mount: Not a directory

I'm using Red Hat Linux 9, and I'm having problems mounting my CD or disk drive. The CD and disk drive both worked when I installed the system; boot disk booted OK, and installation was from CD.
Now that Red Hat is installed, however, it refuses to auto-mount either the disk drive or the CD ROM (data, music, or whatever, it seems to make no difference), and when I try to mount manually from the terminal, I get this:

[root@localhost home]# mount -t iso9660 /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
mount: block device /dev/cdrom is write-protected, mounting read-only
mount: Not a directory

I've seen posts on various other forums from people with what sounds like the exact same problem. I've seen suggestions of a few different permutations on the above mount command. However...

mount /dev/cdrom -t iso9660 /mnt/cdrom
mount /dev/cdrom -t "iso9660" /mnt/cdrom

..both produce the same result.
I've confirmed that /mnt/cdrom is a directory.
My /etc/fstab file looks like this:

[root@localhost home]# more /etc/fstab
LABEL=/ / ext3 defaults 1 1
LABEL=/boot /boot ext3 defaults 1 2
none /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=620 0 0
none /proc proc defaults 0 0
none /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0
/dev/hda3 swap swap defaults 0 0
/dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom udf,iso9660 noauto,owner,kudzu,ro 0 0
/dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy auto noauto,owner,kudzu 0 0

I've tried removing "udf" from the /dev/cdrom entry. I get the same result.

All the other threads I've seen for this problem on other forums peter out before a solution is arrived at. But judging from the number of people who apparently experience this, someone must have a solution. Any ideas anyone?

Thanks

/mnt/cdrom is presumably not a directory, most likely because it doesn't exist.

I took the following to mean that /mnt/cdrom is a directory:

[root@localhost cdrom]# pwd
/mnt/cdrom
[root@localhost cdrom]#

My apologies if I'm wrong of that point. Thanks for straightening me out. But do you have ny suggestions to get the CD ROM to mount?

Ive got the same exact problem. I looked at my /etc/fstab and everythin looks like it should but I cannot mount my cdrom or my floppy. If anyone has any suggestions I would apreciate it.

Has anyone worked out what is going on here?

root@test1:/mnt# mount -o ro -t iso9660 /dev/hdc /mnt/cdrom/
mount: Not a directory

I am running Slackware Linux on common PC hardware with IDE drives.
I can boot from the install CD, but when I try to mount the file system things go bad.

/mnt/cdrom/ is definately a directory, by the way.

Well, I wish I could help. I was just thinking when I read this that it doesn't bode well for RedHat Linux or this forum that such a 'common' and 'basic' problem hasn't been addressed.

Just makes me kinda sad

I discovered this little gem that might solve your problem:

Disable DMA on your CDROM:

hdparm -d0 -X /dev/hdc

(or whatever device name your drive might be)

This worked on a Slackware 9.1/10.1 install I was trying to do...

--Brian

well according to me default fstab shuld be like this


/dev/hdb5 / ext2 defaults 1 1
/dev/hdb2 /home ext2 defaults 1 2
/dev/hdc /mnt/cdrom iso9660 noauto,ro,user 0 0
/dev/hda1 /mnt/dos/c msdos defaults 0 0
/dev/hdb1 /mnt/dos/d msdos defaults 0 0
/dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy ext2 noauto,user 0 0
/dev/hdb4 none ignore defaults 0 0

none /proc proc defaults
/dev/hdb3 none swap sw



well u can also try to use the command mount -t auto /mnt/cdrom

The original poster had this to say:

---

mount /dev/cdrom -t iso9660 /mnt/cdrom
mount /dev/cdrom -t "iso9660" /mnt/cdrom

..both produce the same result.
I've confirmed that /mnt/cdrom is a directory.

---

So it doesn't matter what is in /etc/fstab, because that file isn't consulted when attempting a mount command which contains both the device filename and the mountpoint.

i think this problem has nothing to do with /etc/fstab because i have my CD-ROM, CD-RW, floppy drives working right.

/mnt/cdrom is a directory if a cdrom is installed

i don't know why this problem has come but if anybody wants to compare any other data to sort this out , i am always available.

Have you tried disabling the DMA as in the previous post?

hdparm -d0 -X /dev/hdc (or whatever your device is...)

i didn't have a problem from the start. It was working right from start brianko.

My bad, should have followed the thread more closely. I believe we're both in agreement that this problem has nothing to do with /etc/fstab...

I got exactly the same problem, execept that i am trying to mount a loopback filesystem

mount /image.iso /mnt/temp -o loop

gives me exactly the same error. I know that /mnt/temp is a directory.

It is really strange, any tips anyone?

Cheers

I was getting a "mount not a directory' message. I tried editing /etc/fstab, and I used hdparm---but I still had the same results. I tried a different cd, and then the cdrom mounted. Evidently, the "mount not a directory" message is the result of a bad disk or one with errors. I hope the helps(smile).