gparted crashes at startup - Assertion failed

[selinuxium]

Binary package hint: gparted

james@mbslt01:~$ gksu gparted
======================
libparted : 2.2
======================
Backtrace has 15 calls on stack:
  15: /lib/libparted.so.0(ped_assert+0x31) [0x7fc10c9a3831]
  14: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x3a186) [0x7fc10c9ce186]
  13: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x3a8f3) [0x7fc10c9ce8f3]
  12: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x3b5ad) [0x7fc10c9cf5ad]
  11: /lib/libparted.so.0(ped_disk_add_partition+0x1cb) [0x7fc10c9a9f3b]
  10: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x3c9b6) [0x7fc10c9d09b6]
  9: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x3cb65) [0x7fc10c9d0b65]
  8: /lib/libparted.so.0(ped_disk_new+0x75) [0x7fc10c9aaa15]
  7: /usr/sbin/gpartedbin() [0x44ab84]
  6: /usr/sbin/gpartedbin() [0x45645c]
  5: /usr/sbin/gpartedbin() [0x476c47]
  4: /usr/lib/libglibmm-2.4.so.1(+0x36862) [0x7fc10b426862]
  3: /lib/libglib-2.0.so.0(+0x67b84) [0x7fc10a87ab84]
  2: /lib/libpthread.so.0(+0x69ca) [0x7fc10a0d19ca]
  1: /lib/libc.so.6(clone+0x6d) [0x7fc109e2f6dd]
Assertion (head_size <= 63) at ../../../libparted/labels/dos.c:659 in function probe_partition_for_geom() failed.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: gparted 0.5.1-1ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-19.28-generic 2.6.32.10+drm33.1
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-19-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Architecture: amd64
Date: Thu Apr 8 14:46:42 2010
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" - Release amd64 (20091027)
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_GB.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: gparted

[dannymichel (xcingix)]

same here

[Curtis Gedak (gedakc)]

Can you try running the following command to see if it crashes?

     parted -l

Where the option is a lowercase "L", and not the number one "1".

[Tanath (tanath)]

I'm getting a similar issue with a particular USB stick connected. It was having issues, so I tried to use gparted to wipe the partition and create a new one, but creating a partition failed. Now the drive isn't even seen by any computer I put it in. Ubuntu compters have gparted crash on start with the following output in terminal:

======================
libparted : 2.2
======================
Backtrace has 16 calls on stack:
  16: /lib/libparted.so.0(ped_assert+0x2a) [0x9dbf4a]
  15: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x428ad) [0xa138ad]
  14: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x432c7) [0xa142c7]
  13: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x445bc) [0xa155bc]
  12: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0xf7f1) [0x9e07f1]
  11: /lib/libparted.so.0(ped_disk_add_partition+0x262) [0x9e4072]
  10: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x45f53) [0xa16f53]
  9: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x4614f) [0xa1714f]
  8: /lib/libparted.so.0(ped_disk_new+0x75) [0x9e4e55]
  7: /usr/sbin/gpartedbin() [0x80901d6]
  6: /usr/sbin/gpartedbin() [0x809fc8b]
  5: /usr/sbin/gpartedbin() [0x80c0522]
  4: /usr/lib/libglibmm-2.4.so.1(+0x30eb2) [0x99deb2]
  3: /lib/libglib-2.0.so.0(+0x65dcf) [0x72adcf]
  2: /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libpthread.so.0(+0x596e) [0x5d896e]
  1: /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc.so.6(clone+0x5e) [0xb1ba0e]
Assertion ((C * heads + H) * sectors + S == A) at ../../../libparted/labels/dos.c:679 in function probe_partition_for_geom() failed.

[Tanath (tanath)]

Output of sudo parted -l

Model: ATA WDC WD1600JB-00E (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 160GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
 1 32.3kB 156GB 156GB primary ext4 boot
 2 156GB 160GB 4096MB extended
 5 156GB 160GB 4096MB logical linux-swap(v1)

Backtrace has 16 calls on stack:
  16: /lib/libparted.so.0(ped_assert+0x2a) [0x163f4a]
  15: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x428ad) [0x19b8ad]
  14: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x432c7) [0x19c2c7]
  13: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x445bc) [0x19d5bc]
  12: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0xf7f1) [0x1687f1]
  11: /lib/libparted.so.0(ped_disk_add_partition+0x262) [0x16c072]
  10: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x45f53) [0x19ef53]
  9: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x4614f) [0x19f14f]
  8: /lib/libparted.so.0(ped_disk_new+0x75) [0x16ce55]
  7: parted() [0x804e389]
  6: parted() [0x804f553]
  5: parted() [0x80517da]
  4: parted() [0x8052e51]
  3: parted(main+0x2e) [0x8052f5e]
  2: /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc.so.6(__libc_start_main+0xe6) [0x7a8bd6]
  1: parted() [0x804c3f1]

