libparted warning

MALsPa · 2018-05-06 15:40:10

I have not yet installed BL Helium, but from the live session when I open GParted I get the following message:

Libparted Warning
The driver descriptor says the physical block size is 2048 bytes, but Linux says it is 512 bytes.

This is while running the live session from a flash drive. Before writing the iso to the flash drive, I cleared the flash drive with:

$ sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdb count=100

From Stretch on another computer, I used GParted to create a new partition table (msdos) and a new partition (fat32). Then I wrote the iso to the flash drive with:

$ cd downloads/
$ sudo cp bl-Helium_amd64+build2.iso /dev/sdb && sync

After seeing the warning mentioned above, I went back and cleared the flash drive with:

$ sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdb bs=2048 count=1

Got that from here: https://codeyarns.com/2017/02/04/gparte … e-warning/

Again used GParted in Stretch to create a new partition table and partition, then wrote the iso to the flash drive again, this time with:

$ sudo dd if=/home/steve/downloads/bl-Helium_amd64+build2.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M; sync

Booted into the live session again, but GParted still throws up the same libparted warning. In that warning window, there's a "Cancel" button and an "Ignore" button. I've only clicked "Cancel" and then closed GParted.

Not sure if anyone else here has seen this.

iMBeCil · 2018-05-06 16:43:48

^I think that, e.i. I'm sure that

$ sudo dd if=bl-Helium_amd64+build2.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M; sync

will start to write to /dev/sdb from the beginning, i.e. it will overwrite existing MBR on /dev/sdb with data in bl-Helium_amd64+build2.iso.

Ergo, there is no need to

$ sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdb count=100

prior to writing an iso disk image.

OTOH, zeroing (or 'reseting') the MRB sometimes helps 'smart' applications like GParted or MSWin to behave ... For example, in cases where GParted/MSWin don't offer to format the USB Flash, the command 'resets' the MBR and then (for example) MSWin will offer 'Format this drive'. Seen this too many times ...

Last edited by iMBeCil (2018-05-06 16:45:40)

Head_on_a_Stick · 2018-05-06 18:50:54

Try

sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdX bs=2048; sync

https://flux.ninja/2016/03/fixing-usb-d … -size.html

It will take a long time...

johnraff · 2018-05-07 00:08:42

Is this error message referring to the USB stick where the iso is, or the hard disk of the machine it is running on?

BTW my understanding was that when you dd (or cp) an iso to a usb device you overwrite everything, so pre-formatting is irrelevant. No?

Head_on_a_Stick · 2018-05-07 00:36:18

johnraff wrote:

my understanding was that when you dd (or cp) an iso to a usb device you overwrite everything, so pre-formatting is irrelevant. No?

In this case the error message is because the USB stick has had an ISO copied to it with the wrong block size, the BL image is almost certainly smaller and so will not completely over-write the "bad" image.

MALsPa · 2018-05-07 04:06:54

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

Try
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdX bs=2048; sync
https://flux.ninja/2016/03/fixing-usb-d … -size.html
It will take a long time...

Lol, yeah it does take a long time. Well, I tried that command, then wrote the iso the flash drive again, booted up, ran GParted. Throwing up the same libparted warning as before. Weird.

I'm thinking that none of this will matter if I use this flash drive for a hard drive installation, but I'm not sure about that.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2018-05-07 15:22:57

MALsPa wrote:

wrote the iso the flash drive again, booted up, ran GParted. Throwing up the same libparted warning as before

Yes, our images have a "fake" EFI system partition baked into the ISO format and this is probably the source of the error message.

Did the error appear with a blanked USB stick?

MALsPa · 2018-05-07 16:00:43

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

MALsPa wrote:
wrote the iso the flash drive again, booted up, ran GParted. Throwing up the same libparted warning as before
Yes, our images have a "fake" EFI system partition baked into the ISO format and this is probably the source of the error message.
Did the error appear with a blanked USB stick?

Ah, I see. Yes, if I'm understanding you correctly, I have been clearing out my flash drives before writing the isos to them, although doing so is apparently unnecessary.

I'll eventually get around to doing a Helium installation with this flash drive but one thing that kinda gets me (and I may start another thread about this later) is that I really like the CrunchBang-style black and white theming in Deuterium more than what I'm seeing in the default Helium. Not that I'm ever one to leave things at the defaults...

Head_on_a_Stick · 2018-05-07 16:02:16

MALsPa wrote:

I really like the CrunchBang-style black and white theming in Deuterium more than what I'm seeing in the default Helium

Yes, I too am a fan of monochrome themes — have you tried our BLOB configuration tool yet?

There are two grey desktops available there

#1 2018-05-06 15:40:10

libparted warning

#2 2018-05-06 16:43:48

Re: libparted warning

#3 2018-05-06 18:50:54

Re: libparted warning

#4 2018-05-07 00:08:42

Re: libparted warning

#5 2018-05-07 00:36:18

Re: libparted warning

#6 2018-05-07 04:06:54

Re: libparted warning

#7 2018-05-07 15:22:57

Re: libparted warning

#8 2018-05-07 16:00:43

Re: libparted warning

#9 2018-05-07 16:02:16

Re: libparted warning

Board footer