[Bug 880696] Re: Problems with ext[34] bad-alignment detection

[Marcus Tomlinson]

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** Changed in: ubiquity (Ubuntu)
       Status: Confirmed => Incomplete

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/880696

Title:
  Problems with ext[34] bad-alignment detection

Status in ubiquity package in Ubuntu:
  Incomplete

Bug description:
  Original question from Pat Cutty:
  https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+question/175810

  This problem occurred after I installed a clean 640 GB Seagate hard
  drive. Laptop is Thinkpad T510 with i5 and 4 GB RAM.

  Essentially, whenever I try to install Ubuntu (regardless of whether I
  go for the automatic install option or partition manually) the
  presence of an ext4 partition anywhere on the partition proposal
  returns the following error (severely paraphrased)

  The partition alignment for (whatever ext4 partition there is) is so-
  and-so bytes off. This will cause major performance issues. Etc.

  It tells me I should go back, delete the partition, and re-create it,
  which should automatically fix the alignment. Doing so (clicking "go
  back") does nothing- I get the same error.

  Hitting "continue" does not continue with the install. It does the
  same thing as "go back."

  When doing an automatic install, it kicks me to the custom
  partitioning screen with the same error.

  I tried a couple different filesystems, and discovered that only EXT4
  causes that error. Setting ext4 as / or /home will cause that
  partition to be named in the error message. When I tried non-EXT4
  partitions exclusively, (JFS for / and btrfs for /home) the
  installation continued as it should.

  This could be a major issue as it basically means Ubuntu's default
  partitioning layouts will not work.

  The only hardware difference is the new HDD. Before I swapped it in,
  EXT4 partitions returned no errors.

  So I guess the question is... WTF?!

  Addendum: ext3 also returns the same error, and using btrfs as /
  results in a GRUB install fail (which did not happen with the previous
  HDD.) Using JFS as / worked fine. I will now test the x86 version of
  Ubuntu and see what happens. The  new drive is perfectly fine
  according to Palimpsest and a test install of Windoze also worked
  without issue.

  Addendum 2 : It's definitely not the drive. The complete battery of
  Seatools tests found no issues. Also tried installing the drive in
  another machine (Gateway Atom-based netbook, model LT2104u) and the
  same thing happened. So it is something to do with the drive, but
  there's nothing wrong with the drive. Tried low-level zero format of
  drive with Seatools (which completed successfully) but this too had no
  effect on issue.

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