HELP WANTED----plan9 overwrote linux partition

HELP WANTED----plan9 overwrote linux partition

[Nigel]

> Hi, there,
> 
> Help wanted, Plan9, the so boasted next generation os is just a piece of
> junk. This time, AT&T really picked a good name for plan9.
> 
> I've run linux1.2.0 for about a half year, everything seems OK.
> Today, I download the plan9 to play with, it looks working too.
> However, actually when I was installing plan9, it overwrote my linux
> partition without any pre-warning.
>
Oh dear. The installation instructions referenced in 
http://www.plan9.att.com/distrib.html implored people to read the 
errata document. In particular, a new version of prep (the disk 
partitioner) is required to avoid this. The original version installs after the 
highest numbered DOS active partiton. Evidently your Linux partition 
is after your DOS partition.
 
> My linux partition is not bootable now, and I try to boot from floppy,
> and do fsck on it, it says: "bad magic number". So definately
> plan9 overwrote my linux partition.
>
Yes no question that your Linux partition is totalled.
 
> I want to recover my more than half-year work, since I don't have tape
> backup. Please help! Any suggestion will be mostly appreciated.
> I guess this is doable, since my linux partition occupies 400Mbytes, 
> while plan9 only occupies 20Mbytes according to its installation notes,
> so it looks like the rest 380Mbytes should be able to recoverd, sounds
> reasonable?
> 
Unfortunately, again, the installation documents are clear that Plan 
9 will occupy ALL the space at the 'end' of the disk, not just 20Mb. 
20Mb was a minimum requirement, not a maxiumum. I guess you need help 
from the Linux community to help recover the data. It appears that 
you are not the only person.

The free demo version of Plan 9 was issued for people to work out
whether it would work on their machines before buying the full
version, because Plan 9 is not intended to be as PC compatible as
Linux is. Under such restrictions it was perhaps a bit rash to
install it on a valued machine without a backup.

Good luck with recovering your data.

HELP WANTED----plan9 overwrote linux partition

[Steve_Kilbane]

Bill Hogan writes:
>    "Installation from diskettes works correctly only on systems with a
> single DOS partition. On systems with multiple partitions, Plan 9 will
> install over the second through last partitions."
> 
> it is only with the benefit of hindsight [..]
> that I can discern [...] that Plan 9 will
> *DESTROY* my second through the last partitions [...]

At the risk of being unhelpful, that was what I assumed it meant.

>     Believe me, if plan9 wiped out every partition after the first one
> on my C: drive, and every partition on each of my three remaining
> drives, the internet would never hear the end of it.

In which case, stay the hell away from Plan 9. When you've got the
support contract, then you can whinge.

steve

HELP WANTED----plan9 overwrote linux partition

[Brian]

[ Cc's are being sent to others who might get a laugh out of this. ]

On Tue, 15 Aug 1995, Xiao Ke wrote:
> Help wanted, Plan9, the so boasted next generation os is just a piece of
> junk. This time, AT&T really picked a good name for plan9.
> 
> I've run linux1.2.0 for about a half year, everything seems OK.
> Today, I download the plan9 to play with, it looks working too.
> However, actually when I was installing plan9, it overwrote my linux
> partition without any pre-warning.

----- RTFM -----

If you had read the ERRATA, you would have known about this and known how
to avoid it.  I didn't read the ERRATA and my Linux partition was also
blasted, but I don't blame Plan 9.  I blame my impatience and
over-confidence.  How can you complain about a product that you didn't pay
for?  Also, AT&T warns the world that Plan 9 is only for research and
educational purposes; it is not a production OS and AT&T has warned us
that they will not support it.  How can you complain about the behavior of
product that is unsupported?  Also, how can you deride the OS just because
of this?  Unix had the same start. 

You and I should have been more careful.  We should have known better than
to trust such a product so much.  When I discovered the damage that the
installation had done, I was upset but not indignant; after all, I hadn't
even read the instructions or looked for warnings.  I had seen ERRATA and
failed to read it. 

Remember, it's not necessarily safe sex just because the girl is pretty. 

Also, you should have backed up your valuable files beforehand.  This is 
strictly common sense and no one's responsibility but yours.

