How can I access my windows files through Linux ?

You'll need to give some more information if anyone will be able to help you. In particular, do you want to read a Windows partition from a Linux partition on the same computer (in which case, it's a fairly simple matter of mounting the partition), or access a Windows network share (in which case, you'll need to use Samba).

Once you've confirmed which one it is, I'll be able to give a lot more help.

Have you tried using the search function on the forums? This question has been answered a couple of dozen times at least.

You need to set up a mount point and mount the Windows partition with the proper permissions.

<chorus> There are a great many threads dealing with this. Can you be more specific? (Which windows files? Where are they? What format? What have you tried? Which distribution?)</chorus>

It is also a help if you edit your profile to include your distribution and location. Thank you.

Also: try reading through the advice link in my sig.

i have recently installed red hat enterprise linux WS 11 on my system ,I know nothing about linux so I want access my pictures and songs stored in drive c (fat32)of windows.Please help for the same ,thanks in advance.

In what way are the previous replies not adequate?

explore arnd a bit in the file manager. you should see a folder called mnt in your root (\) directory. see if there is any folder with a name having 'windows' in it.
if not, you will have to manually mount the windows partition. Google for a basic linux tutorial and you should find how to do it.

All right - pity previals...

If this is a dual boot configuration, windows C: drive will be the first or second partition on the first hard-drive. That is, /dev/hda1 or /dev/hda2. For the sake of an example, I'm going to assume /dev/hda1 - but you should check.

You can find out from a shell terminal by entering "fdisk -l" and looking for vfat (fat32) or ntfs filesystems.

very simply, it goes:

$ su
password:
# mkdir /mnt/windows
# mount -t vfat /dev/hda1 /mnt/windows
# cd /mnt/windows/'My Documents'
# ls

for a fat32 partition and

# ntfs-3g /dev/hda1 /mnt/windows

replaces the "mount" command for an ntfs partition.

For more flexible access, you can fiddle the option in mount. You can also get this to mount at boot time by editing /etc/fstab (man fstab)

One man can't dig a mine, it takes a team of people. There's nothing wrong with holding someone's hand and showing them right way to be successful at the basics of what they desire to accomplish.

IF you think WAY back in life, I'm sure you can remember the same treatment when you were first learning to walk. By even attempting to install linux on his machine it seems to indicate his desire to take those "first steps".

There's no need to "pitty" anyone. Simply exercising common sense and realizing everyone learns differently should be more than enough.

You can light the "flame" now.

In my sig, there is a link. Follow it and have a read.

And the right way for OP to find out the answer to the question is to use the search engine. He was taken by the hand and pointed to the right place. OP was reassured that the information is easy to find. OP remained obstinate about needing to be spoonfed. Hence: pity. Nothing wrong with that. It is as if I told someone to "walk this way", only to discover they were too young to know how (or needed corn plasters (sic)).

I've got an analogy for you:
Some time ago I saw someone with a white cane enter a construction site and march purposefully towards an open pit. I figured this guy could do with being led a bit so I called out. There's no pity involved there.

Pity the fully able-bodied person who stands in the middle of the same site and yells to be lead out...

I'm confused...

Was he fully blind, legally blind or just someone with a white cane?

I'm going to assume he was just a guy carrying coloured stick. Borrowed perhaps, but blind? Doesn't make sense. I mean, after all -he "purposefully" marched towards the pit.

What confuses me even further is that one would be willing to assist someone who wasn't looking for help but was intent on causing them self harm "purposefully".

But alas, this is not about the impaired, nor "fully-able" persons or even analogous creativity. It's about comprehensive knowledge (an in-depth acquisition of facts particular to any given topic) and in the end - you're right. There's nothing about this topic anyone can acquire from you that they can't get from a book or other resources.

I am running windows XP and RHEL 4 on my machine
how to mount ntfs partition on linux
explain what is to written in the fstab
thanks

The ambiguity was deliberate... this unusual situation clearly begs some questions, like "Are you blind?" Of course, there were other clues... but in the first analysis, all I objectively knew was that he had a white cane.

I don't like people hurting themselves around me. I'm startled that you would be so detached about it... perhaps this is a cultural thing. Morality often is.

Or, indeed, from other threads in LQ.

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish with your patent rods and tools designed to work only with each other and you create a captive market." Or..... something.

... you're welcome.

Is there a problem with my previous answer to this question?