05 October 2005

How To: Reading Files From Windows Partition(NTFS) in Ubuntu Linux

How To: Reading Files From Windows Partition(NTFS) in Ubuntu Linux
The steps were as follows:

First open the root terminal. Then in Gnome you go to Applications->System Tools->Root Terminal

Once in the root account, you should run this command

# fdisk -l

If you’re not on the root account, precede each command with “sudo”, like this:

# sudo fdisk -l

The next step is to mount the hard drive (assuming that it is /dev/hda1) and put it in a directory:

# mkdir /media/windows
# mount /dev/hda1 /media/windows/ -t ntfs -o nls=utf8,umask=0222

# cd /media/windows
# ls

If you need to unmount the partition, do this:

# umount /media/windows/

If you have trouble with any of this, or a step was unclear, please comment.

  1. Well, your document is quite clear. The only thing is that when I type#mkdir /media/windows/,
    I get the answer : cannot create : the file already exists!

    james • •

  2. you can ignore that error.. and procede to the next step

    Yaloti • •

  3. It works perfectly except for whem I reboot. During the loading screen /media/windows fails to mount and reverts back to the /media/hda1 mount. If you can, please help.

    joe • •

  4. /dev/hda1 /media/windows ntfs -o nls=utf8,umask=0222 0 0

    add the above line as the last line in /etc/fstab

    and see if that cleans it all up.

    I’d help if you can paste the ‘mounting error log’

    Yaloti • •

  5. The process itself goes witout problems, but can we see the files that are in the windows partition, because I would like to acess all my music files in a windows partition, and it would be nearly impossible to put them all in dvd`s and migrate them to a linux partition type, how can I acess these files and or would a different tipe of partition like fat32 be read by linux cause I could try to install win 98 and them put those files in a linux partition later on. Thans for any help!

    Luco • •

  6. I think there may be a problem with your comments subscription. I got notified about new comments on this post, which I had never even read before. I am subscribed only to receive notification for the latest 3 column k2 wordpress theme thread. Then when I used the link in the notification email to go and manage my subscriptions, I got a 404. Oops!

    Nyomi • •

  7. I will disable the comment subscription for now as I am bizy with my work and will find out wat the problem is as soon as possible.

    Bharath Kumar • •

  8. This is completely useless and false. No combination of copying the commands will allow me to read the ntfs partition.

    squirebug • •

  9. Hey, i have just installed windows xp partition came up fine and now just wondering can i edit the windows files, to make it not read only? i have a virus i wish to delete so i can gain access to windows again.

    Newbie • •

  10. i face a problem,that tell me when i print commad u tell about
    that :ntfs not known to home

    may be i want ntfs driver,how ia can get that

    mohammad • •

  11. when i print # mount /dev/hda1 /media/windows/ -t ntfs -o nls=utf8,umask=0222

    it tell me error on ntfs ,which is unkonwn for linux

    ali • •