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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.1.2//EN"
"http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.1.2/docbookx.dtd" [
<!ENTITY appversion "0.20.0">
<!ENTITY manrevision "1.8">
<!ENTITY date "September 2014">
<!ENTITY app "gparted">
<!ENTITY appname "GParted">
<!-- Information about the entities:
Use the appversion entity to specify the version of the application.
Use the manrevision entity to specify the revision number of this manual.
Use the date entity to specify the release date of this manual.
Use the app entity to specify the command name of the application.
Use the appname entity to specify the formal name of the application.
-->
]>
<!-- Remember to update the revision history -->
<!--
To generate a single html file of this document, use the command:
xmlto html-nochunks gparted.xml
To test this document in a viewer, use the command:
gnome-help file:/full-path-to-gparted.xml
-->
<!-- ============= Document Header =================================== -->
<?db.chunk.max_depth 4?>
<article id="gparted" lang="en">
<!-- Please do not change the id. -->
<!-- For translations, change lang to appropriate code -->
<articleinfo>
<title>&appname; Manual</title>
<publisher>
<publishername>&appname; Project</publishername>
</publisher>
<abstract role="description">
<para>
&appname; is the GNOME Partition Editor for creating,
reorganizing, and deleting disk partitions.
&appname; enables you to change the partition organization while preserving
the partition contents.
</para>
</abstract>
<copyright>
<year>2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014</year>
<holder>Curtis Gedak</holder>
</copyright>
<!-- translators: uncomment this:
<copyright>
<year>2009</year>
<holder>ME-THE-TRANSLATOR (Latin translation)</holder>
</copyright>
-->
<legalnotice>
<para>
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover
Texts. You can find a copy of the GFDL at this
<ulink type="help" url="ghelp:fdl">link</ulink> or at
<ulink type="http" url="http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/fdl.html"/>
or in the file COPYING-DOCS distributed with this manual.
</para>
</legalnotice>
<authorgroup>
<author role="maintainer">
<firstname>Curtis</firstname>
<surname>Gedak</surname>
<affiliation>
<orgname>&appname; Project</orgname>
<address>
<email>gedakc@users.sf.net</email>
</address>
</affiliation>
</author>
<!-- This is appropriate place for other contributors: translators,
maintainers, etc. Commented out by default.
<othercredit role="translator">
<firstname>Latin</firstname>
<surname>Translator 1</surname>
<affiliation>
<orgname>Latin Translation Team</orgname>
<address> <email>translator@gnome.org</email> </address>
</affiliation>
<contrib>Latin translation</contrib>
</othercredit>
-->
</authorgroup>
<!-- According to GNU FDL, revision history is mandatory if you are -->
<!-- modifying/reusing someone else's document. If not, you can omit it. -->
<revhistory>
<revision>
<revnumber>&appname; Manual V1.8</revnumber>
<date>September 2014</date>
<revdescription>
<para role="author">Curtis Gedak</para>
<para role="publisher">&appname; Project</para>
<para role="annotations">Describes version 0.20.0 of &appname;</para>
</revdescription>
</revision>
<revision>
<revnumber>&appname; Manual V1.7</revnumber>
<date>February 2014</date>
<revdescription>
<para role="author">Curtis Gedak</para>
<para role="publisher">&appname; Project</para>
<para role="annotations">Describes version 0.18.0 of &appname;</para>
</revdescription>
</revision>
<revision>
<revnumber>&appname; Manual V1.6</revnumber>
<date>December 2013</date>
<revdescription>
<para role="author">Curtis Gedak</para>
<para role="publisher">&appname; Project</para>
<para role="annotations">Describes version 0.17.0 of &appname;</para>
</revdescription>
</revision>
<revision>
<revnumber>&appname; Manual V1.5</revnumber>
<date>September 2013</date>
<revdescription>
<para role="author">Curtis Gedak</para>
<para role="publisher">&appname; Project</para>
<para role="annotations">Describes version 0.16.2 of &appname;</para>
</revdescription>
</revision>
<revision>
<revnumber>&appname; Manual V1.4</revnumber>
<date>February 2012</date>
<revdescription>
<para role="author">Curtis Gedak</para>
<para role="publisher">&appname; Project</para>
<para role="annotations">Describes version 0.12.0 of &appname;</para>
</revdescription>
</revision>
<revision>
<revnumber>&appname; Manual V1.3</revnumber>
<date>January 2011</date>
<revdescription>
<para role="author">Curtis Gedak</para>
<para role="publisher">&appname; Project</para>
<para role="annotations">Describes version 0.8.0 of &appname;</para>
</revdescription>
</revision>
<revision>
<revnumber>&appname; Manual V1.2</revnumber>
<date>June 2010</date>
<revdescription>
<para role="author">Curtis Gedak</para>
<para role="publisher">&appname; Project</para>
<para role="annotations">Describes version 0.6.0 of &appname;</para>
</revdescription>
</revision>
<revision>
<revnumber>&appname; Manual V1.1</revnumber>
<date>July 2009</date>
<revdescription>
<para role="author">Curtis Gedak</para>
<para role="publisher">&appname; Project</para>
<para role="annotations">Describes version 0.4.6 of &appname;</para>
</revdescription>
</revision>
<revision>
<revnumber>&appname; Manual V1.0</revnumber>
<date>January 2009</date>
<revdescription>
<para role="author">Curtis Gedak</para>
<para role="publisher">&appname; Project</para>
<para role="annotations">Describes version 0.4.2 of &appname;</para>
</revdescription>
</revision>
<revision>
<revnumber>&appname; Manual V0.3.9</revnumber>
<date>September 2008</date>
<revdescription>
<para role="author">Curtis Gedak</para>
<para role="publisher">&appname; Project</para>
<para role="annotations">Describes version 0.3.9 of &appname;</para>
</revdescription>
</revision>
</revhistory>
<releaseinfo>
This manual describes version &appversion; of &appname;
</releaseinfo>
<legalnotice>
<title>Feedback</title>
<para>
To report a bug or make a suggestion regarding the
<application>&app;</application> application or this manual,
follow the directions at
<ulink type="http" url="http://gparted.org/bugs.php"/>.
</para>
<!-- Translators may also add here feedback address for translations -->
</legalnotice>
</articleinfo>
<!-- ============= Document Body ===================================== -->
<!-- ============= Introduction ====================================== -->
<sect1 id="gparted-introduction">
<title>Introduction</title>
<para>
The <application>&app;</application> application is the GNOME Partition
Editor for creating, reorganizing, and deleting disk partitions.
</para>
<para>
A disk device can be subdivided into one or more partitions.
The <application>&app;</application> application enables you to
change the partition organization on a disk device while
preserving the contents of the partition.
