diff --git a/elements/vm/block-device.d/10-partition b/elements/vm/block-device.d/10-partition
index c72c40dd..df0732ed 100755
--- a/elements/vm/block-device.d/10-partition
+++ b/elements/vm/block-device.d/10-partition
@@ -11,36 +11,17 @@ source $_LIB/die
 
 # Create 2 partitions for PPC, one for PReP boot and other for root
 if [[ "$ARCH" =~ "ppc" ]] ; then
-    sudo sfdisk --force $IMAGE_BLOCK_DEVICE << EOF
-0,8,41 *
-,,L
-;
-EOF
+    sudo parted -a optimal -s $IMAGE_BLOCK_DEVICE \
+        mklabel msdos \
+        mkpart primary 0 8cyl \
+        set 1 boot on \
+        set 1 prep on \
+        mkpart primary 9cyl 100%
 else
-    # sfdisk changed around 2.26 and was largely rewritten.  The old
-    # version defaults to c/h/s and interprets arguments as cylinders.
-    # The new version defaults to sectors.
-    #
-    # Luckily, the old version has a -uS flag (ignored by the new
-    # version) to interpret arguments as sectors.  However, it
-    # incorrectly calculates the c/h/s offset when finding free space,
-    # and gets upset [1], requiring the use of --force.
-    #
-    # TODO: switch this to parted, or something saner (is there such a
-    # thing when talking about partitioning?)
-    #
-    # The below command creates a partition that starts at 1MiB --
-    # which is the standard place to start a partition these days --
-    # and fills up the disk.  The zeros are to ignore the other 3
-    # primary partitions (probably not needed, but left for safety).
-    #
-    # [1] https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/util-linux/+bug/1481158
-    sudo sfdisk -uS --force $IMAGE_BLOCK_DEVICE << EOF
-2048 + L *
-0 0;
-0 0;
-0 0;
-EOF
+    sudo parted -a optimal -s $IMAGE_BLOCK_DEVICE \
+        mklabel msdos \
+        mkpart primary 1MiB 100% \
+        set 1 boot on
 fi
 
 sudo partprobe $IMAGE_BLOCK_DEVICE