You found a bug in GNU Parted! Here's what you have to do:

Don't panic! The bug has most likely not affected any of your data.
Help us to fix this bug by doing the following:

Check whether the bug has already been fixed by checking
the last version of GNU Parted that you can find at:

 http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/parted/

Please check this version prior to bug reporting.

If this has not been fixed yet or if you don't know how to check,
please visit the GNU Parted website:

 http://www.gnu.org/software/parted

for further information.

Your report should contain the version of this release (2.2)
along with the error message below, the output of

 parted DEVICE unit co print unit s print

and the following history of commands you entered.
Also include any additional information about your setup you
consider important.

Assertion ((C * heads + H) * sectors + S == A) at
../../../libparted/labels/dos.c:679 in function probe_partition_for_geom()
failed.

zsh: abort sudo parted -l

[Jan Claeys (janc)]

As both gparted & parted crash somewhere in libparted, I suppose this is a bug in libparted...

[Ugo Riboni (uriboni)]

Same issue here.
i also tried parted 2.3 (built from the sources at gnu.org) and it crashes in the same way when scanning certain USB sticks.

[Jim Moore (jim-j-moore)]

I am also experiencing the above reported parted/gparted crash. This is, for me, consistently
reproducable when attempting to install from a USB stick. Booting into "rescue mode" and
getting a shell (without specifying a root filesystem) allows a little experimentation, which
shows that disconnecting the USB stick allows gparted to run successfully. Re-insert the
stick and the problem returns. I don't have an optical drive in this system, so I'll have to
try a USB optical device and hope that works! (Either that or set up a net boot/install,
which should work fine, albeit a bit of a chore for what should be a simple install).

[Jim Moore (jim-j-moore)]

Update: In my case, the problem is with the partition table on the USB stick.

The USB stick was supplied from the manufacturer with a single FAT32 partition which can be mounted and used just fine by operating systems (Windows, Linux and Solaris). However, it is *not* a complete, contiguously defined partition. By using parted on a booted OS with the USB stick inserted, I blew away the partition and re-created it from scratch to completely fill the device - this worked fine in my case.

Then, I re-initialized it with "startup disk creator" and the installation ISO image. This time, the installation procedure did NOT hang at the "starting the partitioner" stage and there were no underlying gparted crashes. I'm not sure why a previous commenter had a problem creating a new partition but it may be worth other folks encountering this problem to try the same.

[Thomas (sci-data-acq-devel)]

I can't start Parted when I boot the 10.04 Desktop 32-bit CD.

When I click it on the menu, parted (the full-size window with title, though I can't see the contents in that split second) disappears a fraction of a second after it appears. If I then try to sudo parted from the Terminal, it presents this error rather than starting.

How can I install if I can't partition?

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo gparted
======================
libparted : 2.2
======================
Backtrace has 16 calls on stack:
  16: /lib/libparted.so.0(ped_assert+0x2a) [0x920f4a]
  15: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x424b7) [0x9584b7]
  14: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x432c7) [0x9592c7]
  13: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x445bc) [0x95a5bc]
  12: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0xf7f1) [0x9257f1]
  11: /lib/libparted.so.0(ped_disk_add_partition+0x262) [0x929072]
  10: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x45f53) [0x95bf53]
  9: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x4614f) [0x95c14f]
  8: /lib/libparted.so.0(ped_disk_new+0x75) [0x929e55]
  7: /usr/sbin/gpartedbin() [0x80901d6]
  6: /usr/sbin/gpartedbin() [0x809fc8b]
  5: /usr/sbin/gpartedbin() [0x80c0522]
  4: /usr/lib/libglibmm-2.4.so.1(+0x30eb2) [0x55deb2]
  3: /lib/libglib-2.0.so.0(+0x65dcf) [0xf95dcf]
  2: /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libpthread.so.0(+0x596e) [0x5a996e]
  1: /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc.so.6(clone+0x5e) [0x10c7a0e]
Assertion (head_size <= 63) at ../../../libparted/labels/dos.c:659 in function probe_partition_for_geom() failed.