</para>
<para>
With <application>&app;</application> you can accomplish the following
tasks:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Create a partition table on a disk device.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Enable and disable partition flags such as boot and hidden.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Perform actions with partitions such as create, delete,
resize, move, check, label, copy, and paste.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
<caution>
<para>
Editing partitions has the potential to cause LOSS of DATA.
</para>
<para>
The <application>&app;</application> application is
designed to enable you to edit partitions while
reducing the risk of data loss.
The application is carefully tested and is used
by the &appname; project team.
However, loss of data might occur due to software bugs,
hardware problems, or power failure.
</para>
<para>
You can help to reduce the risk of data loss by
not mounting or unmounting partitions outside of
the <application>&app;</application> application while
<application>&app;</application> is running.
</para>
<para>
You are advised to BACKUP your DATA before using
the <application>&app;</application> application.
</para>
</caution>
</sect1>
<!-- ============= Getting Started =================================== -->
<sect1 id="gparted-getting-started">
<title>Getting Started</title>
<para>
</para>
<!-- ============= To Start gparted ================================== -->
<sect2 id="gparted-to-start">
<title>Starting &app;</title>
<para>
You can start <application>&app;</application> in the following ways:
</para>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><guimenu>Applications</guimenu> menu</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose <menuchoice><guisubmenu>System Tools</guisubmenu><guimenuitem>GParted Partition Editor</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Command line</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Execute the following command: <command>&app;</command>
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
<para>
On startup, <application>&app;</application> will scan your
computer for disk devices.
</para>
</sect2>
<!-- ============= When You Start gparted ============================ -->
<sect2 id="gparted-when-you-start">
<title>The &app; Window</title>
<para>
When you start <application>&app;</application>, the following
window is displayed:
</para>
<!-- ==== Figure ==== -->
<!-- The GNOME Documentation Project recommends a maximum image
width of 510 pixels.
http://library.gnome.org/devel/gdp-style-guide/stable/screenshot-4.html.en
-->
<figure id="gparted-window">
<title>&app; Window</title>
<screenshot>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="figures/gparted_window.png" format="PNG"/>
</imageobject>
<textobject>
<phrase>Shows &app; main window.</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>
</screenshot>
</figure>
<para>
The <application>&app;</application> window contains the following
elements:
</para>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term>Menubar</term>
<listitem>
<para>
The menus on the menubar contain all of the commands you need
to work with disk devices and partitions in
<application>&app;</application>.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Toolbar</term>
<listitem>
<para>
The toolbar contains a subset of the commands that you can
access from the menubar.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Graphic Display Area</term>
<listitem>
<para>
The graphic display area contains the visual representation
of the partitions on the selected disk device.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Text Display Area</term>
<listitem>
<para>
The text display area contains the text list
of the partitions on the selected disk device.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Statusbar</term>
<listitem>
<para>
The statusbar displays information about current
<application>&app;</application> activity or the
number of operations pending.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Device Information Pane</term>
<listitem>
<para>
The device information pane displays details about the selected
disk device.
</para>
<para>
By default the device information pane is not shown.
To show the device information pane, choose
<menuchoice><guimenu>View</guimenu><guimenuitem>Device Information</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Pending Operations Pane</term>
<listitem>
<para>
The pending operations pane displays the current list of
partition operations in the queue.
</para>
<para>
By default the pending operations pane is not shown when there
are 0 pending operations.
To show the pending operations pane, choose
<menuchoice><guimenu>View</guimenu><guimenuitem>Pending Operations</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
<para>
When you left-click in either display area, you select a partition
to use for partition editing actions.
</para>
<para>
When you right-click in either display area, the application displays
a popup menu.
The popup menu contains the most common partition editing actions.
</para>
<para>Like other GNOME applications, actions in
<application>&app;</application> can be performed in several ways:
with the menu, with the toolbar, or with shortcut keys.
</para>
</sect2>
<!-- ============= To Specify Devices on the Command Line ============ -->
<sect2 id="gparted-run-from-cmd-line">
<title>Running &app; from a Command Line</title>
<para>
You can run <application>&app;</application> from a command line
and specify one or more disk devices.
</para>
<para>
To work with multiple disk devices from a command line, type the following
command, then press <keycap>Enter</keycap>:
</para>
<para>
<screen><prompt>$ </prompt><command>&app; <replaceable>/path-to-your-device1 /path-to-your-device2</replaceable></command></screen>
</para>
</sect2>
</sect1>
<!-- ============= Usage ============================================= -->
<!-- ============= Viewing File System Support ======================= -->
<sect1 id="gparted-usage">
<title>Viewing File System Support</title>
<para>
To view the actions supported on file systems, choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>View</guimenu><guimenuitem>File System Support</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application displays the <guilabel>File System Support</guilabel>
dialog.
</para>
<para>
If you have installed software while
<application>&app;</application> is running,
click <guibutton>Rescan For Supported Actions</guibutton>
to refresh the chart.
The application refreshes the display of the chart.
</para>
<para>
To close the <guilabel>File System Support</guilabel> dialog,
click <guibutton>Close</guibutton>.
</para>
</sect1>
<!-- ============= Working With Devices ============================== -->
<sect1 id="gparted-devices">
<title>Working with Devices</title>
<!-- ============= To Select a Device ================================ -->
<sect2 id="gparted-select-device">
<title>Selecting a Device</title>
<para>
To select a disk device, choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>GParted</guimenu><guimenuitem>Devices</guimenuitem></menuchoice>
and select a device from the list.
The application displays the device partition layout in the
<application>&app;</application> window.
</para>
</sect2>
<!-- ============= To View Device Information ======================== -->
<sect2 id="gparted-view-device-information">
<title>Viewing Device Information</title>
<para>
To view information about a disk device:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Select a disk device.
See <xref linkend="gparted-select-device"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Select:
<menuchoice><guimenu>View</guimenu><guimenuitem>Device Information</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application opens a side pane in the
<application>&app;</application> window
and displays information about the device.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
<para>
To close the <guilabel>Device Information</guilabel> side pane,
deselect:
<menuchoice><guimenu>View</guimenu><guimenuitem>Device Information</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
</para>
</sect2>
<!-- ============= To Refresh a Device =============================== -->
<sect2 id="gparted-refresh-device">
<title>Refreshing All Devices</title>
<para>
To refresh all disk devices, choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>GParted</guimenu><guimenuitem>Refresh Devices</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application rescans all the disk devices and refreshes the device
partition layout in the <application>&app;</application> window.
</para>
</sect2>
<!-- ============= To Create a New Partition Table =================== -->
<sect2 id="gparted-create-partition-table">
<title>Creating a New Partition Table</title>
<para>
To create a new partition table on a disk device:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Select a disk device.
See <xref linkend="gparted-select-device"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Device</guimenu><guimenuitem>Create Partition Table</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application displays a
<guilabel>Create partition table on <replaceable>/path-to-device</replaceable></guilabel>
dialog.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Optionally select a different partition table type from the
list.
