Ok, now that I got you here thinking you could just link me to the ext2ifs web site, it's not that simple. See, I already use that program and it works very well... usually.

Sometimes, usually after a crash (at least that's the condition its happened under before), Windows will start acting like the drive isn't formatted, asking to format it. Reinstalling ext2ifs and rebooting don't help, it seems, although this has happened before and just as magically fixed itself. How do I force it to fix itself please?

(Apologies for this being more of a Windows question than a Linux one)

After a Windows crash or a Linux crash?

I don't know the cause, but I've had the same problem.

It sorts itself out if I reboot into Linux, then reboot again back to Windows.

Huzzah, that worked! Can't believe it was that simple, I thought I'd be rummaging around the registry. I wonder why it does it.

Thank you hand of fate

Does Linux run a check on the drive when you boot it up after that problem?

That's seriously weird...perhaps the journal?

I'm pretty clueless...hahaha

I have been using the Ext2fsd driver for Windows. I have never had any kind of issue. (Windows 2K--5 or more lInux distros at any given time.)

I don't believe it did, though I was out of the room while it was booting. It has taken to checking the drive more frequently though. I have no idea what a journal is or why it would be messed up after a Windows crash (sorry I didn't answer you before). I was thinking Windows somehow forgot to load the driver on startup, since it reverted to driverless behaviour.