Partition Table Standards¶
fparted supports creating, modifying, inspecting, and wiping partition tables across standard and legacy architectures.
🗂️ Supported Partition Table Types¶
The Create Partition Table dialog dynamically populates from the underlying storage model. Supported formats include:
| Table Type | Identifier | Architecture / Use Case | Max Disks / Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT | gpt |
Modern UEFI, Android, PC, 64-bit systems | Up to 128+ partitions; 9.4 ZB capacity |
| MS-DOS / MBR | msdos |
Legacy BIOS, SD Cards, USB thumb drives | Max 4 primary partitions (or 3 primary + extended); 2 TiB limit |
| BSD Disklabel | bsd |
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD | Slice-based partitioning |
| Apple Partition Map | mac |
Legacy PowerPC Macintosh | 32-bit APM table |
| Sun Disklabel | sun |
SPARC / Solaris | 8 partitions with boot/backup slices |
| AIX | aix |
IBM AIX systems | Volume group / PV structure |
| Amiga | amiga |
Rigid Disk Block (RDB) | Classic Amiga systems |
| DVH | dvh |
SGI IRIX / MIPS systems | Volume Header layout |
| PC-98 | pc98 |
NEC PC-9800 series | Japanese legacy PC architecture |
⚠️ Destructive Operations & Warnings¶
Creating a New Partition Table¶
- Creates a
CreatePartitionTableOperation. - Destructive Warning: Writing a new label overwrites the partition table header, rendering all previous partition mappings inaccessible.
- Requires explicit user confirmation in the Apply Operations queue.
Wiping Partition Signatures¶
- Clears MBR and GPT primary/backup headers using zero-fill block commands via
dd: - Strips magic bytes and volume signatures to allow a clean re-initialization.