[SOLVED] Should I mount extra ide hard drives on boot?

[jomo_london]

Hi there all
I'm a new ubuntu user. Hurrah! I have a dual partition main hard drive. One partition with Windows XP and the other ubuntu 8.04. I have two other IDE drives, both NTFS formatted, one called data, the other music. I want to automatically be able to access these drives after boot up. And to use the data drive and folder X on it as my main area for documents (the equivalent of My Documents in Windows XP). I want to continue to use folder X as My Documents folder in windows. So, how do I use folder X as my main document store, and the music drive as as my main dual boot for both ubuntu and windows. Do I need to mount these drives (steady!) during boot? As a new user, please can anyone give step by step instruction? Thanks in anticipation.

[Canis familiaris]

Could you plz post the output of:
sudo fdisk -l

[jomo_london]

Could you plz post the output of:
sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 123.5 GB, 123522416640 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 15017 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x18d4f0d3

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 7509 60316011 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 7510 15017 60308010 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 7510 7882 2996091 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda6 7883 10260 19101253+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 10261 15017 38210571 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0000f5d9

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 38913 312568641 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdc: 164.6 GB, 164696555520 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 20023 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x10c90de2

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 1 20023 160834716 7 HPFS/NTFS

[Canis familiaris]

First go to the terminal.

sudo mkdir /mnt/windows

mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sda1 /mnt/windows/

EDIT: It should be
sudo mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sda1 /mnt/windows/

Now navigate to /mnt/windows and check whether you can read and write.

EDIT:
This is only to check whether ntfs-3g works in your system

[jomo_london]

First go to the terminal.

sudo mkdir /mnt/windows

mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sda1 /mnt/windows/

Now navigate to /mnt/windows and check whether you can read and write.

EDIT:
This is only to check whether ntfs-3g works in your system
Thanks. Haven't tried yet. Just first want to clarify: Folder X, where windows points to as 'My Documents' is on data drive /dev/sdb and music drive is /dev/sdc drive. Why do I need to mount sda1? Remember I am new to this! This might be very silly of me to query.

[Canis familiaris]

Thanks. Haven't tried yet. Just first want to clarify: Folder X, where windows points to as 'My Documents' is on data drive /dev/sdb and music drive is /dev/sdc drive. Why do I need to mount sda1? Remember I am new to this! This might be very silly of me to query.

I asked you to mount /dev/sda1 just to check whether read/write in the ntfs worked. Before you edit your GRUB.
Now you can unmount it;
sudo umount /dev/sda1

So
/dev/sdc1 is your music drive
/dev/sdb1 is your documents drive

Now you want to automount these partitions at startup. Right?

So
Proceed only if you can read/write to the ntfs partition as per previous post.

First make a backup copy of fstab.
sudo cp /etc/fstab /etc/fstab.bak

Now
sudo mkdir /mnt/music
sudo mkdir /mnt/docs

Then
gedit /etc/fstab

Scroll to the end of the file and add the following lines:

# Manually added partitions:
/dev/sdb1 /media/docs ntfs-3g defaults,locale=en_US.utf8 0 0
/dev/sdc1 /media/music ntfs-3g defaults,locale=en_US.utf8 0 0

Save it.

To apply enter this command
sudo mount -a

Now you can access those partitions at bootup in the /mnt folder.
If you can list where in the /dev/sdb1 is your document files and where in the /dev/sdc1 is your music files. Then I can tell you how to create a symbolic link to access those folders from the home folder.

[Victormd]

You don't need to install ntfs-3g assuming you're using Hardy.
Check out the link on my signature.

[drs305]

If you install and run ntfs-config from synaptic or command line it can run a wizard that will set up the ntfs partitions to automatically mount and make the appropriate fstab entries.

[jomo_london]

Thanks for that.

Just tried:

sudo mkdir /mnt/windows

and then

mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sda1 /mnt/windows/

and I get the response

mount: only root can do that

Should I sign in as root so tht I have permission to mount /windows?

[Canis familiaris]

If you install and run ntfs-config from synaptic or command line it can run a wizard that will set up the ntfs partitions to automatically mount and make the appropriate fstab entries.
I made the work seem much harder.:lolflag:

@OP:
Ignore my previous post and:

sudo apt-get install ntfs-config

And then run ntfs-config

[Canis familiaris]

Thanks for that.

Just tried:

sudo mkdir /mnt/windows

and then

mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sda1 /mnt/windows/

and I get the response

mount: only root can do that

Should I sign in as root so tht I have permission to mount /windows?

ER! Sorry !
It should be
sudo mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sda1 /mnt/windows/

[jomo_london]

sudo apt-get install ntfs-config


Thanks very much for that. Now a happy bunny. Or is it a happy heron?
Thanks also to drs305 and Victornd as well.


I made the work seem much harder.:lolflag:

@OP:
Ignore my previous post and:

sudo apt-get install ntfs-config

And then run ntfs-config

[Canis familiaris]

If it has worked for you Kindly mark the thread as solved

[HousieMousie2]

If you install and run ntfs-config from synaptic or command line it can run a wizard that will set up the ntfs partitions to automatically mount and make the appropriate fstab entries.

If I could kiss you I WOULD!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!

Unfortunately... the option to give you a formal thanking was not available, or I would have done that also! I will however give you a thank you on the thread I posted trying to fix my own mounting issues.

Again..



THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!! You :guitar: !!!


EDITED:
Ah, good... it gave me back the option to 'thank'!