I have been trying to DL the version of DOS-box I prefer to C:\, but I made both the Win-lose partitions RO when I first installed / (call me crazy, but I was paranoid it might mess with an already broken install from nearly a decade ago with an OS that-shall-remain-nameless that's even older). Oops!

Incidentally, I have learned from shenanigans with Linux-drivers from nVidia that /home partition is definitely a good idea (another post for another time)...

Anyway: even though I specifically made sure I turned the RO flag off but definitely made both Win' part's "usable" in the Installer from the NETINST live-CD.

I had to format because GParted ("Partition Editor" under System -> Administration) wouldn't allow me to edit RW/RO thingy... Even when I logged in as /

I checked in fstab, but there's no RO flags listed.

I ar Stuck!

P.S. I may be using the word "flag" when I mean something else. When you run the Lenny graphical installer, and choose to manually partition-edit, and then choose to "use" your [I chose] FAT-32 partitions, there's a few setup choices that become available. Including "its mount-point shall be..." and these Extra Choices I'm referring to as flags, that are "RO", "Quiet?" and a third one I can't remember... Time for sleeping!

P.P.S. This is in Newbie because I'm convinced it's something really simple that I'm missing.

It's probably the mount options. Something like the following should work for ntfs

Evo2

Thanks for the speedy response; does that differ much for FAT32? Both part's are definitely formatted with a file allocation table...

Give it a try (adjust the fstab line: s/ntfs/fat32).

Evo2.

You have to *unmount* the Winblows partition first before editing. Mounting is simply mounting the file system so it can be read, not wrote too.

If all you gotta do is delete it, unmount and format.

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Mine's in columns: so you don't mean add the rw flag to the options list?...

Example output from my fstab (as in gedit /etc/fstab):

/dev/hda1 /windows vfat utf8 0 0

I realise interpreting a vfat partition with utf8 dictionary is a bad idea (really didn't know what it was about when I first built it and now the startup tells me so every time)...

Columns? Yes, well I guess you could say there are six columns.

No I don't. The "defaults" option should take care of that.


Ok, I so the s/ntfs/vfat explicitly, and even match your device and mountpoint:
Where the gid=46 is assuming the plugdev group and may not be needed.

Evo2.

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Sorry this took a while, but I've been playing with it

Following the boot-options advice: I have used the line:

but changed only the Pass order (so root gets checked first, then /windows then /home).

However: there is a fail next to the fscheck during boot-time citing "nls=utf8" as an incompatible argument for FAT systems. Using only the defaults option means nothing new happens, but the [UTF8 / FAT case-sensitivity warning! Grrr!] text is gone from the printout during boot.

There is no mount-point available to my non-priveledged user-account when I log in (i.e. when I am logged in as a "normal" user I get no icon on the Desktop to /windows). When I am in as Root however, I get both my Windows partitions and rw access. This appears to be the case no matter what boot options I use...

When I attempt to mount /dev/hda1 using Root Terminal (not in as Root again) I get this:

It also notes "In some cases useful info is found in syslog - try dmesg | tail or so" (which I assume should read ending "...or some [other thing]")...

When I have time I will try out fstab with "nls=" missing from boot-options an find out where the System Log is...

Which version of windows do you have? Check the file system. It could be fat32 or ntfs.
sudo file -s /dev/hda1

Read though the man pages for mount and fstab. You can change the ownership of a mounted ntfs or vfat filesystem by mounting them with the "uid=" and "gid=" options. You can use your username and primary group name. Use "fmask=" and "dmask=" to change the permissions when it is mounted.

If this is an installed Windows system, then don't save to the system parts of Windows. Save to your users "My Documents" or a similar directory in your own area.

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The FS' definitely Fat32, as the logo.sys proudly states "Windows Millenium Edition" (I can feel your shock and horror).

I didn't know that the MAN page had a separate section for FAT and VFAT... I like whoever added the note:

Anyway:

I have no idea what the right parameter for umask is meant to be (in case you were wondering) I'm just using what Evo2 suggested (see above)...
I'm not even sure what is meant by a bitmask. Sad, but true; but I do know not to write to System32 or even anywhere in C:\Windows ...

As stated, they have been RO since the beginning, even when I tried re-running the NETINST from CD.