Folks, I need your help, please. I have a Win2k box with 2 hdds. Some time ago, I managed to install RedHat Linux on the second hdd, and to setup a dual boot. It was a pain, but it works. I mainly use Windows, Linux is just for fun (and I am a absolute n00b in Linux). What I''d like to do is to mount the first hdd somehow, so I can use it from Linux. The file system here is NTFS. I struggled my way thru the documentation for ''mount'', and finaly came up with something like

mount /dev/hda1 /ntfs -t ntfs
 

Linux was so kind to tell me something like

mount:fs file system ntfs not supported by kernel
 

A quick Google confuzed me even more Could you please guide me on this issue? TIA, Gabriel Forever trusting who we are And nothing else matters - Metallica

a.) Answer to question: rebuild your kernel with NTFS support.

  % cd /usr/src/linux/<your source tree >  % make menuconfig OR make xconfig (require X Windows running) 

b.) Moved to Everything UNIX forum.

As a note: NTFS writing is still experimental, and I don''t think any of the stable kernels allow you to enable it. NTFS reading is pretty safe though. Obviously, for these ''features in the works'', a newer kernel is better, but you probably want to stay in the stable release (especially if you''re new to Linux), so NTFS writing may not be an option for you.

Oluseyi:
Thanks for the tip. I did that using "make xconfig". In the dialog that popped up I selected file systems, and checked NTFS (read only). Then I started the build (I cannot remember the command, but it was the one "make config" said I have to use).
The build returned no error, but as I rebooted the system, GNOME hung at the startup process. I had to make a cold boot, and Linux is screwed now. It checks some volumes, finds some critical error, and says I have to use "fsck" manually. And now I am stuck. Could you help me further, please - a few side comments were helpfull getting "the big picture". TIA.

Null and Void:
Yes, my only desire is to be able to read the NTFS partition. I''d like to be able to copy some source files from there and compile them under Linux. The whole thing is just for educational purposes.

I know that the questions I am asking are very basically (and some of them probably not very smart). Thank you for your patience.

Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters - Metallica

quote: Original post by Gabriel Fleseriu
Thanks for the tip. I did that using "make xconfig". In the dialog that popped up I selected file systems, and checked NTFS (read only). Then I started the build (I cannot remember the command, but it was the one "make config" said I have to use).

So, to make sure I understand you: you went through the entire "make dep", "make modules", "make modules_install", "make bzImage", move the bzImage, and setup LILO/GRUB process, correct?

quote: Original post by Gabriel Fleseriu
The build returned no error, but as I rebooted the system, GNOME hung at the startup process.

Try booting into console incase you need to setup a driver or something for X with your new kernel.

quote: Original post by Gabriel Fleseriu
It checks some volumes, finds some critical error, and says I have to use "fsck" manually.

Do what it says and everything should be fine (about the critical error, that is, maybe not other things). You almost certainly caused the critical error by restarting the system when it wasn''t ready (you may have not had a choice though). So, go into single user mode, and run fsck on the volume it was mad about, wait a while, and it should fix it. Sometimes you have to do this twice though (without rebooting, that is). I use ext3 now, and it gets rid of the fsck issues for me (very nice for when something happens to my power or something ).

quote: Original post by Gabriel Fleseriu
Yes, my only desire is to be able to read the NTFS partition.

That makes it easier .

quote:
Originally posted by Null and Void
So, to make sure I understand you: you went through the entire "make dep", "make modules", "make modules_install", "make bzImage", move the bzImage, and setup LILO/GRUB process, correct?

*ashamed* No, that is what I screwed up
I did a "make dep", thought that was all, and rebooted.
I assume I had to "make modules", "make modules_install", "make bzImage" after "make dep".

How do I "move the bzImage". What is bzImage, anyway?
And err... setup the LILO/GRUB? I use GRUB (that is the bootloader, isn''t it?)...I''m lost.

Oh, dear. I downloaded Linux, so I have no hard copy of the manual or whatever.

And for the "fsck": it keeps telling me that i did not provide the correct parameters...

quote: Original post by Gabriel Fleseriu
*ashamed* No, that is what I screwed up
I did a "make dep", thought that was all, and rebooted.
I assume I had to "make modules", "make modules_install", "make bzImage" after "make dep".

That shouldn''t have screwed anything up, it just didn''t create a new kernel. For instructions I gave a few days ago on building a new kernel, look here. No worries .

quote: Original post by Gabriel Fleseriu
How do I "move the bzImage". What is bzImage, anyway?
And err... setup the LILO/GRUB? I use GRUB (that is the bootloader, isn''t it?)...I''m lost.

I explain the bzImage thing in the thread at the other end of that link. I''ve never used GRUB, so hopefully someone else will come up with some tips (or you could just look at the online docs).

quote: Original post by Gabriel Fleseriu
Oh, dear. I downloaded Linux, so I have no hard copy of the manual or whatever.

At the command line you can type "man something" to get instructions on almost anything. I''ve never had any physical documentation for anything Linux either (the ''paid for'' distro''s I have are all from other people, cheapbytes, or something like that).

Ok, thanks a lot. That will be helpfull as soon as I get home.

One more question: Could you point me to some links/resources that explain the basics of Linux? I do not mean things like "linux is a multi-user, multi-threaded os, blah, blah, case sensitive, blah, blah", but more things about the internal structure of the OS.
You know: Windows has WDMs, VXDs, DLLs, blah, blah - Linux has ??? made of ??? that interact ???. Maybe a Linux glossary?

TIA.

Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters - Metallica

Just a quick note: I dont know if anyone else had this problem,
but under redhat 7.2, I remade the kernel with NTFS support and
tried to install it using grub.

My conclusion is that I will not use grub ever again. =p

Under no circumstances, despite hours and hours of trawling newsgroups and trying different suggestions could I get grub to load the new kernel image, such that it would load my new modules.

On the bright side, using lilo was fairly easy (as always).

I eventually ended up reinstalling linux completly and formatting my msdos partition and making it vfat, simply because I so much trouble with NTFS.

So yeah. Have fun. You have my sympathy if you can''t make it work.

Somehow, after two or three tries, it worked (thx, Null and Void ). My experience is that Linux has a hard time accessing the NTFS partition, i.e. when browsing the NTFS directory structure, it''s slow like hell.
Shadow Mint: I''m using GRUB. Just shamelessly replaced the kernel, and that was all.

Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters - Metallica