. I though that perhaps it wasn't actually an issue with the partition table but with the way grub's settings are reading it and that reinstalling MX's grub might fix that if you installed to the right place (MBR, I think, again based on your QSI.)

Some of the MX devs and other guides should be online soon and can probably help you more than I can. (I've been working on a computer hardware swap most of the day and I'm kind of tired and not thinking as clearly as normal.)

[beersloth]

I went into BIOS and changed to AHCI. Thanks for that
I also used the mx boot repair and put GRUB in the MBR again. Now when I reboot I get two "invalid partion table!" warnings on the same black page where GRUB should be. I hit "enter" key then I am at a working GRUB. GRUB does not look like it did with the manjaro distro. In fact it is pretty plain-jane. I don't think it looks like the MX linux GRUB either.

This is frustrating. I am going to crash. I will check back in the AM. If I have to... can I make a live USB of THIS MX Linux installation ? I know for sure that I can do so of my Peppermint Linux installation. I could reinstall. I want to only have three partitions anyway. Somehow I have to figure out how to merge that empty SDA4 and that big extented partion called "HOMES" while preserving the data. I am in over my head

[JayM]

MX Snapshot will make an ISO of your MX installation (choose personal snapshot) though you should exclude your various data subdirectories in your home folder and back those up separately, then MX Live USB Maker will burn the ISO to a USB stick for you. This will preserve your user account, settings and installed apps in MX.

[nomad]

Open Gparted and see if you have 'boot' under 'Flags'. If not, right click the MX partition > select Manage Flags then select boot.

[asqwerth]

Partition tables: aren't they either msdos or GPT?

Why would you have an "Invalid partition table" error message unless perhaps at least one of your current/former distros was installed on the basis of GPT, but currently your partition table is msdos (based on the fact sda3 is an extended partition housing sda4 and 5) and your MX bootloader is written/installed in MBR.

But I'm just guessing.

To help the experts who may not have logged on for the day yet, it might help to provide the order in which you installed and/or removed the various distros on the computer, whether a distro's grub bootloader was installed on MBR or root partition, etc.

[beersloth]

"Open Gparted and see if you have 'boot' under 'Flags'. If not, right click the MX partition > select Manage Flags then select boot."

was the fix.

Thanks nomad.

[JayM]

Hooray!
Could you please click the button with a checkmark icon next to the post containing the solution?

This will help others if they have the same problem and search the forum looking for the solution. Thanks.