Sector 32 is already in use by FlexNet; avoiding it. This software may cause boot or other problems in future.
FlexNet
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1661254
It is one of those problems that grub2 had to work around. The boot area is for booting not DRM.
Adobe Photoshop, CAD/CAM, Rosetta Stone, Matlab others
Sector 32 or similar is already in use by FlexNet
http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Photosho...ews/B001EUDGO2
The problem turned out to be Adobe's digital rights management software
[DRM]. Do your own search for "FlexNet," formerly known as "SafeCast."
What I have read is that FlexNet is a viral rootkit that replicates in
multiple locations whenever a CS3 or CS4 product is installed, including
trial versions.
see google search on others with same issue: flexnet site:ubuntuforums.org
One from above search:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1605076&page=3
The problem turned out to be Adobe's digital rights management software [DRM]. Do your own search for "FlexNet," formerly known as "SafeCast." What I have read is that FlexNet is a viral rootkit that replicates in multiple locations whenever a CS3 or CS4 product is installed, including trial versions.
Once something like this is installed you are trapped. The above link discusses the zero out of everything and reinstall.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UnansweredPo.../SolvedThreads
For info on UEFI boot install & repair:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295
Screen shots of changing Thread to Solved
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UnansweredPo.../SolvedThreads
For info on UEFI boot install & repair:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295
It is not just Flexnet which may be part of many different windows
programs. Colin Watson from the grub2 team was looking for disk
signatures as the windows software kept overwriting grub2. They
obviously now have a workaround for flexnet, but may not for all
software. Just be aware of other windows programs also.
http://linux.slashdot.org/story/10/0...B-2-Unbootable
http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/ucgi/~cjwatson/blosxom/debian/2010-08-28-windows-applications-making-grub2-unbootable.html
Windows applications making GRUB 2 unbootableIf you find that running Windows makes a GRUB 2-based system unbootable (Debian bug, Ubuntu bug),
then I'd like to hear from you. This is a bug in which some
proprietary Windows-based software overwrites particular sectors in the
gap between the master boot record and the first partition, sometimes
called the "embedding area". GRUB Legacy and GRUB 2 both normally use
this part of the disk to store one of their key components: GRUB Legacy
calls this component Stage 1.5, while GRUB 2 calls it the core image (comparison).
However, Stage 1.5 is less useful than the core image (for example,
the latter provides a rescue shell which can be used to recover from
some problems), and is therefore rather smaller: somewhere around 10KB
vs. 24KB for the common case of ext[234] on plain block devices. It
seems that the Windows-based software writes to a sector which is after
the end of Stage 1.5, but before the end of the core image. This is why
the problem appears to be new with GRUB 2.
At least some occurrences of this are with software which writes a
signature to the embedding area which hangs around even after
uninstallation (even with one of those tools that tracks everything the
installation process did and reverses it, I gather), so that you cannot
uninstall and reinstall the application to defeat a trial period. This
seems like a fine example of an antifeature,
especially given its destructive consequences for free software, and is
in general a poor piece of engineering; what happens if multiple such
programs want to use the same sector, I wonder? They clearly aren't
doing much checking that the sector is unused, not that that's really
possible anyway. While I do not normally think that GRUB should go to
any great lengths to accommodate proprietary software, this is a case
where we need to defend ourselves against the predatory practices of
some companies making us look bad: a relatively small number of people
do enough detective work to realise that it's the fault of a particular
Windows application, but many more simply blame our operating system
because it won't start any more.
I believe that it may be possible to assemble a collection of
signatures of such software, and arrange to avoid the disk sectors they
have stolen. Indeed, I have a first draft of the necessary code. This
is not a particularly pleasant solution, but it seems to be the most
practical way around the problem; I'm hoping that several of the
programs at fault are using common "licence manager" code or something
like that, so that we can address most of the problems with a relatively
small number of signatures. In order to do this, I need to hear from
as many people as possible who are affected by this problem.
If you suffer from this problem, then please do the following:
- Save the output of
fdisk -lu to a file. In this
output, take note of the start sector of the first partition (usually
63, but might also be 2048 on recent installations, or occasionally
something else). If this is something other than 63, then replace 63 in
the following items with your number.
- Save the contents of the embedding area to a file (replace
/dev/sda with your disk device if it's something else): dd if=/dev/sda of=sda.1 count=63
- Do whatever you do to make GRUB unbootable (presumably starting
Windows), then boot into a recovery environment. Before you reinstall
GRUB, save the new contents of the embedding area to a different file:
dd if=/dev/sda of=sda.2 count=63
- Follow up to either the Debian or the Ubuntu bug with these three files (the output of
fdisk -lu, and the embedding area before and after making GRUB unbootable.
