LiveCD:Can't write to external HDD

I have a Linux system that went belly up (not Suse). I am trying to move some data off the HDD of the non-working system. I used a opensuse livecd 11 beta 3 I think. I have booted into suse and attached a external HDD but it will not allow me copy any information to the external HDD. THe External HDD is a NTFS partition. I have also tried using a thumb drive that is vfat and I still could not copy any information to it.
So, is there a magic trick I missed?

Thanks
Jesse

Best live distro for this kind of thing is knoppix

or if you want to try something quickly
get the latest Puppy .iso
ftp://ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/puppylinux/puppy-4.00-k2.6.21.7-seamonkey.iso

it is great

Ok, this can’t be the only answer.

Is there no way to copy files to an external HDD using a Suse Live CD?

You need to be root to mount and I’m not sure that is avail. in the suse live cd. But it is in others.
I think PCLinuxOS, and Mepis also have root login to live cd

Sure there is a way. But you need a reasonable amount of linux knowledge to learn some things about your setup.

I assume your external HDD is NTFS formated. You need to know that. My assumption below is it is NTFS. IF it is not then you have to tell us.

You need to check your liveCD libfuse2 and ntfs-3g installed.

You then need to determine what device the external HDD is recognized as. Is it sdb1? sdc1 ? sdd1 ? We can’t guess that.

You can determine that by typing: su -c ‘fdisk -l’
Note that is a lower case “L” and not a “one”.

You need to create a mount location. Lets say you created:
/home/yourusername/externalhdd

If it is, unmount it with
umount /dev/sdc1 #assuming it is sdc1 (you need to determine that)

Once you determine the drive device (lets say it is /dev/sdc1 for my example) you need to determine if it is currently mounted. ie. type:
df -h
or
mount

is it mounted?

Then you can mount it with:

mount -t ntfs-3g -o rw,uid=1000,gid=100,umask=0022 /dev/sdc1 /home/yourusername/externalhdd

Then navigate to /home/yourusername/externalhdd in your file manager.

I find this incredibly easy and quick, but a user who is unfamiliar with Linux will find it all gobbly gook.

Or, instead of the above, if you had an installed (on your HD) openSUSE, you can setup your openSUSE with a symbolic link to do this all automatically … via:
NTFS - External_HD_hotplug_bug_in_openSUSE_11.0

Mounting is not the issue, mounting with write support is. I could not write to any HDD’s tried NTFS and vfat. I understand the ntfs part, but the vfat does not make sense.

While I am not a linux guru I have been using linux as my main os for a number of years.

What vfat? Your first post stated ntfs.

If your external drive is vfat, then you have to tell us. I lost my crystal ball in a stock market crash a long time ago, and I am short of patience when I have to provide suggestions in a total vacuum.

How do you expect to get help if you don’t tell us what format your hard drive is in. If you can’t get it to work then you could at least provide the output of some of the commands I suggested (“df -h” and “fdisk -l”) I did my best above in the total absence of information.

If you wish to get help without providing anything in return, then I suggest google may be a more satisfactory place for you to look, and not a forum like this. With google you get many more hits and don’t have to provide any information in return, other than your search criteria.

Anyway, if your external drive is vfat, then with similar methodology to the above, simply mount it with:

mount -t vfat -o rw,users,uid=yourusername /dev/sdc1 /home/yourusername/externalhdd

Have a nice day! :mad:

The commands I gave provide WRITE capability to NTFS.

As my wife pointed out, I’m in a horribly grumpy mood today … please disregard everything between

and

and everything after

oldcpu

The first post did say that I tried both a ntfs hdd and a vfat hdd. Sorry I did not mean to upset you. I am at work and have not had a chance to try to your suggestions yet. My last post was an attepmt to clear up any confusion about there being an inability on my part to mount the drive. I am sorry if that was unclear.

No worries. Your post was fine. Its definitely me. I think I’ll go somewhere and sleep for a few years to shake off this grumpy cloak. :rolleyes: I truely do wish you the best in your efforts.

As a confidence builder, I have successfully used the commands I gave many times.

But one last note before I disappear to recover a balanced temperment, the openSUSE liveCDs while very functional and very good, are not designed as foresnic liveCDs, and hence are not as user friendly for mounting internal and external hard drives as are liveCDs such as sidux, kanotix, knoppix, etc … But as I noted, I have copied (with the openSUSE liveCDs) data from an internal drive to an external drive many times, using the commands I noted.

Thanks

I will try the commands you listed. I am a admitted GUI junkie and some times I forget the required option when working with the CLI.

I used the Suse cd becuase it is the only thing I had at the time. Then it became a mission to make it work. I could have just DL’d a different live cd, but ohhhh no that would be to easy. I had to prove a point. :wink: The funny thing is the point I am trying to prove is just to myself. I have now made this whole thing way more diffecult then it needed to be, wow.:embarrassed:

Thanks again

oldcpu

Thanks

Worked like a charm. The olny thing is after I got the HDD mounted with ntfs-3g I had to copy the files as root. I thought after I mounted it I could copy as a normal user.

Thanks again

Its possible you need to change permissions on the directory you created with chmod. … I can’t recall off the top of my head (and I’m on vacation right now in Vienna on an MS-Windows PC so I can’t check).

On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:36:01 GMT
oldcpu <oldcpu@no-mx.forums.opensuse.org> wrote:

>
> ump;1859766 Wrote:
> > Worked like a charm. The olny thing is after I got the HDD mounted with
> > ntfs-3g I had to copy the files as root. I thought after I mounted it I
> > could copy as a normal user.
>
> Its possible you need to change permissions on the directory you
> created with chmod. … I can’t recall off the top of my head (and I’m
> on vacation right now in Vienna on an MS-Windows PC so I can’t check).
>
>

Yup, you’re a geek. Vacationing in the place where they make those little
sausages… and you’re online, answering forum questions. {Smile}

Loni


L R Nix
lornix@lornix.com
And if you think I’m that dumb…

I have a similar problem I’ve installed Suse 11.4 and cant remove CD “Linux Format Magazine CD” don’t where to find correspondences for Window terms and Linux. I wish someone would write directions. Step by Step once you think you have installed and Distro/Linux upgrade. I have only been using Linux for a few weeks after Windows 7 crashed.

Don’t even know how to get into forum properly as my ID isn’t recognised after a reboot.
You seem to know what your talking about. Can you or someone here offer some help, please. Thank you
RE: Can’t write to external HDD

‘You then need to determine what device the external HDD is recognized as. Is it sdb1? sdc1 ? sdd1 ? We can’t guess that’.

How do you find this information?

On 2011-12-15 21:16, ggrunden12 wrote:
>
> I have a similar problem I’ve installed Suse 11.4 and cant remove CD
> “Linux Format Magazine CD” don’t where to find correspondences for
> Window terms and Linux. I wish someone would write directions. Step by
> Step once you think you have installed and Distro/Linux upgrade. I have
> only been using Linux for a few weeks after Windows 7 crashed.

Do you realize you are replying to a 2008 thread?

I would appreciate if you stated clearly what your problem is.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)