Q. How do I mount NTFS or FAT paritions under ubuntu Linux?
A. You can mount NTFS or FAT windows partition with mount command.
=> Click on Applications
=> Select Accessories
=> Select Terminal
=> Now terminal window will be on screen.
First you need to create directory where you can attach windows partition using mount command (for example /media/c for C:):# sudo mkdir -p /media/cNow find out list of partition (click on System > Administration > Disks ) or use following command:# sudo fdisk -l
Output:
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System /dev/hdb1 * 1 2432 19535008+ 86 NTFS /dev/hdb2 2433 2554 979965 82 Linux swap / Solaris /dev/hdb3 2555 6202 29302560 83 Linux
As you see /dev/hdb1 is NTFS partition. Now type following command:# sudo mount -t ntfs -o nls=utf8,umask=0222 /dev/hdb1 /media/cTo unmount Windows NTFS partition type command:# sudo umount /media/cTo mount FAT partition type command:# sudo mkdir -p /media/d
# sudo mount -t vfat -o iocharset=utf8,umask=000 /dev/hda1 /media/d
To unmount Windows FAT (mounted at /media/d) partition type command:# sudo umount /media/d
Where,
- -t : Specify file system type (such as NTFS or FAT)
- umask=VALUE: Set the umask (the bitmask of the permissions that are not present). The default is the umask of the current process. The value is given in octal.
- iocharset=VALUE: Character set to use for converting between 8 bit characters and 16 bit Unicode characters. The default is iso8859-1. Long filenames are stored on disk in Unicode format.
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{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
from the get-go, clicking Applications then Accessories does not appear to lead to “Terminal” on Ubuntu 5.04.
thanks for the tip it worked!
yeah it works great but when i restart the pc i must do it again isnt there anything more permanent??
kapoios, Please see following url. It explains how to use /etc/fstab file so that share gets automatically mounted at every system start:
http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/access-windows-shares-from-linux/
there is a tool called ntfs-3g this does allow the mounting of windows ntfs 4.x-6.x (4.x includes all NT 4.0 based and hence forth and 6.x indicates all windows 2003 onwards and not vista, vista has got windows filesystem. and i havent felt like downloading the RTM windows vista so i have no clue. and you are on your own)
scenario 1:
recompile the kernel in debian/ubuntu/kubuntu/ubuntuk blah blah blah debian and ubuntu based arch and add the flag ntfs r/w support enable module. and then mount the filesystem from CLI using the same command as illutrated above by the guy whose site this is.
scenario 2: go to ntfs for linux (google up, wont spoon feed, using debian means you should be confident enough to do this) and in that look up for ntfs-3g which is nothing but it enables you to mount the disk partition which is in ntfs 4-6x in read write mode. they have even simplified the command to one word viz
# mount.ntfs-3g /dev/hda1 /place/to/mount
# umount /dev/hda1
command 1 mounts leaving you the hassle of passing all other parameters and options and arguements and command 2? you are on your own if you dont know what it does. ;-)
i have followed the notes on linux-live and rolled my own custom distro based on debian (linux-live is based on slackware) but it works with other distro as well, and i have windows 2003 installed on a 4 GB compressed NTFS USB pen drive, which i often use to fiddle around.
hope this helps apart from the one mentioned above. this is just an addon to the old bunch of tuts from this website.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTFS
hope this helps! good luck!
and what a co-incidence, i been looking for how to mount openbsd’s ffs in rw mode in linux and i end up here and the captcha shows “freebsd”
;-)
Very simple and helpful tutorial… used it to backup a really crappy old vfat win98 drive :D
Thanks for the tip!
Great post. It worked great. I am dual booting vista premium and ubuntu hearty heron via the wubi install. I love it so far.
@ the constant skeptic
you can access the windows partition from /host/
Sorry, I forgot to add that it only works in wubi or live cd.
Hi,
I’m pretty new to this. I mounted my Windows drive and everything is fine. But I still could not write anything to that drive. Tried everything like using the mount with -w option. CHMOD 777 also does not work. I can read everything . Nautilus says could not change the permission.
Thanks.
u r a God… i got into ubuntu without doing a backup or knowing wtf i was doing… luckly i found ur site and followed ur directions…. i dont think it worked ’cause i dont think i followed all ur intructions… but i must’ve done something right ’cause now i can see my windows partition and get the xp installation disk i have stored in it… thanks!!
