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I followed the instructions in this thread to create a new swap partition post-installation. My /var/tmp/fstab file currently has the following in it:

/host/ubuntu/disks/swap.disk    none    swap    sw      0       0    
UUID=4ef64da8-c637-43de-a389-8a059eb6c069 none   swap    sw      0       0

GParted gives this error message: 

Warning:
NTFS signature is missing.
Failed to mount 'dev/sda1': Invalid argument
The device '/dev/sda1' doesn't have a valid NTFS.
Maybe you selected the wrong device? Or the whole disk instead of a partition? Or the
other way around? 

statvfs (): No such file or directory
Unable to read the contents of this file system!
Because of this some partitions may be unavailable.

Please help!

Other GParted stats:
File system: ntfs
Size: 199.00 MiB
Flags: boot

Path: /dev/sda1
Status: Mounted on
Label:
UUID: 4ef64da8-c637-43de-a389-8a059eb6c069

UPDATE: I posted a follow-up question that includes the Boot-Repair pastebin readout.

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QuietThud
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  • Unfortunately, computer has restarted and I am now getting a "Missing Operating System" message. All I am able to access are HP recovery tools for Windows (it's a dual-boot). Help would be appreciated! – QuietThud Nov 14 '12 at 07:07
  • Are you sure /dev/sda1 is the swap partition? Usually, that would be a Windows 7 boot partition, and I'd not recommend messing with it. Can you add the output of `sudo fdisk -l` to the question, as well as `sudo blkid`. – mikewhatever Nov 14 '12 at 07:07
  • @mikewhatever It does indeed seem to have been the Windows boot partition--what can I do now? – QuietThud Nov 14 '12 at 07:08
  • Not sure really, I am no W7 expert. In the worst case scenario, do you have any means of reinstalling W7? – mikewhatever Nov 14 '12 at 07:12
  • Any reason you have your fstab in `/var/tmp`? – Takkat Nov 14 '12 at 07:14
  • @mikewhatever I had HP tools "perform diagnostics" and as far as they can tell, everything is technically working fine. How would I go about fixing the partition without an OS? Is there a command line that I'm overlooking? – QuietThud Nov 14 '12 at 07:18
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    In case you have accidentally formatted your Windows partition see http://askubuntu.com/questions/49497/ntfs-recovery-software-for-ubuntu and more for recovery (I recommend Testdisk). – Takkat Nov 14 '12 at 07:19
  • Yea, I'll have to search for some way to recover W7's boot partition. Did you run `mkswap` on it? We might benefit from an overview of the current partition state and layout, so if you have a live CD/USB to boot from, run `sudo fdisk -l #small L` and post the output. – mikewhatever Nov 14 '12 at 07:27
  • @mikewhatever I did run `mkswap`. As soon as I figure out how to create a live USB, I will post the out. Annoyingly, I'm left with a small tablet for now. If you were to look into W7 boot partition recovery, that would be really awesome of you. – QuietThud Nov 14 '12 at 08:07
  • @Takkat I'm less concerned about recovering files than about recovering working partition settings--will this tool help? Will it give me a terminal? I greatly appreciate everyone's help, as I am fairly inexperienced. – QuietThud Nov 14 '12 at 08:12
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    Found [this](http://www.sevenforums.com/installation-setup/88777-cant-boot-into-windows7-after-deleted-primary-partition-2.html). Post #15 details the steps and the tools needed. – mikewhatever Nov 14 '12 at 10:33
  • @mikewhatever Not sure if this makes a difference, but I installed Linux using Wubi, not a CD/USB. – QuietThud Nov 14 '12 at 22:47
  • Yep, I know. There is no difference, as far as recovering the boot partition is concerned. – mikewhatever Nov 15 '12 at 04:43
  • @mikewhatever So as to cap this comments block, any way I can contact you if I have a further question? It's okay if you'd rather not post your contact info. You've been cool, thanks! = ) – QuietThud Nov 15 '12 at 05:23
  • You can post a comment here, and I'll see a notification, or get in touch through the [Ubuntu Forums](http://ubuntuforums.org/member.php?u=160645). I don't mind posting the email (don't use scocial media, sorry), but as I spend more time here or on the forum then checking mail, I'll get your message sooner. ...and speaking of the forum, I think it's a much better place to troublshoot stuff, post outputs, etc, not to mention some real experts. I've conacted one about this problem, and he suggested posting a forum thread. – mikewhatever Nov 15 '12 at 06:46
  • @mikewhatever I don't have a way to boot Win7, and so wasn't able to follow the linked instructions. I opened a [new question](http://askubuntu.com/questions/220664/boot-repair-after-messing-up-ntfs-partition) that includes my [Boot-Repair Pastebin readout](http://askubuntu.com/questions/220664/boot-repair-after-messing-up-ntfs-partition)--it would be great if you could take a look at it when you have the time. Thanks again! – QuietThud Nov 22 '12 at 18:40

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