</para>
<note>
<para>
The default partition table type is
<guimenuitem>msdos</guimenuitem> for disks smaller than 2
Tebibytes in size (assuming a 512 byte sector size) and
<guimenuitem>gpt</guimenuitem> for disks 2 Tebibytes and
larger.
</para>
<para>
See <xref linkend="gparted-specify-partition-type"/> for
<guimenuitem>msdos</guimenuitem> partition table
limitations.
</para>
</note>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Click <guibutton>Apply</guibutton> to create the new partition table.
The application writes the new partition table to the disk device.
The application refreshes the device partition layout in the
<application>&app;</application> window.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
<caution>
<para>
WARNING: This will ERASE ALL DATA on the ENTIRE DISK DEVICE.
</para>
<para>
If you accidentally overwrite your partition table, see
<xref linkend="gparted-recover-partition-table"/>.
</para>
</caution>
</sect2>
<!-- ============= To Attempt Data Rescue =================== -->
<sect2 id="gparted-attempt-data-rescue">
<title>Attempting Data Rescue</title>
<para>
To attempt data rescue from a disk device:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Select a disk device.
See <xref linkend="gparted-select-device"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Device</guimenu><guimenuitem>Attempt Data Rescue</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application displays a
<guilabel>Search for file systems on <replaceable>/path-to-device</replaceable></guilabel>
dialog.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Click <guibutton>OK</guibutton> to start the full disk scan.
</para>
<tip>
<para>
Large disk devices can take a very long time to scan.
If you do not have the time to wait for a full disk scan
then click <guibutton>Cancel</guibutton>.
</para>
</tip>
<note>
<para>
A maximum of 4 partitions with file systems might be
discovered. If you want to discover more than 4
partitions and restore the partition table, see
<xref linkend="gparted-recover-partition-table"/>.
</para>
</note>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
When the full disk scan completes one of two possible
dialogs is displayed:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
<guilabel>No file systems found
on <replaceable>/path-to-device</replaceable>
</guilabel>
</para>
<para>
If no file systems are found, you have other options
to try to rescue your data.
The <application>photorec</application> application
is designed to help recover many different types of
lost files. For more information
about <application>photorec</application>, see
<ulink type="http"
url="http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec"/>.
</para>
<para>
Click <guibutton>OK</guibutton> to close the dialog
box, and end this attempt to rescue data.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<guilabel>File systems found
on <replaceable>/path-to-device</replaceable>
</guilabel>
</para>
<para>
If file systems are found, each file system is
displayed in a list along with
a <guibutton>View</guibutton> button. The dialog
will indicate if there are data inconsistencies.
Inconsistencies in the data might prevent you from
viewing the data.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
To rescue data, use the following steps for each file system:
<orderedlist numeration="upperalpha">
<listitem>
<para>
Click <guibutton>View</guibutton> to mount and display
the file system. Your default file manager is opened
and displays a read-only view of the file system.
</para>
<note>
<para>
If the dialog <guilabel>Unable to open the default
file manager</guilabel> is displayed, then you
will need to open a file manager and navigate to
the mount point for the file system.
</para>
<para>
The mount point is shown in the dialog, for
example "/tmp/gparted-roview-XXXXXX".
</para>
<para>
Click <guibutton>OK</guibutton> to close the
<guilabel>Unable to open the
default file manager</guilabel> dialog.
</para>
</note>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Use the file manager to copy your data to other
storage media.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
When you are finished copying your data, close the
file manager.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
When you are finished rescuing data,
click <guibutton>Close</guibutton> to end this attempt to
rescue data. The application umounts any file systems
that were mounted for viewing. Then the application
rescans all the disk devices and refreshes the device
partition layout in the <application>&app;</application>
window.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
</sect2>
</sect1>
<!-- ============= Working with Partitions =========================== -->
<sect1 id="gparted-partitions">
<title>Working with Partitions</title>
<!-- ============= Basic Partition Actions =========================== -->
<sect2 id="gparted-basic-partition-actions">
<title>Basic Partition Actions</title>
<para>
These actions will not alter partitions on your disk device.
</para>
<!-- ============= To Select a Partition ============================= -->
<sect3 id="gparted-select-partition">
<title>Selecting a Partition</title>
<para>
To select a partition, use one of the following:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Click on a partition in the graphic display area.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Click on a partition in the text display area.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
<para>
The application highlights the partition in both the graphic
display area and the text display area in the
<application>&app;</application> window.
</para>
<note>
<para>
Partition operations such as delete, move, copy, format,
check, label, and often resize require the partition to be
unmounted.
See <xref linkend="gparted-unmount-partition"/>.
</para>
</note>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= To Select Unallocated Space ======================= -->
<sect3 id="gparted-select-unallocated">
<title>Selecting Unallocated Space</title>
<para>
To select unallocated space, use one of the following:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Click on <guilabel>unallocated</guilabel> in the graphic display area.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Click on <guilabel>unallocated</guilabel> in the text display area.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
<para>
The application highlights the unallocated space in both the graphic
display area and the text display area in the
<application>&app;</application> window.
</para>
<tip>
<para>
If you do not have any disk devices with unallocated space,
you might try the following:
</para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Add a new disk device to your computer.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Shrink a partition that contains unused space.
See <xref linkend="gparted-resize-partition"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</tip>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= To View Partition Information ===================== -->
<sect3 id="gparted-view-partition-information">
<title>Viewing Partition Information</title>
<para>
To view information about a partition:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Select a partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-select-partition"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Partition</guimenu><guimenuitem>Information</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application opens an <guilabel>Information about
<replaceable>/path-to-partition</replaceable></guilabel> dialog.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
<para>
To close the <guilabel>Information about
<replaceable>/path-to-partition</replaceable></guilabel> dialog,
click <guibutton>Close</guibutton>.
</para>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= To Mount a Partition ============================== -->
<sect3 id="gparted-mount-partition">
<title>Mounting a Partition</title>
<para>
To mount a partition:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Select an unmounted partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-select-partition"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Partition</guimenu><guimenuitem>Mount</guimenuitem></menuchoice>
and select a mount point from the list.
The application mounts the partition on the mount point and
refreshes the device partition layout in the
<application>&app;</application> window.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
<note>
<para>
If
<menuchoice><guimenu>Partition</guimenu><guimenuitem>Mount</guimenuitem></menuchoice>
is not visible, then <application>&app;</application>
does not know where the partition should be mounted.
</para>
</note>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= To Unmount a Partition ============================ -->
<sect3 id="gparted-unmount-partition">
<title>Unmounting a Partition</title>
<para>
To unmount a partition:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Select a mounted partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-select-partition"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Partition</guimenu><guimenuitem>Unmount</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application unmounts the partition from the mount point and
refreshes the device partition layout in the
<application>&app;</application> window.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
<tip>
<para>
If
<menuchoice><guimenu>Partition</guimenu><guimenuitem>Unmount</guimenuitem></menuchoice>
does not succeed, then the partition is probably in use.