----- RTFM -----

/* Brian Rogers -- tech admin, coffee achiever -- brogers@integctr.com  */
/* The Integrity Center    --   "objective risk management information" */
/*           http://www.integctr.com/   --   info@integctr.com          */
/*  (214)484-6140  (800)456-1811  FAX (214)484-6381  FOD (214)484-2147  */

HELP WANTED----plan9 overwrote linux partition

[Bill]

"NR" == Nigel Roles <ngr@symbionics.co.uk> writes:

  >> Hi, there,
  >> 
  >> Help wanted, Plan9, the so boasted next generation os is just a piece of
  >> junk. This time, AT&T really picked a good name for plan9.
  >> 
  >> I've run linux1.2.0 for about a half year, everything seems OK.
  >> Today, I download the plan9 to play with, it looks working too.
  >> However, actually when I was installing plan9, it overwrote my linux
  >> partition without any pre-warning.
  >> 
  NR> Oh dear. The installation instructions referenced in 
  NR> http://www.plan9.att.com/distrib.html implored people to read the 
  NR> errata document. In particular, a new version of prep (the disk 
  NR> partitioner) is required to avoid this. The original version installs after the 
  NR> highest numbered DOS active partiton. Evidently your Linux partition 
  NR> is after your DOS partition.
 
  >> My linux partition is not bootable now, and I try to boot from floppy,
  >> and do fsck on it, it says: "bad magic number". So definately
  >> plan9 overwrote my linux partition.
  >> 
  NR> Yes no question that your Linux partition is totalled.
 
  >> I want to recover my more than half-year work, since I don't have tape
  >> backup. Please help! Any suggestion will be mostly appreciated.
  >> I guess this is doable, since my linux partition occupies 400Mbytes, 
  >> while plan9 only occupies 20Mbytes according to its installation notes,
  >> so it looks like the rest 380Mbytes should be able to recoverd, sounds
  >> reasonable?
  >> 

  NR> Unfortunately, again, the installation documents are clear that Plan 
  NR> 9 will occupy ALL the space at the 'end' of the disk, not just 20Mb. 
        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Excuse me, but exactly where does it say that?

    For example, where errata.html says,

   "Installation from diskettes works correctly only on systems with a
single DOS partition. On systems with multiple partitions, Plan 9 will
install over the second through last partitions."

it is only with the benefit of hindsight and considerable effort
(forgetting such things as "hop over", "skip over", "jump over", "pass
over", etc.) that I can discern in the phrase "Plan 9 will install
over the second through last partitions" the idea that Plan 9 will
*DESTROY* my second through the last partitions -- so when it goes on
to say

   "If you have multiple partitions, pick up
ftp://plan9.att.com/plan9/pcdist/prep.  After the installation step
entitled Installing diskette 1 on your DOS hard drive, return to
DOS. Copy the new prep onto C:\plan9\386\bin\disk\prep. Then continue
with the Plan 9 installation."

and then assures me

   "This will ensure that any newly created partition will occupy the
unallocated portion at the high end of the disk, avoiding existing DOS
partitions."

I am even now quite frankly not convinced I should believe it.
 
    For one thing, what does "the high end of the disk" mean when I
have four SCSI hard drives, and what does "[thus] avoiding existing
DOS partitions" mean three of those four drives contain a mixture of
FAT, HPFS, and Linux partitions?

    Believe me, if plan9 wiped out every partition after the first one
on my C: drive, and every partition on each of my three remaining
drives, the internet would never hear the end of it.
    
    Bill

HELP WANTED----plan9 overwrote linux partition

[suhr]

> Hi, there,
> 
> Help wanted, Plan9, the so boasted next generation os is just a piece of
> junk. This time, AT&T really picked a good name for plan9.
> 
> I've run linux1.2.0 for about a half year, everything seems OK.
> Today, I download the plan9 to play with, it looks working too.
> However, actually when I was installing plan9, it overwrote my linux
> partition without any pre-warning.
> 
> My linux partition is not bootable now, and I try to boot from floppy,
> and do fsck on it, it says: "bad magic number". So definately
> plan9 overwrote my linux partition.
Sorry Sir, this is a mailing list for Plan9 users not for UNIX
beginners.

Bye, Andre

HELP WANTED----plan9 overwrote linux partition

[Xiao]

Hi, there,

Help wanted, Plan9, the so boasted next generation os is just a piece of
junk. This time, AT&T really picked a good name for plan9.

I've run linux1.2.0 for about a half year, everything seems OK.
Today, I download the plan9 to play with, it looks working too.
However, actually when I was installing plan9, it overwrote my linux
partition without any pre-warning.

My linux partition is not bootable now, and I try to boot from floppy,
and do fsck on it, it says: "bad magic number". So definately
plan9 overwrote my linux partition.

I want to recover my more than half-year work, since I don't have tape
backup. Please help! Any suggestion will be mostly appreciated.
I guess this is doable, since my linux partition occupies 400Mbytes, 
while plan9 only occupies 20Mbytes according to its installation notes,
so it looks like the rest 380Mbytes should be able to recoverd, sounds
reasonable?

Thanks,


-----Xiao Ke
xke@paul.rutgers.edu