Mandrake and NTFS

[Sharp-kun]

I'll be installing Mandrake 10.1 as a second OS on my main PC soon, as I need it for Uni work. While I'm using it, I'd like to still have access to the vast reserve of anime and other cool stuff I have on my other drives. They're all NTFS though, and I assume that Mandrake cannot read them. What can I do to fix this?

[Tech^salvager]

There is a certain way to read NTFS but NOT write to it.
Why are you using mandrake anyways?

[Ace Pace]

Why not make a new partition of FAT32, and move all your shared files there, then both OS's can read and write to it?

[Sharp-kun]

Why are you using mandrake anyways?

As opposed to another disto? No reason really. Just picked it. I've played with Red Hat in the past, and I've used Solaris workstations. I decided to try Mandrake this time.

Why not make a new partition of FAT32, and move all your shared files there, then both OS's can read and write to it?

Because it's 400Gb of stuff

[Ace Pace]

You have a 400GB drive

So combine all the dries into RAID, then partition it into what you need.

Scratch that, you would need to reformat then without the Nforce4's morphing.


Sorry, wasted your time.

[Sharp-kun]

You have a 400GB drive

No, things are as follows:

C - WinXP Pro, Office and the like - 80Gb
D: Documents, Porn, some music and vids - 120Gb
E: Anime, OST's, Hentai, and other anime stuff - 200Gb
F - Misc Stuff, more anime - 60Gb
G - For Mandrake - 60Gb

C, D, E and F are all NTFS, and there's too much effort involved in backing stuff up to reformat them. G is FAT32 for Mandrake.

[Ace Pace]

No, things are as follows:

C - WinXP Pro, Office and the like - 80Gb
D: Documents, Porn, some music and vids - 120Gb
E: Anime, OST's, Hentai, and other anime stuff - 200Gb
F - Misc Stuff, more anime - 60Gb
G - For Mandrake - 60Gb

C, D, E and F are all NTFS, and there's too much effort involved in backing stuff up to reformat them. G is FAT32 for Mandrake.

Convert E to FAT32, partionMagic should be able to do this...

[Shinova]

Mandrake DOES read NTFS, it just doesnt WRITE to it.



So all you need is a small, maybe 1 to 3 gig large FAT32 partition that you use to transfer stuff from Mandrake to Windows, since Windows can't read Linux filesystems.



EDIT: Noticed that you plan to make the Mandrake partition FAT32. I would personally advise that you just use one of Linux's journalised filesystems for it and go with the temporary FAT32 partition idea, though it's your call.

[Sharp-kun]

Convert E to FAT32, partionMagic should be able to do this...

If Mandrake can read FAT32, then there should be no need, as I'll just be viewing files while I do other work.

I'd have thought someone would have written something to allow writing though.

[Ace Pace]

If Mandrake can read FAT32, then there should be no need, as I'll just be viewing files while I do other work.

I'd have thought someone would have written something to allow writing though.

You mean NTFS no If you use Mandrake only for school and nothing else, I suppose thats fine, but what if you start downloading porn or anime on Mandrake?

[Sharp-kun]

You mean NTFS no .

Hush!

If you use Mandrake only for school and nothing else, I suppose thats fine, but what if you start downloading porn or anime on Mandrake?

Thats why I made the Mandrake partition 60Gb. Plenty of space to download to, and I can sort it when I'm using XP. It would be easier to just download straight to the right drive, and I would prefer it, but it'll do.

[Shinova]

You mean NTFS no If you use Mandrake only for school and nothing else, I suppose thats fine, but what if you start downloading porn or anime on Mandrake?

A few bittorrent clients have linux versions. Wine can probably take care of the porn part.

[Ace Pace]

Thats why I made the Mandrake partition 60Gb. Plenty of space to download to, and I can sort it when I'm using XP. It would be easier to just download straight to the right drive, and I would prefer it, but it'll do.

So your keeping Mandrake FAT32 so XP can read it? that would work, though slower in Mandrake's case.

I'm not talking about the downloading, but the storage, I know bittorrent has linux versions, the problem 60GB gets old..really fast.