</para>
<para>
To have all partitions unmounted and available for
partition editing actions, boot from a Live CD and
use <application>&app;</application>.
See <xref linkend="gparted-acquire-livecd"/>
</para>
</tip>
</sect3>
</sect2>
<!-- ============= End of Basic Partition Actions ==================== -->
<!-- ============= Intermediate Partition Actions ==================== -->
<sect2 id="gparted-intermediate-partition-actions">
<title>Intermediate Partition Actions</title>
<para>
These actions will alter partitions on your disk device.
These actions will not modify the start or end boundaries
of your existing partitions.
</para>
<!-- ============= Creating a New Partition ========================== -->
<sect3 id="gparted-create-new-partition">
<title>Creating a New Partition</title>
<para>
To create a new partition:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Select an unallocated space on the disk device.
See <xref linkend="gparted-select-unallocated"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Partition</guimenu><guimenuitem>New</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application displays the <guilabel>Create new Partition</guilabel> dialog.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Specify the size and the location for the partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-specify-partition-size-and-location"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Specify the alignment for the partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-specify-partition-alignment"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Specify the type of partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-specify-partition-type"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Specify the type of file system for the partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-specify-partition-file-system"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Specify the label for the partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-specify-partition-label"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Click <guibutton>Add</guibutton> to add the create partition
operation to the operation queue.
The application displays the create partition operation
in the <guilabel>Pending Operations</guilabel> pane
in the <application>&app;</application> window.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= To Delete a Partition ============================= -->
<sect3 id="gparted-delete-partition">
<title>Deleting a Partition</title>
<para>
To delete a partition:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Select an unmounted partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-select-partition"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Partition</guimenu><guimenuitem>Delete</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application displays the delete partition operation in
the <guilabel>Pending Operations</guilabel> pane.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
<caution>
<para>
If you delete a logical partition, then all existing logical
partitions after the deleted logical partition will
experience changes in device names.
</para>
<para>
For example, an extended partition contains four logical
partitions A, B, C, and D. These logical partitions are accessed by the
operating system as follows:
</para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Partition A as /dev/sda5.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Partition B as /dev/sda6.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Partition C as /dev/sda7.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Partition D as /dev/sda8.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
<para>
If partition B is deleted, then the remaining logical
partitions will be accessed by the operating system as follows:
</para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Partition A as /dev/sda5.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Partition C as /dev/sda6. Note the change in device name.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Partition D as /dev/sda7. Note the change in device name.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
<para>
Changes in a device name can cause problems if a
partition is mounted using a device name.
You can avoid the problem by using the label or
the Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) of
the partition when mounting the partition.
</para>
<para>
Changes in a device name might adversely affect the
following files:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
/etc/fstab - Contains a list of file systems to mount.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
/boot/grub/menu.lst - Contains operating system boot
instructions for the <application>grub</application>
boot loader.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
</caution>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= To Format a Partition ============================= -->
<sect3 id="gparted-format-partition">
<title>Formatting a Partition</title>
<para>
To format a partition:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Select an unmounted partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-select-partition"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Partition</guimenu><guimenuitem>Format to</guimenuitem></menuchoice>,
and select a type of file system from the list.
The application displays the format partition operation
in the <guilabel>Operations Pending</guilabel> pane.
</para>
<para>
See <xref linkend="gparted-specify-partition-file-system"/>
for the meaning of the <guimenuitem>cleared</guimenuitem>
file system type.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= To Set a Partition Label ========================== -->
<sect3 id="gparted-setting-partition-label">
<title>Setting a Partition Label</title>
<para>
To set a label or a volume name for a partition:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Select an unmounted partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-select-partition"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Partition</guimenu><guimenuitem>Label</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application opens a <guilabel>Set partition label on
<replaceable>/path-to-partition</replaceable></guilabel> dialog.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Type a label name in the <guilabel>Label </guilabel> text box.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Click <guibutton>OK</guibutton>.
The application displays the set partition label operation
in the <guilabel>Operations Pending</guilabel> pane.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= To Change a Partition's UUID ========================== -->
<sect3 id="gparted-changing-partition-uuid">
<title>Changing a Partition UUID</title>
<para>
To change the Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) of a partition:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Select an unmounted partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-select-partition"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Partition</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>New UUID</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application displays the set a new random UUID
operation in the <guilabel>Operations Pending</guilabel>
pane.
</para>
<warning>
<para>
Changing the UUID might invalidate the Windows Product
Activation key (WPA).
</para>
<para>
On FAT and NTFS file systems, the Volume Serial Number
is used as UUID. Changing the Volume Serial
Number on the Windows system partition, normally C:,
might invalidate the WPA key. An invalid WPA key will
prevent login until you reactivate Windows.
</para>
<para>
In an attempt to avoid invalidating the WPA key, on
NTFS file systems only half of the UUID is set to a
new random value. On FAT file systems, such a precaution
is not possible.
</para>
<para>
The WPA key should not be affected by changing the
UUID of data partitions or removable media partitions.
In rare cases, a partition that is present
at boot time might be an exception to this rule.
</para>
</warning>
<warning>
<para>
Changing the UUID when there is no need to do so might
cause a GNU/Linux system to fail to boot, or to fail
to mount a file system.
</para>
<para>
Changing the UUID is only required after copying a
partition. The UUID change is needed to prevent
duplicate UUIDs when both the source and the copy of
the partition are used on the same computer.
</para>
<para>
If boot or mount problems occur you might need to edit
configuration files, such as /etc/fstab, and
regenerate the grub menu to ensure that the correct
UUID is specified.
</para>
</warning>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= Specifying Partition Details ====================== -->
<sect3 id="gparted-specify-partition-details">
<title>Specifying Partition Details</title>
<para>
Specifying partition details is useful when performing actions
such as create, resize, and move.
</para>
<!-- ============= To Specify a Partition Size and Location ========== -->
<sect4 id="gparted-specify-partition-size-and-location">
<title>Specifying Partition Size and Location</title>
<para>
To specify the size and the location of the partition,
use one or a combination of the following:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Click-and-hold the arrow at either end of the graphic area.
Drag the arrow left or right within the display range.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Click-and-hold the middle of the partition in the graphic area.
Drag the partition left or right within the display range.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Click the spin button arrows, or type numeric values
to adjust the following fields:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
<guilabel>Free Space Preceding</guilabel>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<guilabel>New Size</guilabel>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<guilabel>Free Space Following</guilabel>
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
<para>
The application refreshes both the graphic area
and the numbers beside the three field labels.
</para>
</sect4>
<!-- ============= To Specify a Partition Alignment ================== -->
<sect4 id="gparted-specify-partition-alignment">
<title>Specifying Partition Alignment</title>
<para>
To specify the alignment of the partition, click the
<guilabel>Align to</guilabel> arrow button, and select from the list.
