Disk Partition Mounting Problem

Hi,

I have always wondered whether there is any application in Linux which automatically scans for other partition types and brings them to Operating System access.

My problem here is that my M$ partitions (NTFS & FAT32) structure change quite frequently. The path I set to mount for once is wiped out in Suse with a change there. If there is any application which can scan for other partitions available (NTFS, FAT32, FAT) and give a list of checkboxes. On checking the checkbox that partition gets mounted on reboot will enable newbie Linux guys like me to access files from M$ partitions.

If there is any such application already existing pls guide me on that. :slight_smile:

Regards,

tvks

Partitions are mounted by /dev
So your info doesn’t quite add up

I always just edit fstab
FSTAB - Editing Manually - openSUSE Forums

Also check
openSUSE: HowTo set disk access permissions for Fat32 (VFAT) on a desktop PC
HowTo Mount NTFS Filesystem Partition Read Write Access in openSUSE 10, 11

First I recommend: SDB:Basics of partitions, filesystems, mount points - openSUSE

Maybe it is all a piece of cake to you and in that case I apoligize for serving you this info. But it shows that the OS (that is the kernel) does see it when a new mass storgae device is attached, that it signals udev and that the device special files are made bu udev. Also HAL is signalled by udev. HAL signals the DE (That is: one of the running DEs in a system). Then e.g. KDE shows a window asking what to do. But this last window is apparently not what you mean.

I do not know any GUI application that will do what I think you want it to do. But I would start from studying udev rules and you may be able to construct something from there.

Hi,

Excuse my ignorance. Is all this necessary ?

My doubt was that if I install any application will it make my Linux terminal like M$-Windows.

Just plugin any device (USB or Internal Storage HDD) and you see that in My Computer.

Can’t this ever at all be achieved in Linux. For every time I change my Linux mounted directory location from one place to another using my M$-Win OS (Cut + Paste), thats it, its not mounted in Linux. Can’t I search for the available Disk Partitions and bring it to the Computer Icon in my desktop. Is there no such application available at all.

I am a total newbie and so for me going everytime and mounting every partition is a painful task.

Regards,

tvks

First you must understand that all I tell you is from a background without MS knowledge. So any comparison with things “like M$-Windows” does not give me any information. Others on the forum may have dual knowledge and understand what you mean.

I do not know if you use Gnome or KDE as DE. What follows is what I see using KDE 3.5 on openSUSE 10.3.
When I insert an USB storage device (or a CD/DVD) a window pops up which offers a choice of actions depending on it being a CD, DVD or read/write storage. No matter what I answer there there is also an icon on my desktop that has the name Mijn computer (in english thhis translates to My computer, very near to what you mention). When I click this, among other things, there is a list of mounted storage devices including the partitions on my normal disk (for / and /home in my case) and any other mounted ‘removable’ storage devices.

Now either this is not what you want, or this is what you want but for some reason does not function in your case.

On Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:36:01 GMT, tvks
<tvks@no-mx.forums.opensuse.org> wrote:

>
>Hi,
>
>Excuse my ignorance. Is all this necessary ?
>
>My doubt was that if I install any application will it make my Linux
>terminal like M$-Windows.
>
>Just plugin any device (USB or Internal Storage HDD) and you see that
>in My Computer.
>
>Can’t this ever at all be achieved in Linux. For every time I change my
>Linux mounted directory location from one place to another using my
>M$-Win OS (Cut + Paste), thats it, its not mounted in Linux. Can’t I
>search for the available Disk Partitions and bring it to the Computer
>Icon in my desktop. Is there no such application available at all.
>
>I am a total newbie and so for me going everytime and mounting every
>partition is a painful task.
>
>Regards,
>
>tvks

Your post is quite unclear. Are you repartitioning your internal hard
disks all the time? Are you complaining about inconsistent locations
for USB volumes? Is your issue that when you move files in M$Win that
the Linux mounts do not show the change immediately?

Your post is quite unclear. Are you repartitioning your internal hard
disks all the time? Are you complaining about inconsistent locations
for USB volumes? Is your issue that when you move files in M$Win that
the Linux mounts do not show the change immediately?

I agree, you are just not making sense @tvks

Hi,

Maybe I have not put my requirement clearly. Sorry for that…

My requirement is that I have two Hard Disks with two partitions each.

In one of the HDD I keep change the partition like NTFS and sometimes FAT32 and sometimes Mac.

I want my Linux OS to automatically recognize the list of partitions and enable me to browse them.

I am not using any USB at all and all my work is on hard disks only.

I am using Gnome and KDE.

I hope I am better. Kindly excuse my English.

Regards,

tvks

As way of illustration: You want a Metal Detector to miraculously become a Water Detector.

Remove such partitions from fstab, then:

Best option is to mount such partitions manually eg: from su terminal

mount /dev/sda1 /mnt

or maybe more specifically for ntfs

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

tvks wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Maybe I have not put my requirement clearly. Sorry for that…
>
> My requirement is that I have two Hard Disks with two partitions each.
>
>
> In one of the HDD I keep change the partition like NTFS and sometimes
> FAT32 and sometimes Mac.
>
> I want my Linux OS to automatically recognize the list of partitions
> and enable me to browse them.
>
> I am not using any USB at all and all my work is on hard disks only.
>
> I am using Gnome and KDE.
>
> I hope I am better. Kindly excuse my English.
>
> Regards,
>
> tvks
>
>

You should look in Kmenu (lower left, in KDE) at the Computer tab. On
the bottom of the list you have a Media section. It automatically added
my NTFS partitions there.

But you still got to tell your openSUSE where to map these on your
filesystem. For those who don’t speak (or don’t like) console:
YaST > System > Partitioner. Select Hard Disks. Select the partitions
you want (check Size and FS ID to know what it is if you don’t know
their sda#). Click Edit. Click Mount Partition (if it already has mount
point, like /, just avoid touching it). For Mount Point, choose some
location… To be in the same place as removable media, /media/sda# for
sda# In the same dialog box, you may have it to be mounted on startup.

Also, openSUSE installation might be kind enough to detect your Windows
drives and give them a mount point. Check for /Windows folder, if any.

As you see, commands in the console from the previous post are somewhat
more parsimonious.

To get partitions on your desktop (say in KDE):
right click desktop > create new > link to device. It should also appear
in Gnome.

> In one of the HDD I keep change the partition like NTFS and sometimes
> FAT32 and sometimes Mac.

Huummm… You mean, you keep repartitioning? I don’t think it should
make a difference if you only resize partitions or delete and create
them again as long as they remain in the same order.

What you want, I think, is to have the second hard drive’s partitions recognized much as Opensuse now recognizes many USB devices. If you are changing the file systems on the hard drive from hfs(Mac) to ntfs(MS Windows) to vfat(DOS) and back, there is no good way in Opensuse to have the partitions mounted automatically.

Have you considered using a USB enclosure for the second drive?