Partition table trashed by installer
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2018 6:51 pm
Four years ago I successfully installed FreeBSD on a logical partition in a multiboot setup. In the process of setting up a similar arrangement on a new laptop with an MBR partition table, I have today tried to install GhostBSD on to a logical partition. I was not impressed by the consequences.
The GhostBSD installer listed all my numerous logical partitions correctly. One was an empty FreeBSD partition to which installation was to be attempted. Since the installer would not accept this, I deleted it and instructed the installer to create a new partition in the resulting empty space. I did the same for a swap partition, then began the installation after choosing not to install the boot manager. The installation completed, apparently successfully.
I rebooted from a systemrescue usb disk to inspect the partition table. What I had left were four primary partitions, with GhostBSD presumably having successfully installed itself on the fourth. I'm not sure there is anything I can printably write to convey my opinion of GhostBSD at that point. Mercifully, the first logical partition was larger than the space which was supposed to be allocated to GhostBSD and seems to have absorbed all the damage: other installations I have checked on subsequent logical partitions - after restoring the partition table - have booted successfully.
What is unacceptable about this is that the installer accepted the partitioning setup, which unequivocally specified two logical partitions which the installer had recognised. There was nothing to protect the user - except perhaps for a healthy cynicism which on this occasion I suspended - from allowing GhostBSD to trash his/her system.
There was another extraordinary issue beforehand Having created a USB installer for GhostBSD, when this is inserted into a USB socket under Windows, the result is an instant BSOD and the system reboots. When the disk was first written, under Windows, the BSOD was triggered when the process of writing the ISO completed.
I thought I had found a BSD with a user-friendly desktop and graphical installer comparable to Linux distros. This has been a disappointing experience.
The GhostBSD installer listed all my numerous logical partitions correctly. One was an empty FreeBSD partition to which installation was to be attempted. Since the installer would not accept this, I deleted it and instructed the installer to create a new partition in the resulting empty space. I did the same for a swap partition, then began the installation after choosing not to install the boot manager. The installation completed, apparently successfully.
I rebooted from a systemrescue usb disk to inspect the partition table. What I had left were four primary partitions, with GhostBSD presumably having successfully installed itself on the fourth. I'm not sure there is anything I can printably write to convey my opinion of GhostBSD at that point. Mercifully, the first logical partition was larger than the space which was supposed to be allocated to GhostBSD and seems to have absorbed all the damage: other installations I have checked on subsequent logical partitions - after restoring the partition table - have booted successfully.
What is unacceptable about this is that the installer accepted the partitioning setup, which unequivocally specified two logical partitions which the installer had recognised. There was nothing to protect the user - except perhaps for a healthy cynicism which on this occasion I suspended - from allowing GhostBSD to trash his/her system.
There was another extraordinary issue beforehand Having created a USB installer for GhostBSD, when this is inserted into a USB socket under Windows, the result is an instant BSOD and the system reboots. When the disk was first written, under Windows, the BSOD was triggered when the process of writing the ISO completed.
I thought I had found a BSD with a user-friendly desktop and graphical installer comparable to Linux distros. This has been a disappointing experience.