</para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Use <guilabel>MiB</guilabel> alignment for modern
operating systems. This setting aligns partitions to
start and end on precise mebibyte (1,048,576 byte)
boundaries. MiB alignment provides enhanced performance
when used with RAID systems and with Solid State Drives,
such as USB flash drives.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Use <guilabel>Cylinder</guilabel> alignment to maintain
compatibility with operating systems released before the
year 2000, such as DOS. This setting aligns partitions
to start and end on disk cylinder boundaries.
</para>
<tip>
<para>
The Cylinder/Head/Sector values reported by modern
disk devices no longer have a direct physical
relationship to the data stored on the disk device.
Hence it is no longer valid to use this alignment
setting to achieve enhanced performance.
</para>
</tip>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Use <guilabel>None</guilabel> only if you have an
in-depth knowledge of disk structure, partition tables,
and boot records. This setting places partition
boundaries relative to the end of any immediately
preceding partition on the disk device. This setting
is not guaranteed to reserve or respect space required
for boot records.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</sect4>
<!-- ============= To Specify a Partition Type ======================= -->
<sect4 id="gparted-specify-partition-type">
<title>Specifying Partition Type</title>
<para>
To specify the partition type, click the
<guilabel>Create as</guilabel> arrow button, and select from the list.
</para>
<note>
<para>
The msdos partition table limits partitions as follows:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Maximum of 4 primary partitions.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Maximum of 3 primary partitions, and 1 extended partition.
</para>
<para>
The extended partition can contain multiple logical
partitions.
Some GNU/Linux distributions support accessing at most
15 partitions on a disk device.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Maximum size of a partition is 2 Tebibytes using
a sector size of 512 bytes. The partition must also
start within the first 2 Tebibytes of the disk device.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
</note>
<tip>
<para>
Primary partitions provide better data recoverability
because the partition boundaries are stored at known
locations on the disk device.
</para>
</tip>
</sect4>
<!-- ============= To Specify a Partition File System ================ -->
<sect4 id="gparted-specify-partition-file-system">
<title>Specifying Partition File System</title>
<para>
To specify the type of file system for the partition, click the
<guilabel>File System</guilabel> arrow button, and select from the list.
</para>
<note>
<para>
Examples of uses for some file systems are as follows:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
<guimenuitem>ext2</guimenuitem>,
<guimenuitem>ext3</guimenuitem> and
<guimenuitem>ext4</guimenuitem> file systems can be
used for installing GNU/Linux, and for data.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<guimenuitem>linux-swap</guimenuitem> can be used with
GNU/Linux to increase the virtual memory of your
computer.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<guimenuitem>fat16</guimenuitem> and
<guimenuitem>fat32</guimenuitem> file systems can be
used to share data between free and commercial
operating systems.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<guimenuitem>cleared</guimenuitem> can be used to
clear any existing file system signatures and ensure
that the partition is recognised as empty.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
<guimenuitem>unformatted</guimenuitem> can be used to
just create a partition without writing a file system.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
</note>
</sect4>
<!-- ============= To Specify a Partition Label ====================== -->
<sect4 id="gparted-specify-partition-label">
<title>Specifying Partition Label</title>
<para>
To specify the partition label, also known as a volume label,
type a label name in the <guilabel>Label</guilabel> text box.
</para>
<tip>
<para>
Labels can be used to help you remember what is stored in
the partition.
</para>
<para>
Unique labels can be used to mount file systems with the
GNU/Linux operating system.
</para>
</tip>
</sect4>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= End of Specifying Partition Details =============== -->
</sect2>
<!-- ============= End of Intermediate Partition Actions ============= -->
<!-- ============= Advanced Partition Actions ======================== -->
<sect2 id="gparted-advanced-partition-actions">
<title>Advanced Partition Actions</title>
<para>
These actions will alter partitions on your disk device.
These actions might modify the start or end boundaries
of your existing partitions.
These actions might cause operating systems to fail to boot.
</para>
<!-- ============= To Resize a Partition ============================= -->
<sect3 id="gparted-resize-partition">
<title>Resizing a Partition</title>
<para>
Resizing and moving a partition can be performed by a single
<application>&app;</application> operation.
</para>
<para>
To resize a partition:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Select a partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-select-partition"/>.
</para>
<tip>
<para>
Unmounted or inactive partitions enable the most
resize options.
</para>
<para>
Support is available for online resize of some
mounted or otherwise active partitions. However this
support is often limited to grow only.
</para>
</tip>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Partition</guimenu><guimenuitem>Resize/Move</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application displays the
<guilabel>Resize/Move <replaceable>/path-to-partition</replaceable></guilabel>
dialog.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Adjust the size of the partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-specify-partition-size-and-location"/>.
</para>
<tip>
<para>
If you do not want the start of an existing partition
to move, then do not change the <guilabel>free space
preceding</guilabel> value. If the partition is
mounted or otherwise active, then you will not be able
to change the <guilabel>free space
preceding</guilabel> value.
</para>
</tip>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Specify the alignment of the partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-specify-partition-alignment"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Click <guibutton>Resize/Move</guibutton>.
The application displays the resize/move partition operation
in the <guilabel>Pending Operations</guilabel> pane.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Examine the operation that was added to the
<guilabel>Pending Operations</guilabel> pane.
</para>
<para>
If the operation involves a move step, then
consider the following:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
A move step might take a long time
to complete.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
If the partition is an operating system boot partition,
then a move step might cause the operating system
to fail to boot.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
<para>
If you are not prepared to wait
or to fix potential operating system boot problems,
then you might want to undo the operation.
See <xref linkend="gparted-undo-last-operation"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
<tip>
<para>
To grow or move a partition, unallocated space must be available adjacent
to the partition.
</para>
<para>
If you are growing a logical partition, then the unallocated space
must be within the extended partition.
</para>
<para>
If you are growing a primary partition, then the unallocated space
must not be within the extended partition.
</para>
<para>
You can move unallocated space to be inside or outside of the
extended partition by resizing the extended partition boundaries.
</para>
</tip>
<tip>
<para>
To improve the ability to shrink NTFS partitions, you
might consider one or more of the following:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Defragment the file system.
</para>
<para>
Booting into Safe Mode with the
commercial operating system that uses NTFS
can improve the ability to defragment
the file system.
To enter Safe Mode press <keycap>F8</keycap>
while your computer is booting
the operating system.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Check the partition for errors with the following command:
<screen><prompt>C:&gt; </prompt><command>chkdsk</command> /f /r</screen>
Remember to reboot back into the commercial operating system
that uses NTFS to allow the <command>chkdsk</command> command
to execute.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Temporarily disable the paging file.
