KDE Partition Manager

[Spadge]

KDEPM still doesn't support read/write of GPT partitioned disks?

That's crazy talk.

It's been two years since KDE Partition Manager had an update released and it doesn't support a basic requirement of modern disks. At what point does someone say "this is an abandoned project that no longer meets our needs as it stands" and find some alternative?

I notice GParted supports GPT.

[Robtygart]

I can't get GParted to work for any of my Kubuntu builds, I click but it never shows up. So far the only one I have used with Kubuntu is KDE Partition Manager, or I will run GParted from PuppyLinux Live CD.

You can also get a Gparted Live CD/USB.

[Spadge]

Yeah, but the problem with that is that you cannot therefore buy a new hard disk, stick it in a machine and install a UEFI Kubuntu on it.

Isn't that right? The install requires that the disk be partitioned GPT in order for UEFI installation to take place?

Or is that just Windows 7? I forget.

[Robtygart]

Well if GPT is on GParted, doesn't that mean that the GParted Live CD should work?

[pauly]

Yeah, but the problem with that is that you cannot therefore buy a new hard disk, stick it in a machine and install a UEFI Kubuntu on it.

Isn't that right? The install requires that the disk be partitioned GPT in order for UEFI installation to take place?

Or is that just Windows 7? I forget.

My disk is gpt but I turned uefi off before I installed kubuntu. My samsung laptop has that option.

[Spadge]

Why would you want to turn UEFI off though?

Whatever your workarounds and 3rd party options, the disk partitioning tool included in the Kubuntu release is out of date and not up to the job.

[claydoh]

Why would you want to turn UEFI off though?

Whatever your workarounds and 3rd party options, the disk partitioning tool included in the Kubuntu release is out of date and not up to the job.

Then file a bug report on it, I'd say, as KDE Partition Manager does support GPT, so it was either left out or that bit is broken. The installer on the other hand is just a different graphical face on Ubuntu's installer, so if that does not provide support, we won't have it until after it does.

[SteveRiley]

[ Removed factually incorrect information. See post Spadge's post #9 and my post #10 for correction. ]

[Spadge]

Then file a bug report on it, I'd say, as KDE Partition Manager does support GPT, so it was either left out or that bit is broken. The installer on the other hand is just a different graphical face on Ubuntu's installer, so if that does not provide support, we won't have it until after it does.

I could file a feature-request, but as there hasn't been an update to the software in two years there isn't much point. I wouldn't call it a bug as it behaves precisely as advertised. GPT support is set to appear in the fabled and still unseen v1.1: http://blog.volkerlanz.de/2010/06/02/new-in-kde-partition-manager-1-1-vi-the-fine-print-in-the-feature-list


So I experimented with this a bit using a 32-GiB USB drive. KDE Partition Manager can manipulate partitions on a GPT disk. But it cannot create the GPT -- you have to use some other tool for that (I used gdisk). KDE Partition Manager's "New Partition Table" function appears to create only MBR partition tables.

I'm not sure if it can manipulate them. I've not tried changing any. I think it sees them as read-only?

I used gdisk too, but then I had an operating system to do this in prior to installing both Windows 7 and Kubuntu this time around.

Getting both installed and working in a dual boot configuration was a bit of a hard slog.

[SteveRiley]

I'm not sure if it can manipulate them. I've not tried changing any. I think it sees them as read-only?
You're right!

It looks like I messed up during my experimentation and was manipulating an MBR disk when I thought it was GPT. I tried again with two separate drives and noticed that, in fact, KDE Partition Manager views GPT disks as read-only. I lost track of what I was doing. I'm going to remove what I wrote in that earlier post.

Can't resize an existing partition:

http://i.imgur.com/iKOzy.png

Can't create a new partition in unallocated space:

http://i.imgur.com/PDWSX.png

[claydoh]

There are updates, just no official package release. Chakra must be using an SVN snapshot, as their installer uses KDE Partition Manager in it's installer - and it shows this support. It is too late to get this in 12.10, but perhaps for Quantal +1 it could be tested during the dev phase. As the need for this support grows, it will be good to get this into Kubuntu. So any record of requests or bug reports are very helpful. I bet Steve could bring it up at UDS , too ;)

[SteveRiley]

Bug filed.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/partitionmanager/+bug/1059297
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=307643

[Spadge]

Awesome :)

[SteveRiley]

Vote them up! :)

[Spadge]

So the 1.0.60 alpha from SVN is the answer?

How does that work, as a matter of interest? Does the SVN version get built into a package on some PPA somewhere, then eventually passed out as the current release version?

Thanks

[claydoh]

So the 1.0.60 alpha from SVN is the answer?

How does that work, as a matter of interest? Does the SVN version get built into a package on some PPA somewhere, then eventually passed out as the current release version?

Thanks

More or less correct. Someone may build it on their own ppa after compiling and giving it a go. Then it could make its way into the Kubuntu ppa's, then into the next release if it is working.

I could whip up a package, but I won't have s lit of time till the weekend, it probably won't take much work, I just literally can't get to it.


Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2

[Spadge]

Let me know if you get round to it ... or if anyone does. I'd be interested in giving it a go.

Thanks