Can't make partition for fresh Manjaro install [Windows dual boot]

Support
1

I’m trying to install Manjaro XFCE (Pahvo). I have total of 3 partitions on Windows (one is where Windows installed C:, and other two for storage, D: and E:, respectively). I tried creating a partition beforehand on Windows- 100 GB by shrinking the other drives (D and E).

Now, when I try to install Manjaro, the installer recognizes C drive but doesn’t recognises D, E and the 100 GB free space- it shows the remaining partitions as one big partition with file format ‘unknown.’

Also, when I manually try to create a partition from ‘unknown’ format drive by Manjaro installer, it’s unable to create the partitions.

Here are the responses for the following codes:

inxi -Fza

System:
  Kernel: 5.13.19-2-MANJARO x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 11.1.0
  parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-x86_64 lang=en_US keytable=us tz=UTC
  misobasedir=manjaro misolabel=MANJARO_XFCE_2116 quiet
  systemd.show_status=1 apparmor=1 security=apparmor driver=free
  nouveau.modeset=1 i915.modeset=1 radeon.modeset=1
  Desktop: Xfce 4.16.0 tk: Gtk 3.24.29 info: xfce4-panel wm: xfwm 4.16.1
  vt: 7 dm: LightDM 1.30.0 Distro: Manjaro Linux base: Arch Linux
Machine:
  Type: Laptop System: LENOVO product: 81MV v: Lenovo IdeaPad S145-15IWL
  serial: <filter> Chassis: type: 10 v: Lenovo IdeaPad S145-15IWL
  serial: <filter>
  Mobo: LENOVO model: LNVNB161216 v: SDK0Q55722 WIN serial: <filter>
  UEFI: LENOVO v: ASCN51WW date: 05/14/2021
Battery:
  ID-1: BAT0 charge: 15.5 Wh (54.6%) condition: 28.4/35.0 Wh (81.1%)
  volts: 7.8 min: 7.5 model: SMP L16M2PB2 type: Li-poly serial: <filter>
  status: Unknown cycles: 371
CPU:
  Info: Quad Core model: Intel Core i5-8265U bits: 64 type: MT MCP
  arch: Kaby Lake note: check family: 6 model-id: 8E (142) stepping: C (12)
  microcode: EA cache: L2: 6 MiB
  flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx
  bogomips: 28808
  Speed: 1600 MHz min/max: 400/1600 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1600 2: 1600
  3: 1600 4: 1600 5: 1600 6: 1600 7: 1600 8: 1600
  Vulnerabilities: Type: itlb_multihit status: KVM: VMX disabled
  Type: l1tf status: Not affected
  Type: mds status: Not affected
  Type: meltdown status: Not affected
  Type: spec_store_bypass
  mitigation: Speculative Store Bypass disabled via prctl and seccomp
  Type: spectre_v1
  mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer sanitization
  Type: spectre_v2 mitigation: Enhanced IBRS, IBPB: conditional, RSB filling
  Type: srbds mitigation: TSX disabled
  Type: tsx_async_abort status: Not affected
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel WhiskeyLake-U GT2 [UHD Graphics 620] vendor: Lenovo
  driver: i915 v: kernel bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:3ea0 class-ID: 0300
  Device-2: NVIDIA GM108M [GeForce MX110] vendor: Lenovo driver: nouveau
  v: kernel bus-ID: 01:00.0 chip-ID: 10de:174e class-ID: 0302
  Device-3: Chicony Integrated Camera type: USB driver: uvcvideo
  bus-ID: 1-7:4 chip-ID: 04f2:b624 class-ID: 0e02 serial: <filter>
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.13 compositor: xfwm4 v: 4.16.1 driver:
  loaded: modesetting alternate: fbdev,vesa display-ID: :0.0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1920x1080 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 508x285mm (20.0x11.2")
  s-diag: 582mm (22.9")
  Monitor-1: eDP-1 res: 1920x1080 hz: 60 dpi: 142
  size: 344x194mm (13.5x7.6") diag: 395mm (15.5")
  OpenGL: renderer: Mesa Intel UHD Graphics 620 (WHL GT2) v: 4.6 Mesa 21.2.3
  direct render: Yes
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel Cannon Point-LP High Definition Audio vendor: Lenovo
  driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel
  alternate: snd_soc_skl,snd_sof_pci_intel_cnl bus-ID: 00:1f.3
  chip-ID: 8086:9dc8 class-ID: 0403
  Sound Server-1: ALSA v: k5.13.19-2-MANJARO running: yes
  Sound Server-2: JACK v: 1.9.19 running: no
  Sound Server-3: PulseAudio v: 15.0 running: yes
  Sound Server-4: PipeWire v: 0.3.38 running: no
Network:
  Device-1: Intel Cannon Point-LP CNVi [Wireless-AC] driver: iwlwifi
  v: kernel bus-ID: 00:14.3 chip-ID: 8086:9df0 class-ID: 0280
  IF: wlp0s20f3 state: up mac: <filter>
Bluetooth:
  Device-1: Intel Bluetooth 9460/9560 Jefferson Peak (JfP) type: USB
  driver: btusb v: 0.8 bus-ID: 1-10:5 chip-ID: 8087:0aaa class-ID: e001
  Report: rfkill ID: hci0 rfk-id: 3 state: down bt-service: enabled,running
  rfk-block: hardware: no software: yes address: see --recommends
Not an ARRAY reference at /usr/bin/inxi line 16007.

