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I am using Ubuntu and wanted to clone my HD with the dd command. I have used it before but this time I got an error message:

Warning: invalid flag 0x0000 of partition table 5 will be corrected by (w)rite

I really do not understand what it means, but when using Gparted to look at the disk I got the following info:

gparted

I suppose that the two partitions to the right in the picture means that they are overlapping.

How do I fix this? (pls remember that I am a newbie so a detailed approach is much appreciated) I do not want to damage the content of the disk, so is it possible to fix it without losing any data?

Thanks in advance

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migrated from stackoverflow.com Mar 23 '11 at 22:43

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2 Answers

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/dev/sd2, as an extended partition, contains /dev/sd2, a logical partition.

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is that ok or? do you know what the 'invalid flag...' message means? – Toby Mar 23 '11 at 22:31
Yes extended partitions should always contain at least one logical partition. The flag is likely the 16 bits starting 444 bytes from the start of the partition block. These are normally 0000. As this is a swap partition, there is very little risk if the partition gets damaged. – BillThor Mar 24 '11 at 4:16
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Your hard disk is fine. If you need to clone it, then boot your computer using a Live CD or USB and then use the dd command. I think you are bound to get errors if you try clone a hard disk that is in use.

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