The paging file occupies a fixed location
in the partition that the defragmentation
process is unable to move.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Temporarily move large files to another partition
or disk device. Large files are defined as greater
than a few hundred Megabytes (MB).
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Ensure a proper shut down of the commercial operating
system that uses NTFS before you resize the NTFS
partition
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Leave at least 10 percent unused space in the NTFS partition.
If you shrink the partition too much,
then the commercial operating system might have difficulty
functioning properly.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Reboot twice into the commercial operating system that
uses NTFS after shrinking the NTFS partition.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
</tip>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= To Move a Partition =============================== -->
<sect3 id="gparted-move-partition">
<title>Moving a Partition</title>
<para>
Moving and resizing a partition can be performed by a single
<application>&app;</application> operation.
</para>
<para>
To move a partition:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Select an unmounted partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-select-partition"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Partition</guimenu><guimenuitem>Resize/Move</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application displays the
<guilabel>Resize/Move <replaceable>/path-to-partition</replaceable></guilabel>
dialog.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Adjust the location of the partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-specify-partition-size-and-location"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Specify the alignment of the partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-specify-partition-alignment"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Click <guibutton>Resize/Move</guibutton>.
The application displays the resize/move partition operation
in the <guilabel>Pending Operations</guilabel> pane.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
<tip>
<para>
If the partition is an operating system boot partition,
then the operating system might not boot after the move
operation is applied.
</para>
<para>
If the operating system fails to boot, see
<xref linkend="gparted-fix-operating-system-boot-problems"/>.
</para>
</tip>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= To Copy and Paste a Partition ===================== -->
<sect3 id="gparted-copy-and-paste-partition">
<title>Copying and Pasting a Partition</title>
<para>
To copy a partition:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Select an unmounted partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-select-partition"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Partition</guimenu><guimenuitem>Copy</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application marks the partition as the
source partition.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
<para>
To Paste a partition:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Select an unallocated space on a disk device.
See <xref linkend="gparted-select-unallocated"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Partition</guimenu><guimenuitem>Paste</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application displays the
<guilabel>Paste <replaceable>/path-to-partition</replaceable></guilabel>
dialog.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
If you want you can adjust the size and location of the partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-specify-partition-size-and-location"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
If you want you can specify the alignment of partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-specify-partition-alignment"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Click <guibutton>Paste</guibutton>.
The application displays the copy partition operation
in the <guilabel>Pending Operations</guilabel> pane.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
<caution>
<para>
The copy of the partition has the same label
and the same Universally Unique Identifier (UUID)
as the source partition.
This can cause a problem when booting, or when mount actions
use the partition label or the UUID to identify the
partition.
</para>
<para>
The problem is that the operating system will randomly
select to mount either the source, or the copy of the
partition. For example, on the first mount action the
source partition might be mounted. On the next mount action
the copy of the partition might be mounted. Over time this
random nature of partition mounting might make files seem to
mysteriously appear or disappear depending upon which
partition is mounted. Random mounting of the source or the
copy of the partition might also cause severe data
corruption or loss.
</para>
<para>
To avoid the problem you are advised to do one of the
following:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
After you have applied the copy operation:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Change the UUID of either the source, or the copy
of the partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-changing-partition-uuid"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
If the partition label is not blank then change the
label of either the source, or the copy of the
partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-setting-partition-label"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
After you have applied the copy operation, delete or
reformat the source partition.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Use some other method to ensure that the source
partition and the copy of the partition are not used
on the same computer at the same time. For example,
if the copy of the partition is on a separate drive
then remove the drive from the computer.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
</caution>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= To Manage Partition Flags ========================= -->
<sect3 id="gparted-manage-partition-flags">
<title>Managing Partition Flags</title>
<para>
To manage partition flags:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Select a partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-select-partition"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Partition</guimenu><guimenuitem>Manage Flags</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application opens a <guilabel>Manage flags on
<replaceable>/path-to-partition</replaceable></guilabel> dialog.
</para>
<para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
To enable a flag, select the check box beside the flag.
The application writes the enabled flag to the partition
and refreshes the <guilabel>Manage flags on
<replaceable>/path-to-partition</replaceable></guilabel> dialog.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
To disable a flag, deselect the check box beside the flag.
The application writes the disabled flag to the partition
and refreshes the <guilabel>Manage flags on
<replaceable>/path-to-partition</replaceable></guilabel> dialog.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
<para>
To close the <guilabel>Manage flags on
<replaceable>/path-to-partition</replaceable></guilabel> dialog,
click <guibutton>Close</guibutton>.
</para>
<note>
<para>
A description of flags in an msdos partition table
follows:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Boot is used by some commercial operating system
boot loaders.
The boot flag indicates the partition is active
or bootable.
Only one partition on a disk device can be active.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Diag is used to indicate the partition is used for
diagnostics / recovery.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Hidden is used by some commercial operating systems.
The hidden flag makes the partition invisible to the
operating system.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
LBA is used by some commercial operating system
boot loaders.
The LBA flag indicates the partition should be
accessed using Logical Block Addressing (LBA), instead
of Cylinder-Head-Sector (CHS) addressing.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
LVM is used to indicate the partition is used by a
Logical Volume Manager (LVM).
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Palo is used by the Precision Architecture -
Reduced Instruction Set Computing (PA-RISC)
boot loader, palo.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Prep is used to indicate the boot partition
on Power Performance Computing (PowerPC) hardware.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
RAID is used to indicate the partition is used in a
Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID).
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
</note>
<note>
<para>
A description of flags in a gpt partition table follows:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Atvrecv is used to indicate an Apple TV Recovery
partition.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
BIOS_GRUB indicates a BIOS boot partition often used
by the GRUB 2 boot loader.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Boot is used by some commercial operating system
boot loaders.
The boot flag indicates the partition is active
or bootable.
Only one partition on a disk device can be active.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Diag indicates the partition is used for diagnostics
or recovery.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Hidden is used by some commercial operating systems.
The hidden flag makes the partition invisible to the
operating system.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
HP-service is used to indicate a Hewlett Packard
service partition.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Legacy_boot is used by some special purpose software
to indicate the partition might be bootable.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
LVM indicates the partition is used by a Logical
Volume Manager (LVM).
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Msftres is used to indicate a Microsoft Reserved
partition.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
RAID indicates the partition is used in a Redundant
Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID).
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
</note>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= To Check a Partition ============================== -->
<sect3 id="gparted-Check-partition">
<title>Checking a Partition</title>
<para>
Checking a partition will attempt to find and fix problems
in the file system.
Checking a partition will attempt to grow the file system
to fill the partition.
</para>
<para>
To check a partition:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Select an unmounted partition.