Thank you SO much, I needed to recover some data in Linux and this helped me after hours of pulling my hair out! :D
wah.. nice tips.. its work !! thanks ;)
may I ask samthing? how to show the partition NTFS it Places try at sidebar?
I followed your instructions and it worked. BUT I cannot access the drive. I have Vista and am using Kubuntu. My drive was originally partitioned into the C drive and a portion of that called “D” for Recovery. Iwas able to add Kubuntu as well.
So in Kubuntu when I open Dolphin (file manager) I see both the Recovery and the Partition 1 listed in the sidebar. When I click Recovery I get the files that are listed in that section, but when I click Partition_1, the folder is empty. A message at the bottom reads “could not enter folder /media/c”. Also, am not allowed to unmount the drive.
I’m a real Linux novice and I don’t know how to fix this. Is there anyone who could help me get access to the Vista drive please?
Okay, now the strangest thing has happened. Using your instructions here I went back and umount the drive. It did not unmount as I saw it when I opened Dolphin up again. I clicked on Partition_1 and this time it asked me for a password. After I entered it, there were folders showing where before nothing had been (nor had a password previously been requested). I was able to then see my files and access them.
I’m even more befuddled now. Can you shed any light on this (in case I run into it again somehow)? Thank you.
Very nice…. Simple tip and it worked successfully!
thanks it was really helpful I’m using XUbuntu and m a new user to linux
thanks it was really helpful I’m using XUbuntu and m a new user to linux but would u please tell me how to mount my cd-rom and floppy drive as well
I will be thankful
CD will be automatically mounted as soon as you insert into drive.
To mount floppy, enter
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/floppysudo mount /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy
cd /mnt/floppy
ls
Thanks so much, I could see my ubuntu in the documents and settings on windows but I couldn’t see windows from ubuntu, thanks!
Thanks a lot !!!
it solved my problem
I cant find my windows partition. I am running ubunto 8.10 on virtualbox with guest additions installed. This is what I am getting:
matt@matt-laptop:~$ sudo fdisk -l
Disk /dev/sda: 8589 MB, 8589934592 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1044 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0×0005f5d1
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 993 7976241 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 994 1044 409657+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 994 1044 409626 82 Linux swap / Solaris
hey i think this tip is for later versions like from 6 downwards so u’ve got to move up a notch it is free download dude
i have list like this :
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 2550 20482843+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 2551 19457 135805477+ f W95 Ext’d (LBA)
/dev/sda5 2551 7650 40965718+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda6 7651 16907 74356821 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda7 16908 17168 2096451 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda8 17169 19457 18386361 83 Linux
how can i do to mount sda2, sda5 and sda6?
i’m using distro CrunchBang Linux for eee and i’m using intel atom mininote merk Forsa FS3801.
and then my keyboard not working done, if i press shift with any number, can’t show the upper symbol on the button..
help me please..
thanks
Thank you very much..I have my windows OS back..I am really thankful to you advise.
Thanks, it works now I can explore my windows NTFS Disk in Ubuntu.
This is great! I’m now one major step closer to being able to leave Windows behind. I’m just astonished when something actually works without too much hassle!
I have the same question as kapoios, how to make the mount permanent. The link that nixcraft provided seems to be based on reading only Windows Shares, rather than whole drives. How would I use this method, but make it start up with GNU/Linux?
@Bongkeng start with:
sudo mkdir -p /media/c
sudo mount -t ntfs -o nls=utf8,umask=0222 /dev/sda5 /media/c
hi, there,
This is Shahrasaan, i’m in trouble with my Ubuntu 9.04 once i was happy with it but sometimes before it asked me for a update and i allowed it.
Now it’s not showing my Windows XP OS because i have updated my grub to grub-2 it shows on the startup : Debain GNU/Linux kernel 2.6.28.17 on the top, 2.6.28.16 on the middle and 2.6.28.11 on the bottom with their recovery modes but not my Windows XP is listed as it was before…. is their any thing in Ubuntu like system restore in Windows
Thank you very much .
These commands really worked .
I was trying to mount from a lot of time but succeeded with this one .