Tech Support Forum - View Single Post - [SOLVED] Cannot mount selected partition.

**Bartender** · 12-23-2007, 08:24 AM

According to LinuxSelfhelp :

17 : Cannot mount selected partition
This error is returned if the partition requested exists, but the filesystem type cannot be recognized by GRUB.

I'm not sure I'm reading this right. And my understanding of how GRUB works is not exactly flawless.

GRUB has two stages. The first part is a tiny bit of code that installs to the very beginning of the drive. That bit directs GRUB to GRUB Stage2, installed out in the body of the drive platters where there's room for more data. In Ubuntu, if I go to Computer>File System>boot>grub I'm looking at the GRUB Stage2 data.
At least that's how I understand it

Error 17 looks to me like GRUB doesn't recognize the disk formatting as one it can use. Did you use Partition Magic to format your HDD?

Hopefully someone else will pipe up if I'm leading you astray. I'm no Linux expert, but I've installed Linux (Ubuntu, PCLOS, Mint) twenty times or so to several different PC's.

I would not have expected to see the GRUB menu that you describe if I'd reinstalled everything to sdb. GRUB shouldn't be making any references to Windows.

This is what I'd do with my admittedly limited experience. I'd unplug the Windows drive. That way we know it can't be wrecked.
Then I'd plug in the Linux drive, set it up as master (physically as well as in BIOS) and let Ubuntu auto-install. Don't do any manual partitioning, just select "Guided - Use Entire Disk".

Does it boot up and run? If you get the same error again I'd wipe the entire drive clean with a disc wipe utility like Darik's BootNuke or use a GPartedLiveCD (my favorite partitioning tool - a pox on Partition Magic) to remove all partitions and format the entire disc as ext3. Then I'd try to install again with just the Linux HDD in the PC.
If you STILL get messages about a Windows HDD and Error 17 then I'd say that either the HDD is starting to fail, or the install CD you're using is no good. Cheaper to make another install CD than scrap the drive. If you've been using an Ubuntu LiveCD you might want to download/burn an alt-install CD. They're more reliable than LiveCD's.

Does your PC use the wide ribbon cables to connect HDD's or is it SATA? If you have the ribbon cables, and they're the old 40-wire cables, try replacing with an 80-wire ribbon cable. 80-wires transmit data more reliably.

12-23-2007, 08:24 AM	#10 (permalink)
Bartender Mentally divergent Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Chehalis, WA, USA Posts: 1,285 OS: W2K, Ubuntu 8.04	Re: Cannot mount selected partition. According to LinuxSelfhelp : 17 : Cannot mount selected partition This error is returned if the partition requested exists, but the filesystem type cannot be recognized by GRUB. I'm not sure I'm reading this right. And my understanding of how GRUB works is not exactly flawless. GRUB has two stages. The first part is a tiny bit of code that installs to the very beginning of the drive. That bit directs GRUB to GRUB Stage2, installed out in the body of the drive platters where there's room for more data. In Ubuntu, if I go to Computer>File System>boot>grub I'm looking at the GRUB Stage2 data. At least that's how I understand it Error 17 looks to me like GRUB doesn't recognize the disk formatting as one it can use. Did you use Partition Magic to format your HDD? Hopefully someone else will pipe up if I'm leading you astray. I'm no Linux expert, but I've installed Linux (Ubuntu, PCLOS, Mint) twenty times or so to several different PC's. I would not have expected to see the GRUB menu that you describe if I'd reinstalled everything to sdb. GRUB shouldn't be making any references to Windows. This is what I'd do with my admittedly limited experience. I'd unplug the Windows drive. That way we know it can't be wrecked. Then I'd plug in the Linux drive, set it up as master (physically as well as in BIOS) and let Ubuntu auto-install. Don't do any manual partitioning, just select "Guided - Use Entire Disk". Does it boot up and run? If you get the same error again I'd wipe the entire drive clean with a disc wipe utility like Darik's BootNuke or use a GPartedLiveCD (my favorite partitioning tool - a pox on Partition Magic) to remove all partitions and format the entire disc as ext3. Then I'd try to install again with just the Linux HDD in the PC. If you STILL get messages about a Windows HDD and Error 17 then I'd say that either the HDD is starting to fail, or the install CD you're using is no good. Cheaper to make another install CD than scrap the drive. If you've been using an Ubuntu LiveCD you might want to download/burn an alt-install CD. They're more reliable than LiveCD's. Does your PC use the wide ribbon cables to connect HDD's or is it SATA? If you have the ribbon cables, and they're the old 40-wire cables, try replacing with an 80-wire ribbon cable. 80-wires transmit data more reliably.