See <xref linkend="gparted-select-partition"/>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Partition</guimenu><guimenuitem>Check</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application displays the check partition operation
in the <guilabel>Pending Operations</guilabel> pane.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= End of Advanced Partition Actions ================= -->
</sect2>
<!-- ============= Working with the Operation Queue ================== -->
<sect2 id="gparted-operation-queue">
<title>Working with the Operation Queue</title>
<!-- ============= To Undo Last Operation ============================ -->
<sect3 id="gparted-undo-last-operation">
<title>Undoing Last Operation</title>
<para>
To undo the last operation in the operation queue, choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu><guimenuitem>Undo Last Operation</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application removes the last operation from the queue
displayed in the <guilabel>Pending Operations</guilabel> pane.
If there are no operations remaining in the queue,
the application closes the
<guilabel>Pending Operations</guilabel> pane.
</para>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= To Clear All Operations =========================== -->
<sect3 id="gparted-clear-all-operations">
<title>Clearing All Operations</title>
<para>
To clear all operations in the operation queue, choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu><guimenuitem>Clear All Operations</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application removes all operations from the queue
and closes the <guilabel>Pending Operations</guilabel> pane.
</para>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= To Apply All Operations =========================== -->
<sect3 id="gparted-apply-all-operations">
<title>Applying All Operations</title>
<para>
To apply all operations:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose:
<menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu><guimenuitem>Apply All Operations</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
The application displays an
<guilabel>Apply operations to device</guilabel> dialog.
</para>
<caution>
<para>
Editing partitions has the potential to cause LOSS of DATA.
You are advised to backup your data before applying your
partition editing operations.
</para>
</caution>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Click <guibutton>Apply</guibutton>.
The application displays an
<guilabel>Applying pending operations</guilabel> dialog.
The application applies each pending operation
in the order you created the operations.
The application displays a status update when each
operation is completed.
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
To view more information,
click <guibutton>Details</guibutton>.
The application displays more details about operations.
</para>
<para>
To view more information about the steps in each operation,
click the arrow button beside each step.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
To stop the operations while they are executing,
click <guibutton>Cancel</guibutton>.
The application displays a disabled
<guibutton>Force Cancel (5)</guibutton> button and
counts down for 5 seconds.
</para>
<note>
<para>
<guibutton>Cancel</guibutton> instructs the
application to stop or roll back operations
as necessary to ensure data integrity.
</para>
</note>
<para>
If operations have not halted after 5 seconds the
application enables the <guibutton>Force
Cancel</guibutton> button.
</para>
<para>
To force the operations to stop, click
<guibutton>Force Cancel</guibutton>.
The application displays a warning dialog.
</para>
<para>
Click <guibutton>Continue Operation</guibutton> to
allow the roll back operations to complete, or
click <guibutton>Cancel Operation</guibutton> to
cancel the roll back operations.
</para>
<warning>
<para>
<guibutton>Cancel Operation</guibutton>
terminates the safe roll back of operations and
might cause SEVERE file system damage and data
loss. You are advised to click
<guibutton>Continue Operation</guibutton> to
allow the roll back to complete.
</para>
</warning>
<para>
When the application finishes performing operations,
the application displays the
<guibutton>Save Details</guibutton> button and the
<guibutton>Close</guibutton> button.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
If you want to save the details from applying all operations,
then click <guibutton>Save Details</guibutton>.
The application displays a <guilabel>Save Details</guilabel>
dialog.
<orderedlist numeration="loweralpha">
<listitem>
<para>
If you want to change the default file name,
then type a file name in the
<guilabel>Name</guilabel> text box.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
If you want to save the file in a folder
different than /root,
Click <guibutton>Browse for other folders</guibutton>.
The application displays a file system navigator.
</para>
<para>
Use the file system navigator to select a folder.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Click <guibutton>Save</guibutton> to save the file.
The application saves the details file.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
<caution>
<para>
If you use <application>&app;</application> from a Live CD, then
the root file system exists in RAM memory. All files saved
to the Live CD root file system will be lost when you shut down
the computer.
</para>
<para>
If you saved the &app; details to the Live CD root file system,
then you need to copy the file to more permanent storage.
Examples of more permanent storage are a hard disk drive
or a USB flash memory drive.
</para>
</caution>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Click <guibutton>Close</guibutton>.
The application closes the
<guilabel>Applying pending operations</guilabel> dialog.
The application rescans all the disk devices and refreshes the device
partition layout in the <application>&app;</application> window.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= End of Working with the Operation Queue =========== -->
</sect2>
</sect1>
<!-- ============= Acquiring GParted on Live CD ====================== -->
<sect1 id="gparted-acquire-livecd">
<title>Acquiring GParted on Live CD</title>
<para>
A Live CD is a Compact Disc that contains a bootable operating system.
A Live CD enables you to boot your computer from the CD.
</para>
<para>
Using <application>&app;</application> from a Live CD
has the following advantages:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
You can edit all of your partitions
because the partitions are not mounted.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
You can edit partitions on computers that
do not have a bootable operating system.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
<para>
The <application>&app;</application> application is available on many
Live CD distributions.
</para>
<para>
You can download a Live CD image containing
<application>&app;</application> from the following web sites:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
GParted Live CD
<ulink type="http" url="http://gparted.org/livecd.php"/>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
System Rescue CD
<ulink type="http" url="http://www.sysresccd.org"/>
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
<tip>
<para>
The GParted Live CD image can be written to a USB flash drive.
</para>
<para>
If your computer can boot from Universal Serial Bus (USB) then
you might prefer to boot and use
<application>&app;</application> from a USB flash drive.
</para>
</tip>
<tip>
<para>
To avoid wasting a blank CD when burning a CD image file,
use the following tips:
</para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Ensure the checksum of the downloaded file matches
the checksum posted on the download page.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Be sure to burn the .iso file as an image to the blank CD.
If you burn the .iso file as data to a blank CD then the
CD will not boot in your computer.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</tip>
</sect1>
<!-- ============= Fixing Operating System Boot Problems ============= -->
<sect1 id="gparted-fix-operating-system-boot-problems">
<title>Fixing Operating System Boot Problems</title>
<para>
Your computer might fail to boot an operating system
when you perform one of the following actions:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Delete a partition.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Move a partition.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Install another operating system and
overwrite the Master Boot Record (MBR).
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
<para>
Fortunately the failure to boot can be often be fixed.
</para>
<para>
If your computer uses the GRUB boot loader,
see <xref linkend="gparted-fix-grub-boot-problem"/>
to restore the ability to boot.
</para>
<para>
If your computer does not use GRUB then you are advised to consult
documentation for your boot loader to learn how to fix the
problem.
You might consult the
<ulink type="http" url="http://gparted.org/faq.php">&appname; FAQ</ulink>,
or the
<ulink type="http" url="http://gparted.org/forum.php">&appname; forum</ulink>.
You might also search the Internet to learn how other people have
solved similar problems.