[Mad]

I'll be installing Mandrake 10.1 as a second OS on my main PC soon, as I need it for Uni work. While I'm using it, I'd like to still have access to the vast reserve of anime and other cool stuff I have on my other drives. They're all NTFS though, and I assume that Mandrake cannot read them. What can I do to fix this?

You have a main computer, so that implies you have one or more other computers? One possibility is to build a data storage computer that allows you to access your data through Samba/Windows shares on a network. Then you can store the data on whatever partition format is best for the OS you choose. You can setup security so only you can access your data when logged in, and anyone else could have their own home network directories if they want, as well.

This may not be a very attractive idea, depending on your setup, but I'm just throwing the idea out as an alternative in case it's useful. It's basically what I'm trying to move to for my home network when I have all the right hardware to support it.

[Sharp-kun]

You have a main computer, so that implies you have one or more other computers? One possibility is to build a data storage computer that allows you to access your data through Samba/Windows shares on a network. Then you can store the data on whatever partition format is best for the OS you choose. You can setup security so only you can access your data when logged in, and anyone else could have their own home network directories if they want, as well.

This may not be a very attractive idea, depending on your setup, but I'm just throwing the idea out as an alternative in case it's useful. It's basically what I'm trying to move to for my home network when I have all the right hardware to support it.

I've got 3 others available. One is my dads, so I won't be playing with that.
Another is used as a server, and has all the printers attatched to it. I use it for web browsing (when my main one needs to be given peace to do something) and DC++. I could stick Mandrake on that, but when my sister pops home from Uni she'll want to use it, and I don't think she'd like Linux. Its my machine, I could do it, but its not ideal.
The final one is missing parts for now, and is only 200Ghz. Its only purpose in life now will be as a DOS box.

My main one is really the ideal option.

[Ace Pace]

The final one is missing parts for now, and is only 200Ghz. Its only purpose in life now will be as a DOS box.

My main one is really the ideal option.

Now theres a sweet low scale linux box, 200MHZ(again, oops to you) is fine for any basic linux set up.

[Sharp-kun]

Now theres a sweet low scale linux box, 200MHZ(again, oops to you) is fine for any basic linux set up.

I'm realing makiing a load of typos today

It would be ideal, but at the moment it's in no position to do anything. It needs a monitor (won't be getting one soon) and new HDD (it only has 1Gb).

[Ace Pace]

I'm realing makiing a load of typos today

It would be ideal, but at the moment it's in no position to do anything. It needs a monitor (won't be getting one soon) and new HDD (it only has 1Gb).

I'm in a similer situation, I need a monitor for a 600MHZ box, damn prices here for even basic CRT monitors.

[Mad]

I've got 3 others available. One is my dads, so I won't be playing with that.
Another is used as a server, and has all the printers attatched to it. I use it for web browsing (when my main one needs to be given peace to do something) and DC++. I could stick Mandrake on that, but when my sister pops home from Uni she'll want to use it, and I don't think she'd like Linux. Its my machine, I could do it, but its not ideal.
The final one is missing parts for now, and is only 200Ghz. Its only purpose in life now will be as a DOS box.

My main one is really the ideal option.

What OS is installed on the server? If it's 2k or XP, you should be able to setup the same thing I was talking about and have it be accessible through either Windows or Linux via network shares. (You could do it with 95 or 98 as well, but you'd lose the benefits of NTFS.) As long as the machine is reliable, of course.

As mentioned, a 200MHz will work (stay in console mode for most work and when not logged in) for a Linux box.

Just toss the hard drives onto whatever computer you want to use as the file server and share 'em out.

[Sharp-kun]

What OS is installed on the server? If it's 2k or XP, you should be able to setup the same thing I was talking about and have it be accessible through either Windows or Linux. (You could do it with 95 or 98 as well, but you'd lose the benefits of NTFS.) As long as the machine is reliable, of course.

XP Pro SP2. It would work, but its not really any better than simply having a FAT32 partition on my main machine I use for transfer.

[Tech^salvager]

I would say just go with a FAT32 space and be done with it. So why you trying out mandrakelinux? Though there is a way to read ext2fs on windows but I'm not talking.

[phongn]

The best way is to use this

[Shinova]

The best way is to use this

Sounds cool. Does it work well?