I hope that this will help me to assemble enough information to fix this bug at least for most people
----------------
I confirmed your solution on my HP nc6400 laptop, I deleted HP
protecttools and the HP recovery manager installer and now GRUB2 boots
normally. Your point is well taken this a problem specific to
Windows/HP software. Obviously, it is isn't the responsibility of
Ubuntu to support GRUB and Windows XP dual booting. But given the
popularity of GRUB and the reality that many linux users dual boot would
it really be too much to ask to test Ubuntu/Windows dual boot setups on
some standard computers like our HP laptops? Nevertheless, the beauty
of linux is that people like you solve these problems just because you
care.
---------------
The Protecttools comes in a few parts (Security Manager, Embedded
Security, Device Access Manager, etc). So you might have to reinstall a
few things depending on what is installed and what you uninstall (see
the software - security section).
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareIndex.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodNameId=1847704&prodTypeId=321957&prodSeriesId=1847703&swLang=8&taskId=135&swEnvOID=1093#93211
In Windows 7, had to remove Windows 7 DataSafe.
HP ProtectTools, Dell Recovery, flexnet and a few others write into MBR meierfra.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...b2/+bug/441941
I have the same problem on dual-boot with XP.
My machine is an HP.
I've read on the web that HP BIOS write in MBR the Microsoft activation code.
After every GRUB2 restore I'm able to run one shot windows.
Clsing windows at startup appear:
GRUB loading.
...
...
20 minutes later
grub rescue>
-------------
I found the culprit. My laptop (a HP6710b) came with Windows XP
professional pre installed. HP added a credential manager and HP
protecttools, after removing them I'm able to use Windows without
corrupting the MBR.
Why it did work with the old grub and not grub2 I don't know, in my
opinion this is a Windows problem (or HP) and not a grub problem.
I have a HP xw6200 and also cannot find a service in windows called hpqwmiex.exe
https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubun...1?comments=all
Some software that may use Flexnet, just so you do not lose it unless you have no need anymore for it.
Adobe Photoshop, CAD/CAM, Rosetta Stone, Matlab others
=====================
http://pissedoffadmins.com/general/usrsbingrub2-bios-setup-warning-sector-32-is-already-in-use-by-the-program-flexnet-avoiding-it-this-software-may-cause-boot-or-other-problems-in-future-please-ask-its-authors-not-to-store.html
now lets remove it.
the next couple of commands may cause a lot of damage to your partition table so be cautious.
lets first make a backup of the mbr and 62 sectors:
sudo dd if=/dev/sda of=/tmp/mbr.img bs=512 count=63
now lets blank it out:
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=512 count=62 seek=1
at this point we re-install grub or grub 2 without any of that FlexNet crap installed.
=====================
2. Zero out the MBR and reinstall grub. Much better and as follows :
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1661254
BACKUP FIRST :
sudo dd if=/dev/sda of=~/first_63_sectors bs=512 count=63
To zero all sectors do this (take a backup first !) :
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=512 count=62 seek=1
Or just the sector 32 :
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=512 count=1 seek=32
Seems that there are several other programs that perform similar tricks.
To chroot and reinstall grub
sudo mount /dev/sda1 /media/sda1
sudo mount --bind /dev /media/sda1/dev
sudo mount --bind /proc /media/sda1/proc
sudo mount --bind /sys /media/sda1/sys
sudo chroot /media/sda1
sudo update-grub
---------
sudo chroot /mnt
--------------
http://askubuntu.com/questions/195390/grub-gives-messages-about-the-boot-sector-being-used-by-other-software-what-sho
you need to wipe sector 32. To do that you have many choices:
1.Wiping the whole harddisk
2.writing zeros to Whole sectors in your MBR and reinstall your Grub
3.Writing zeros to sector 32 in your MBR and that what we'll do.
To do that follow the following steps:
1.BACKUP your MBR :
sudo dd if=/dev/sda of=~/first_63_sectors bs=512 count=63
2.zero your sector number 32
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=512 count=1 seek=32
3.chroot and reinstall grub
sudo mount /dev/sda* /media/sda*
sudo mount --bind /dev /media/sda*/dev
sudo mount --bind /proc /media/sda*/proc
sudo mount --bind /sys /media/sda*/sys
sudo chroot /media/sda*
PS: replace * by the appropriate number of your hdd
Now Update your grub.
sudo update-grub
Note: You are not obliged to that since its not an error that may affect your system
------------------
This thread gives a very good explanation of the problem.
This thread gives a nice easy cookbook recipe for cleaning things up.
-------------------
After I installed Grub, I rebooted the PC, but I wasn't able to get Ubuntu to boot up. I eventually decided to explore the
Sector 32 problem to see if that was the cause.
It seems a lot of people encounter this problem but I haven't seen one
solution for it on the web other than to "wipe your hard disk". Total
nonsense.
So I'm gonna try put together a solution in this thread. Let's take a look at the problem:
A hard disk is made up of sectors. A sector on a modern hard disk is 512 bytes. The first sector is called
Sector 0, and it stores the Master Boot Record. The MBR consists of:
* 440 bytes for bootable code (such as Grub)
* 4 bytes for the disk signature
* 2 bytes of nulls
* 64 bytes for the partition table
* 2 bytes for the MBR signature
The partition table contains the list of partitions, saying what sector they start at and what sector they finish on.