sudo parted -l

<pre>Model: ATA ST1000LM035-1RK1 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 1000GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/4096B
Partition Table: gpt
Disk Flags: 

Number  Start   End     Size    File system  Name                          Flags
 1      1049kB  274MB   273MB   fat32        EFI System Partition          boot, esp
 2      274MB   275MB   1049kB               LDM metadata partition
 3      275MB   290MB   15.7MB               Microsoft reserved partition  msftres
 4      290MB   300GB   300GB   ntfs         LDM data partition
 5      300GB   999GB   699GB                LDM data partition
 6      999GB   1000GB  1049MB  ntfs         Basic data partition          hidden, diag


Model: SanDisk Cruzer Blade (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdb: 61.6GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags: 

Number  Start   End     Size    Type     File system  Flags
 2      3145MB  3149MB  4194kB  primary               esp
</pre>

sudo efibootmgr -v

BootCurrent: 0001
Timeout: 0 seconds
BootOrder: 0000,0003,2001,2002,2003
Boot0000* Windows Boot Manager	HD(1,GPT,3a483644-d5de-49a1-ac7a-ca30572baf44,0x800,0x82000)/File(\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi)WINDOWS.........x...B.C.D.O.B.J.E.C.T.=.{.9.d.e.a.8.6.2.c.-.5.c.d.d.-.4.e.7.0.-.a.c.c.1.-.f.3.2.b.3.4.4.d.4.7.9.5.}..._................
Boot0001* EFI USB Device (SanDisk)	PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x14,0x0)/USB(0,0)/HD(1,MBR,0x0,0x5db8f0,0x2000)RC
Boot0003* Fedora	HD(1,GPT,3a483644-d5de-49a1-ac7a-ca30572baf44,0x800,0x82000)/File(\EFI\fedora\shim.efi)RC
Boot2001* EFI USB Device	RC
Boot2002* EFI DVD/CDROM	RC
Boot2003* EFI Network	RC

test -d /sys/firmware/efi && echo efi || echo bios

efi

lsmod | grep vmd

(no output)

Thank you for reading and helping me out

2

Looks to me like your partition table got a bit wonky for lack of a better word. What exactly did you use in windows to resize it? Do you have Bitlocker encryption setup in windows? Thats the only explanation i can see for LDM listed there. Was it a third party program or just with disk manager? I would back up all your windows data immediately if you haven’t already in case you have to reinstall and start from scratch.

If you don’t have a lot of data to move around and you want to do a duel boot I would just say do a clean windows install and leave part of your drive open for manjaro and then install it second.

3

LDM is a proprietary Windows partitioning, something like LVM in Linux. Windows has no undo.
You could convert a Dynamic Disk to Basic, but you need to use Windows, because Linux can’t access to Dynamic Disks. You must have good backups, but some third party Windows tools claim to convert without data loss.

This link maybe could help you.

Or, easily, you can install Manjaro on another hard disk.
But I don’t know if Grub will manage Windows LDM system.

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