Ubuntu :: New Partitioning Utility: FixParts

I've just officially released a new open source partitioning utility: FixParts. As the name implies, its purpose is to fix broken partition tables, although it also has a few other specialized uses. Broken partition tables often manifest in GParted and other libparted-based tools as an empty disk, even when you know partitions exist on it; or sometimes as a disk with incorrect partitions shown. FixParts' three main goals are:

To remove stray GUID Partition Table (GPT) data from MBR disks. This problem can result from re-using a GPT disk by repartitioning it with a GPT-unaware utility, such as Linux fdisk or at least some versions of the Windows installer. To resize extended partitions that are too large or too small. This problem can be created by TestDisk under some circumstances, and perhaps by other tools, too. To change primary partitions into logical partitions, or vice-versa. Such changes might not technically be fixes of problems, but they can be, if something turned a logical partition into a primary partition, as the Windows XP installer does sometimes. This feature of the program can also be helpful in working around the problem of computer manufacturers who place four primary partitions on their disks at the factory.

The program is not intended for general-purpose partitioning; for that, use fdisk, GNU Parted, GParted, Disk Utility, or other tools. You should also be aware that FixParts may change partition numbers. This shouldn't affect a typical Ubuntu installation, but it might if you use partition device filenames rather than UUIDs in /etc/fstab or your GRUB 2 configuration.

FixParts is an offshoot of my GPT fdisk (gdisk and sgdisk) package, which is used to partition GPT disks. Because FixParts has such different uses, though, I've put it into a separate binary package. You can download them all from the GPT fdisk SourceForge download page.