You might expect the 1st partition to start at
Sector 1, but actually it tends to start at
Sector 63 on a lot of computers. (The 1st partition tends to start at
Sector 63
because there's 63 sectors in a cylinder, and MS-DOS wanted every
partition to start at a cylinder boundary). So that means there's 62
unused sectors between the MBR and the 1st partition.
(To find out where your own first partition starts, do
fdisk -lu /dev/sda.
On modern PC's this could be all sorts of numbers because of the way
recovery partitions are laid out. By the way make sure that fdisk says
that the sector size is "512 bytes"... because emm... I don't know what
to say if it doesn't!).
It so happens that more than one program likes to make use of those 62 free sectors between the MBR and the 1st partition.
Grub has 440 bytes available to it in the MBR to store its bootable
code, but it wants more space than that, so it uses the space between
the MBR and the 1st partition. But Grub isn't the only program that
wants to use that space, a thing called FlexNet does too. FlexNet is
some sort of software license manager, and according to the warning
issued by Grub, it likes to store data in
Sector 32.
When you try to install Grub over FlexNet, Grub refuses to overwrite
Sector 32 if it sees FlexNet data in it. It would be great if you could just tell Grub to overwrite
Sector 32, but it provides no such facility. For me, this caused a problem and Ubuntu wouldn't boot up for me.
So what's the solution to get Grub working? You don't need to go wiping
your entire hard disk, you just need to wipe the area between the MBR
and the 1st partition.
EXTREME CAUTION ADVISED: Wiping the storage area between your MBR and
the 1st partition is an inherently dangerous activity. Doing so may
result in serious injury and even death. Programs which make use of
this storage area, such as FlexNet, may cease to function. You
willingly accept the serious risks involved. You accept as your own
responsiblity any harm that comes about as a result of following this
guide, even if the guide contains errors or oversights.
First, make a backup of the first 63 sectors of your hard disk (i.e. the MBR along with the 62 free sectors):
Code:
sudo dd if=/dev/sda of=~/first_63_sectors bs=512 count=63
Trust me, back this up. No really. Do. Back it up. Seriously. You don't want to lose your partition table. Plus it's handy to have it backed up just in case you actually need that FlexNet data in future for whatever reason.
Next, erase
Sector 1 through
Sector 62 (i.e the 62 free sectors):
Code:
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=512 count=62 seek=1
That should do it, now
Sector 1 through Sector 62 should be full of zeroes. Do "grub-install" again and see what happens.
I'm not sure if FlexNet stores data in sectors other than
Sector 32, but that's not a problem since we've just wiped everything between the MBR and the 1st partition.
If you want to target one individual sector to erase, then you can erase Sector 32 as follows:
Code:
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=512 count=1 seek=32
After I erased the FlexNet data and re-installed Grub, the PC booted up fine.
If anyone sees any error in this post then please post here ASAP -- I'd
hate for someone to lose data because of an error made in this guide.
Last edited by Virchanza;-------------------
The cookbook worked for me, although I made a mess of the chrooting bit... (see below)
I am lucky in that my computer is single-boot and I have no plans
EVER
to re-install Windows. But it seems that if you have a dual-boot
Windows system with software that uses FlexNet or similar software, you
can expect to have regular problems. Also I think some Windows viruses
may use this part of the disk. The first thread discussion offers a
solution for Ubuntu users, to install an app called boot-repair on your
live-CD USB booter.
I also found the boot-repair program referred to above invaluable
when things go wrong. IMHO this is so useful it should be on the Live CD
by default. See
this link.
=================
Well, I "fixed" it. Did a low level format with this free product:
http://www.killdisk.com/
=================
http://trombotic.blogspot.com/2012/01/sector-32-is-already-in-use-by-flexnet.html
Este error es debido a que algunos programas utilizan los primeros
sectores de discos duro para guardar datos. En este caso se trata de
FlexNet y de los sectores 32 y 33. Al estar estos sectores ocupados, el
comando
grub-setup, utilizado por el comando grub-install, muestra ese error.
La solución mas rápida es poner a cero los sectores 32 y 33, eliminando así los datos de FlexNet.
Antes de nada es conveniente hacer una copia de seguridad de los primeros 64 sectores del disco.
sudo dd if=/dev/sda of=primeros_64_sectores.bin bs=512 count=64
What the fuck?
Y después poner a cero los sectores 32 y 33.
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=512 count=2 seek=32
Luego se completa
correctamente el comando
sudo grub-install /dev/sda
Por último, si hemos añadido otro sistema operativo, para reconfigurar el GRUB ejecutamos
sudo update-grub2
LibreOffice
Firefox
Seems like something in your Windows is overwriting the embeding area.
The only workaround for this, which isn't recommended, would be to install GRUB 2 to a bootsector and use some MBR code which doestn't use the embed area, like Microsoft's or the one from the mbr package.
In that case the partition with the GRUB 2 bootsector needs the boot/active flag.