"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

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 few, if any, of these 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 be removed using a tool like DiskPart.