# Solved: linux can't see windows partition



## ljbirns (Mar 16, 2006)

I have windows XP NTFS in partition 1- 27 GB. Partition 2 is Ubuntu 50 GB Swap file is 768MB. I installed FS Drive in windows and named the Ubuntu partiton H and the swap file G. From windows I can see the Ubuntu partion and I can access files such as PDF, TXT JPG. From Ubuntu I can see the windows drive ( Places ) but I cannot access it. It tells me I do not have permmissions to view the contents of the drive. I can't change the permmissions.

I am very new to Ubuntu.

Thanks 
Lew


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## lotuseclat79 (Sep 12, 2003)

Hi Lew,

From Linux, are you using the root account or "sudo -i" command in a Terminal window (in Ubuntu) to try to access Windows? If not, give it a try. I can access all of my WinXP files, save an encrypted one, from the Ubuntu root account.

So, unless you are using encryption for your Wndows partition or using a regular user account, you won't be able to access any file in Windows, and also if you do not have the Windows drive mounted in Ubuntu.

Use the mount command without any parameters to check out whether the Windows drive is mounted or not - it probably should automatically mount as it looks to me like the Windows drive is the 1st drive in your case which is the same as mine. The mount command should give output like the following (for my SATA drive) if it is mounted:
/dev/sda1 on /tmp/disks-conf-sda1 type ntfs (rw)

If the Windows drive is mounted, then all you should need to do is to:
pushd /tmp/disks-conf-sda1 (as an example using my pathname for my Windows drive)
and that should put you at the root, i.e. C:\ of your Windows drive. Then do an ls command in Ubuntu to list the contents of your C:\ folder.

-- Tom


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

Alternatively use a Live CD that allows you to log in as root to the desktop. These distros generally mount the Windows partition automatically and you can operate effectively as the adminstrator.

If the data is stored outside the "Documents and settings" it is not protected and can be accessed by an ordinary user in Linux without root privilege. 

If it is protected inside the "Documents and settings" any Linux Live CD that allows a root log in can access every bit and byte. So much for the Windows security.


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## Bartender (Apr 27, 2006)

Take a look at aysiu's guide

http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/mountwindows

What you describe sounds like a classic case of the Windows partitions not being mounted at at startup. Read his directions closely. Since you can read NTFS from Linux but not write to it, the fstab entry for an NTFS partition is different than FAT32.

This is the part I mean: 
/dev/hda1 /windows ntfs nls=utf8,umask=0222 0 0

Here's the proper entry for a FAT32 partition:
/dev/hdb1 /fat_files vfat iocharset=utf8,umask=000 0 0

Well, some of the formatting was lost, but what I wanted to communicate was that you have to type in the correct entry for NTFS in order for Ubuntu to read it correctly.


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## ljbirns (Mar 16, 2006)

Hi

Got home tonight at 7:00 PM and started trying to solve this. Right along I ws always told the drive was mounted but I couldn't see any files etc. Now it's 9:30 and I've got it. Strangely, yesterday if I went to places > Computer I got 4 items Floppy, CD-RW, Files Sysem and Windows drive which I could not access. Now the windows drive icon is gone but under file systems is a WINDOWS folder and it appears that all my windows files are available. The 
http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/mountwindows website is very helpful and written pretty much for BEGINNERS like me. Thank you all very much.
Now i will continue to explore the world of Linux

Lew


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