</para>
<!-- ============= Fixing GRUB Boot Problem ========================== -->
<sect2 id="gparted-fix-grub-boot-problem">
<title>Fixing GRUB boot problem</title>
<para>
The Grand Unified Boot loader (GRUB) is used by many GNU/Linux
distributions. To fix GRUB boot problems you start by
determining which major version of GRUB was used.
</para>
<para>
There are two major versions of GRUB:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
GRUB, also known as GRUB 2, covers versions 1.98 and
higher. GRUB 2 works with both GUID partition tables
(GPT) and msdos partition tables.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
GRUB Legacy, traditionally known as GRUB, covers versions
0.9x and earlier. GRUB Legacy works with msdos partition
tables only.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
<para>
GRUB 2 is used as the default boot loader in the following
GNU/Linux distributions:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
CentOS 7 and higher
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Debian 6 (Squeeze) and higher
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Fedora 16 (Verne) and higher
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
openSUSE 12.2 and higher
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) and higher
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
<para>
If you are unsure whether your computer uses GRUB 2 or GRUB
Legacy, you might try searching for the answer on the Internet.
</para>
<!-- ============= To Restore GRUB 2 ================================= -->
<sect3 id="gparted-restore-grub-2">
<title>Restoring GRUB 2 Boot Loader</title>
<para>
Use the following steps to restore the GRUB 2 boot loader:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Boot from Live media such as GParted Live or your
GNU/Linux distribution image. Open a terminal window.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Determine which partition contains the / file system for
your GNU/Linux distribution.
</para>
<para>
Use GParted to list the partitions on your disk device.
Look for a partition that contains your GNU/Linux / file
system. This Linux partition will likely use a file
system such as ext2, ext3, ext4, or btrfs.
</para>
<note>
<para>
If the / partition is on LVM then the Logical Volume
Manager must be active. LVM can be started with the
command:
<screen><prompt># </prompt><command>vgchange</command> -a y</screen>
</para>
<para>
With LVM, the equivalent of a disk partition is a
Logical Volume. Logical Volumes can be listed with
the command:
<screen><prompt># </prompt><command>lvscan</command></screen>
</para>
</note>
<note>
<para>
If the / partition is on RAID, then the RAID must be
active. Linux Software RAID can be started with the
command:
<screen><prompt># </prompt><command>mdadm</command> --assemble --scan</screen>
</para>
</note>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Create a mount point directory by entering (as root):
<screen><prompt># </prompt><command>mkdir</command> /tmp/mydir</screen>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Mount the / partition on the mount point directory. For
example assume the / file system is contained in the
/dev/sda5 partition. Enter (as root):
<screen><prompt># </prompt><command>mount</command> <replaceable>/dev/sda5</replaceable> /tmp/mydir</screen>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
If you have a separate /boot partition, for example at
/dev/sda3, then an extra step is required. Mount the
/boot partition at /tmp/mydir/boot by entering (as
root):
<screen><prompt># </prompt><command>mount</command> <replaceable>/dev/sda3</replaceable> /tmp/mydir/boot</screen>
</para>
<note>
<para>
If you do not know whether you have a separate boot
partition then you probably do not and can ignore this
step.
</para>
</note>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Prepare to change the root environment by entering (as
root):
<screen><prompt># </prompt><command>mount</command> --bind /dev /tmp/mydir/dev</screen>
<screen><prompt># </prompt><command>mount</command> --bind /proc /tmp/mydir/proc</screen>
<screen><prompt># </prompt><command>mount</command> --bind /sys /tmp/mydir/sys</screen>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Change the root environment by entering (as root):
<screen><prompt># </prompt><command>chroot</command> /tmp/mydir</screen>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Reinstall GRUB 2 on the boot device. Note that the
device name is used and not the partition name. For
example, if the / partition is /dev/sda5 then the device
is /dev/sda.
</para>
<para>
For Debian, Ubuntu, and other offshoot GNU/Linux
distributions, enter the command (as root):
<screen><prompt># </prompt><command>grub-install</command> <replaceable>/dev/sda</replaceable></screen>
</para>
<para>
For CentOS, Fedora, openSUSE and other offshoot
GNU/Linux distributions, enter the command (as root):
<screen><prompt># </prompt><command>grub2-install</command> <replaceable>/dev/sda</replaceable></screen>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Exit the chroot environment by entering (as root):
<screen><prompt># </prompt><command>exit</command></screen>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Reboot your computer.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
</sect3>
<!-- ============= To Restore GRUB Legacy ============================ -->
<sect3 id="gparted-restore-grub-legacy">
<title>Restoring GRUB Legacy Boot Loader</title>
<para>
Use the following steps to restore the GRUB Legacy boot
loader:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Boot from Live media such as your GNU/Linux distribution
image. Open a terminal window.
</para>
<note>
<para>
The Live media must contain the GRUB Legacy boot
loader. If your GNU/Linux distribution uses GRUB
Legacy, then the distribution Live media will also
contain GRUB Legacy.
</para>
</note>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Start the <application>grub</application> application
from the command line (as root).
<screen><prompt># </prompt><command>grub</command></screen>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Find where <application>grub</application> stage1 is
located by using one of the following:
</para>
<para>
If the /boot folder is stored in the / partition,
use the command:
<screen><prompt>grub&gt; </prompt><command>find</command> /boot/grub/stage1</screen>
If the /boot folder is stored in a partition
different than the / partition, use the command:
<screen><prompt>grub&gt; </prompt><command>find</command> /grub/stage1</screen>
</para>
<para>
The output from the <command>find</command> command
might look like the following:
<screen><computeroutput> <replaceable>(hd0,0)</replaceable></computeroutput></screen>
If more than one line is listed in the command output,
you will need to decide which device you use for
<application>grub</application>.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Set the <application>grub</application> root device by
specifying the device returned by the
<command>find</command> command.
<screen><prompt>grub&gt; </prompt>root <replaceable>(hd0,0)</replaceable></screen>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Reinstall <application>grub</application> by specifying
the device returned by the <command>find</command>
command.
<screen><prompt>grub&gt; </prompt>setup <replaceable>(hd0,0)</replaceable></screen>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Exit <application>grub</application>.
<screen><prompt>grub&gt; </prompt>quit</screen>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Reboot your computer.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
</sect3>
</sect2>
<!-- ============= End of Fixing Operating System Boot Problems ====== -->
</sect1>
<!-- ============= Recovering Partition Tables ======================= -->
<sect1 id="gparted-recover-partition-table">
<title>Recovering Partition Tables</title>
<para>
If you accidentally overwrite your partition table, there is a chance
that you might be able to recover it.
</para>
<para>
The <application>testdisk</application> application is designed to help
recover lost partitions. For more information about
<application>testdisk</application>, see
<ulink type="http" url="http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk"/>.
</para>
<para>
The <application>testdisk</application> application is included on
each Live CD listed in
<xref linkend="gparted-acquire-livecd"/>
</para>
</sect1>
</article>
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