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Author Topic: Gparted & Mtools FAT32 Issue  (Read 13391 times)

Offline SamK

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Gparted & Mtools FAT32 Issue
« on: January 02, 2013, 12:14:54 PM »
TC v 4.7.2
Gparted v 0.13.1
mtools v 4.0.17

At startup of the app, Gparted shows a warning for FAT32
Code: [Select]
Error converting to codepage 850 invalid argument
Cannot initialize 'H:'
mlabel: Cannot initialize drive

When trying to apply a label to FAT32 it fails with the message
Code: [Select]
GParted 0.13.1

Libparted 3.1

Set Partition Label "LINWIN" on /dev/sdc1   00:00:01  ( ERROR )
   calibrate /dev/sdc1  00:00:00  ( SUCCESS )

      path: /dev/sdc1
      start: 2048
      end: 69631
      size: 67584 (33.00 MiB)

   Set partition label to "LINWIN" on /dev/sdc1  00:00:00 ( ERROR )
      export MTOOLSRC=/tmp/gparted-XXIjnPPM && mlabel H:"LINWIN"

         Error converting to codepage 850 Invalid argument
         Cannot initialize 'H:'
         mlabel: Cannot initialize drive

For reference, the issue is not present in the previous *.tcz
Gparted v 0.6.2
mtools v 4.0.12

Offline Juanito

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Re: Gparted & Mtools FAT32 Issue
« Reply #1 on: January 02, 2013, 10:19:36 PM »
Do you see the same thing on other partitions?

I have to say I never tested gparted on FAT since I don't use it - on testing a FAT16 partition I don't get the startup error, but I do get this:
Code: [Select]
GParted 0.13.1

Libparted 3.1Set Partition Label "juanito" on /dev/sdc1  00:00:01    ( ERROR )
    calibrate /dev/sdc1  00:00:00    ( SUCCESS )
    path: /dev/sdc1
start: 32
end: 246271
size: 246240 (120.23 MiB)

Set partition label to "John_F" on /dev/sdc1  00:00:00    ( ERROR )
    export MTOOLSRC=/tmp/gparted-XXabTFgU && mlabel H:"juanito"
    Error converting to codepage 850 Invalid argument
Cannot initialize 'H:'
mlabel: Cannot initialize drive

No idea what caused this as yet...
« Last Edit: January 03, 2013, 12:01:18 AM by Juanito »

Offline Juanito

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Re: Gparted & Mtools FAT32 Issue
« Reply #2 on: January 03, 2013, 12:27:08 AM »
From http://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php?topic=11128.0

Quote
Due to an unrelated subject I've discovered that the Error converting to codepage 850 Invalid argument error will most likely be resolved if you install the glibc_gconv.tcz extension. Whether that also helps to resolve the other errors is unknown to me, but I'm sure you'll find out yourself.

This seems to be connected to mtools mtools_default_codepage in config.c being 850?

Maybe you could try with glibc_gconv loaded?

Offline SamK

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Re: Gparted & Mtools FAT32 Issue
« Reply #3 on: January 03, 2013, 02:11:07 AM »
Do you see the same thing on other partitions?

No idea what caused this as yet...
Only on FAT

This seems to be connected to mtools mtools_default_codepage in config.c being 850?

Maybe you could try with glibc_gconv loaded?
With glibc_gconv loaded the issue is not present.


Further Tests
Here, there is an existing system
TC v 4.1
Gparted v 0.6.2
mtools v 4.0.12
glibc_gconv is not installed

In this system the reported issue is not present.

Replacing mtools in the new (problematical) system
TC v 4.7.2
Gparted v 0.13.1
mtools v 4.0.12
glibc_gconv is not installed

In this condition the reported issue is still present.
Does this indicate the cause may not be mtools?  Perhaps glibc_gconv is somehow working around the problem without addressing the cause.


