"Cannot Open Linux Partition" Error on Image Capture

Products

• Ghost Solution Suite

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to capture an image from a machine with a Linux partition the user receives a "Cannot open Linux partition X" error. This usually indicates the client machine either has an OEM partition formatted using a Linux filesystem or that BitLocker is enabled.

"Cannot open Linux partition X (1,2,3 etc)"

Environment

GSS 3.x

WinPE Automation

Cause

OEMs such as Dell and Lenovo often ship devices with additional partitions added to their images (commonly Recovery partitions or Tool partitions) that are formatted with a Linux filesystem. Ghost64 is only compatible with EXT3 Linux filesystems, which are few ... if any ... of these in use. 

This error can also occur when attempting to capture an image from a BitLocker-enabled client computer. BitLocker creates a Linux partition that, similarly to the OEM partitions, is not compatible with Ghost64.

Resolution

To successfully capture an image from a machine with a non-EXT3 Linux partition, the partition must first be removed using a tool like Microsoft's DiskPart. 

Additional Information

Microsoft article diskpart