[Thomas (sci-data-acq-devel)]

If I zero the beginning of the disk, then gpart will start.

This disk was a brand new Patriot XT. There are no errors in the dmesg output.

I forgot to mention-- when I first tried to install Ubuntu on this brand new Patriot XT (before I tried to start gpart from the Live CD mode), the installer hung at the keyboard map choosing screen.

In other words, this fresh-out-of-the-box memory stick also hangs the Ubuntu 10.04 32-bit Desktop installer.

[Bob Blanchard (blabj)]

Same issue with a Kingston 4GB DataTraveler.

Backtrace has 16 calls on stack:
  16: /lib/libparted.so.0(ped_assert+0x2a) [0x16af0a]
  15: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x42507) [0x1a2507]
  14: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x43317) [0x1a3317]
  13: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x4460c) [0x1a460c]
  12: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0xf7b1) [0x16f7b1]
  11: /lib/libparted.so.0(ped_disk_add_partition+0x262) [0x173032]
  10: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x45fa3) [0x1a5fa3]
  9: /lib/libparted.so.0(+0x4619f) [0x1a619f]
  8: /lib/libparted.so.0(ped_disk_new+0x75) [0x173e15]
  7: parted() [0x804e389]
  6: parted() [0x804f553]
  5: parted() [0x80517da]
  4: parted() [0x8052e51]
  3: parted(main+0x2e) [0x8052f5e]
  2: /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc.so.6(__libc_start_main+0xe6) [0x31fbd6]
  1: parted() [0x804c3f1]

Assertion (head_size <= 63) at ../../../libparted/labels/dos.c:659 in function
probe_partition_for_geom() failed.

This has something to do with manufacturers partitioning - here is what fdisk shows:

root@quabuntu:~# fdisk /dev/sdb

WARNING: DOS-compatible mode is deprecated. It's strongly recommended to
         switch off the mode (command 'c') and change display units to
         sectors (command 'u').

Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/sdb: 3980 MB, 3980394496 bytes
9 heads, 9 sectors/track, 95977 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 81 * 512 = 41472 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 100 95978 3883072 c W95 FAT32 (LBA)

If I delete the partition, and recreate a new primary partition, then parted works fine.

[MoLE (moleonthehill)]

Unfortunately this bug still appears to be present in the latest maverick final CD. I have managed to identify two duplicates so far.

[Doug (boarder-dougca)]

As suggested by Tanath I went to http://www.gnu.org/software/parted to see the bug report but could not find it... I wanted to add that I am having this problem with libparted 2.3 and only my internal drives are connected. It occurs both on the installed version and with the 10.10 amd64 install CD.

[Penn Rabb (penn)]

My gparted worked fine until CentOS installed a LVM partition. Then it stopped working and started just flashing the scan and crashing.

[Ben Lau (benlau)]

Same as #12 , I also have a Kingston 4GB DataTraveler (G3). Using fdisk to delete the partition and recreate it , then parted will not crash any more.

[[e-mail] (rj-amdphreak)]

This bug is due to another "technological advancement" by Microsoft.

I reformatted and partitioned my flash drive (4 GB Mushkin) using Windows 7, and I told it to use FAT32, but instead it used VFAT without telling me (the user).

VFAT is what is causing the problem. It is patented, and therefore is probably not well-supported in Linux. A Wikipedia article outlines why installing Linux to a VFAT volume is impossible. We are having this issue here. See this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAT_filesystem_and_Linux

My personal conclusion is that this is another ploy by Microsoft to prevent Linux from being installed on personal devices (since people will probably do the same thing I did).

Screenshot:
http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/1200/flashdrivevfatmtab.png

[Phillip Susi (psusi)]

vfat and fat32 are the same thing and has nothing to do with this bug. Linux can not be INSTALLED to a fat filesystem because it does not support permissions; it can access it ( as opposed to being installed on ) just fine.

[Oliver Joos (oliver-joos)]

@rj: I agree with Phillip. I think this bug is caused by an unusual number of heads per track. Newer OS like Windows 7 try to optimize track/head/sector numbers depending on the media (4GB flash in your case). Try to format your stick with WinXP or Linux<=2.6.35 (Lucid or older).

[Phillip Susi (psusi)]

Remember, this bug report is a duplicate of bug #545911 ( which has been fixed ). Comment here only if you think the duplicate status is wrong.