Edit
Just musing.  Might this have a bearing...
Working system
Code: [Select]
uname -r
3.03-tinycore
Problem system
Code: [Select]
uname -r
3.0.21-tinycore
« Last Edit: January 03, 2013, 03:04:01 AM by SamK »

Offline curaga

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Re: Gparted & Mtools FAT32 Issue
« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2013, 05:06:27 AM »
If mtools needs to do codepage conversions, then it should depend on glibc_gconv (or eglibc_, don't remember the exact name).
The only barriers that can stop you are the ones you create yourself.

Offline Rich

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Re: Gparted & Mtools FAT32 Issue
« Reply #5 on: January 03, 2013, 10:35:21 AM »
Hi SamK
Do you have  eglibc_gconv.tcz  installed under TC4.1?

Offline SamK

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Re: Gparted & Mtools FAT32 Issue
« Reply #6 on: January 03, 2013, 11:41:38 AM »
Hi SamK
Do you have  eglibc_gconv.tcz  installed under TC4.1?
Hi Rich
Neither eglibc_gconv or glibc_gconv are loaded and the gparted+mtools combination works OK.

Offline Rich

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Re: Gparted & Mtools FAT32 Issue
« Reply #7 on: January 03, 2013, 11:59:58 AM »
Hi SamK
How about  samba3.tcz ?

Offline SamK

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Re: Gparted & Mtools FAT32 Issue
« Reply #8 on: January 03, 2013, 01:38:27 PM »
Hi SamK
How about  samba3.tcz ?
Hi Rich,
Samba3, (just like the others mentioned earlier) is not installed.

Offline SamK

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Re: Gparted & Mtools FAT32 Issue
« Reply #9 on: January 03, 2013, 02:32:31 PM »
Just to avoid playing tcz-tennis the list of extensions is attached.

Edit
The list refers to the TC 4.1 system.
« Last Edit: January 03, 2013, 02:35:17 PM by SamK »

Offline curaga

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Re: Gparted & Mtools FAT32 Issue
« Reply #10 on: January 03, 2013, 03:44:56 PM »
Just a guess, perhaps the older mtools didn't have the conversion feature.
The only barriers that can stop you are the ones you create yourself.

aus9

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Re: Gparted & Mtools FAT32 Issue
« Reply #11 on: January 03, 2013, 06:00:48 PM »
   SamK

just a wild guess you have xorg lib tcz but not xorg-7.6 but my eyesight can not spot in those files any codepage 850
nor in kmaps

Offline tinypoodle

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Re: Gparted & Mtools FAT32 Issue
« Reply #12 on: January 03, 2013, 07:27:33 PM »
Wondering what would happen if you would omit loading mtools, if gparted would not just fall back on dosfstools for label function.
"Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster." Niklaus Wirth - A Plea for Lean Software (1995)

Offline SamK

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Re: Gparted & Mtools FAT32 Issue
« Reply #13 on: January 04, 2013, 01:52:20 AM »
Just a guess, perhaps the older mtools didn't have the conversion feature.
In reply #3 (Further Tests) the older mtools was used together with the newer gparted and the current kernel.  This was an attempt to identify if the needs of mtools had changed.  Is there a way to directly enquire of the installed mtools whether the conversion feature is required?


just a wild guess you have xorg lib tcz but not xorg-7.6 but my eyesight can not spot in those files any codepage 850
nor in kmaps
None of the TC systems here use full Xorg, only Xvesa is used.


Wondering what would happen if you would omit loading mtools, if gparted would not just fall back on dosfstools for label function.
This does not work.  Both dosfstools and mtools are required.  If it had worked it would leave the cause of the discrepancy unidentified.

Offline Juanito

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Re: Gparted & Mtools FAT32 Issue
« Reply #14 on: January 04, 2013, 02:03:56 AM »
What, if anything, does "iconv --list" give on the two systems?

Does this bring any clarity:

http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/HowTo/MountFATFileSystems