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    [Solved]Format (ntfs)partition on harddisk having one mounted partition

    Hello,
    it seems a pretty common question but I haven't found a clear and straight answer to it : can I format a partition on a harddisk having one mounted partition without unmounting it ?

    Here the details : on a 320Go harddisk, I prepared 3 partitions (20Go, 250Go, 30Go in this order) and installed Kubuntu 8.10 amd64 on the last one without formatting the other partitions (which I want to use later for XP and big storage). Now I want to format the middle one in NTFS (250Go). Can I do it from Linux using Qtparted ? There is a warning message 'don't commit a busy device - unmount all partitions'. I am actually commiting a busy harddisk, but not a busy (mounted) partition. What does device mean in that particular case ?
    I checked with
    Code:
    # mount
    and this is the output, showing that no other sda partition are mounted (and certainly not sda5 - the one I want to format)
    /dev/sda6 on / type ext3 (rw,relatime,errors=remount-ro)
    tmpfs on /lib/init/rw type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,mode=0755)
    /proc on /proc type proc (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)
    sysfs on /sys type sysfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)
    varrun on /var/run type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,mode=0755)
    varlock on /var/lock type tmpfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev,mode=1777)
    udev on /dev type tmpfs (rw,mode=0755)
    tmpfs on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,nodev)
    devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,noexec,nosuid,gid=5,mode=620)
    fusectl on /sys/fs/fuse/connections type fusectl (rw)
    lrm on /lib/modules/2.6.27-11-generic/volatile type tmpfs (rw,mode=755)
    securityfs on /sys/kernel/security type securityfs (rw)

    I also tried with Kubuntu Live CD to run Qtparted, but it is not on the LiveCD, so I tried to run Parted from the command line, prepared the partitioning and then Parted replied it can't format in ntfs (not supported). I have no access to the internet when I run from the LiveCD.

    Is it better to format that partition using WinXP install CD ?
    Thank you for your help
    I
    Single boot Kubuntu12.04 on Zepto NoxA14 Intel Dual Core 2GHz (64-bit), RAM 4Go, Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT

    #2
    Re: Format (ntfs)partition on harddisk having one mounted partition

    Hello,
    it seems a pretty common question but I haven't found a clear and straight answer to it : can I format a partition on a harddisk having one mounted partition without unmounting it ?
    IIRC it'll always ask you to unmount it first because the mount process locks the partition so it can't be formatted while reading / accessing its actual contents...
    Multibooting: Kubuntu Noble 24.04
    Before: Jammy 22.04, Focal 20.04, Precise 12.04 Xenial 16.04 and Bionic 18.04
    Win XP, 7 & 10 sadly
    Using Linux since June, 2008

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Format (ntfs)partition on harddisk having one mounted partition

      Best advice: Use GParted (gparted).
      You can do it from the Live Kubuntu CD.
      K > System > Partition Editor.
      If it is not there, use Adept Package manager, or
      sudo apt-get install gparted
      to install GParted in the Live CD session (into RAM with the rest of the show -- it'll be gone after your live session, of course).
      Then run it.
      If a partition is mounted, it has a pad lock on it; to unmount it, right-click > unmount; to mount, right-click > mount.

      Also, in the Live Kubuntu CD, you * do * have internet:
      K > Internet > Konqueror Web Browser (or some such).
      Tip:
      in Konqueror web browser
      gg:this_string
      will google the string this_string.

      (btw, I do this sort of thing all the time.)
      An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Format (ntfs)partition on harddisk having one mounted partition

        Originally posted by kln
        Hello,
        it seems a pretty common question but I haven't found a clear and straight answer to it : can I format a partition on a hard disk having one mounted partition without unmounting it ?

        Absolute yes.

        I wonder if the message you are getting has anything to do with dolphin? It seems to me that the new system for making disks show up in dolphin is a little flakey still.

        As to the NTFS formating under linux it may have become possible and reasonable without me noticing it but I am almost sure you would be better of doing this under Windows.

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Format (ntfs)partition on harddisk having one mounted partition

          GParted features (including the new ext4):
          http://gparted.sourceforge.net/features.php
          An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Format (ntfs)partition on harddisk having one mounted partition

            Well, I did not have internet because the driver had to be recompiled and reinstalled while running the LiveCD, and that took some time. so I got Gparted, unmounted ext3 and swapped off the swap partition in order to have all partitions unmounted. It took then 10 secs to format 250go in ntfs. I will now reboot normally.

            as shown before, only the 2 linux partitions were mounted. in fact - pure curiosity - do we need to unmount them if they are on the same physical drive along the unmounted partition we are trying to format ? is it safer to unmount them all ?
            Single boot Kubuntu12.04 on Zepto NoxA14 Intel Dual Core 2GHz (64-bit), RAM 4Go, Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Format (ntfs)partition on harddisk having one mounted partition

              Partitions have to be unmounted to be formatted.

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Format (ntfs)partition on harddisk having one mounted partition

                (1) What dibl said.

                (2) I suppose you might say that it is always safer to unmount any and all partitions when running a partition editor. But strictly speaking, you only need to unmount the partition you are working on. If partition x is "next to" partition y, and you are only working on partition x at the moment, you only need to unmount x. Partition y maybe mounted or unmounted while working on partition x. (We trust our software is not buggy and won't hop the fence over to partition y ... imo, GParted is fully trustworthy.)
                An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Format (ntfs)partition on harddisk having one mounted partition

                  Everything works fine after reboot in normal mode.
                  Thank you very much for the quick help !

                  ok for the answer, this is very clear !
                  Grateful thanks
                  Single boot Kubuntu12.04 on Zepto NoxA14 Intel Dual Core 2GHz (64-bit), RAM 4Go, Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT

                  Comment

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