[SOLVED] Slackware 13 does not see my external usb hard drive
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Slackware 13 does not see my external usb hard drive
How do I get Slackware 13 to work with my external usb hard
drive ? I have no idea what to do because in other Linux OS
it was all done automatically for me. When everything is done
for you, you don't learn much do you.
From the command prompt you may need to mount the drive yourself. From KDE or XFCE it will be automatically mounted for you and will show up in the file browser. To start the GUI (Graphical User Interface) from the prompt type startx. To change the default desktop or window manager type xwmconfig.
This is basically what I do.
I wait a few seconds after I plugged the external drive, then (from a console) I type in this command:
Code:
cat /proc/partitions
This displays all the partitions (internal and external drives).
In my case sda is the internal disk device, so I just mount whichever
partition I need from the external drive (e.g., /dev/sdb1, or /dev/sdb2)
For instance (as root) if your partition is /dev/sdb1 you can run these commands
Code:
mkdir -p /mnt/sdb1
mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/sdb1
Actually I have entries in /etc/fstab and have already created /mnt/sdb1 ... /mnt/sdb4 /mnt/sdc1 ...
So all I need to do (as an ordinary user) is
Code:
mount /mnt/sdb1
Here's one of the entries in my /etc/fstab:
Code:
/dev/sdb1 /mnt/sdb1 auto user,noauto,noatime,exec 1 0
You might want to consider writing udev rules for persistent device naming, so you don't have to worry about checking what it's called each time. See, e.g. this.
Slackware 13 does not see my external usb hard drive
Success ! I can now mount my 2T Seagate external USB 2.0 hard drive.
I used root to do the mounting. I have used both the command line
and a terminal in KDE.
But I can not do anything with it. I can not delete files nor create
a new directory or anything else. It does umount.
I used mount -rw -t ntfs /dev/sdb1 /mnt/sdb1
and mount -t auto /dev/sdb1 /mnt/sdb1
and mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/sdb1
And all kinds of variations besides. It mounts. I can navigate it,
but not much else.
I have tried /etc/fstab /dev/sdb1 /mnt/sdb1 auto user,noauto,noatime,exec 1 0
mount /mnt/sdb1 works but, again, I can't do anything with the Seagate.
I suspect it is a file system problem, but what to do ?
What am I doing wrong ?
This external hard drive works on other OS, so I must be doing, or not doing,
something to cause the problem.
Thank you all for your messages. It is appreciated.
Slackware 13 does not see my external usb hard drive
mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sdb1 /media/external works great !
I'm doing this in root, but that's what I usually use in Slackware
This is great ! I can use the external Seagate just like a regular hd.
Thanks Didier Spaier.
Where did you find the file system ntfs-3g ?
I only find plain ntfs in cat /proc/filesystems and in man mount.
There is no ntfs-3g.
I would never have found it on my own. Thanks!
ntfs-3g is the partition type Slackware installer uses to write the relevant line in /etc/fstab if you (politely, of course) ask it to include a windows partition that it detected as being a ntfs one at time of setting your disk's partitions
FYI it is provided in Slackware by the package ntfs-3g in the /a series.
Last edited by Didier Spaier; 08-04-2012 at 11:59 AM.
Slackware 13 does not see my external usb hard drive
Now that I know ntsf-3g can mount and allow me to use my
external usb 2.0 Seagate 2T hard drive, you could say this
problem has been solved.
Except I noticed my other two Linux OSs use the fuse file
system to do the job. Slackware 13 also has the fuse file
system ( cat /proc/filesystems )
The other Linux OSs have an fstab that list filesystems that
are always mounted on boot in /lib/init/fstab
<file system> < mount point> < type > < options > < dump > < pass >
none /sys/fs/fuse/connections fusectl optional 0 0
I think Slackware 13 may have such an fstab in
/boot/initrd-tree/etc/fstab, yes ?
Slackware does have the directory /sys/fs/fuse/connections
So, is it possible to use the fuse file system for external usb hard drives
like the other Linux OSs for Slackware 13 ?
Or should I start a different thread for the above question,
and declare this one solved ?
Thank you all for your help. I've learned a lot.
This is really a different topic, so please do start a different thread for that.
Anyhow in Slackware 13.37 ntfs-3g is compiled with the option "--fuse=internal" (which is the default) so the settings found in other distributions *could* be reproduced in Slackware: feel free to play with that if you wish
This is not done by default in Slackware, probably because:
- it is not needed by most users
- change the dmask and fmask if needed in the relevant line of /etc/fstab is a lot more simple: simplicity is at the heart of Slackware's "philosophy"
- the usual setting for mounting ntfs drives is probably more secure as it is in Slackware
PS the explanations above may be not that accurate as I don't know fuse well, please other posters correct it as needed.
Last edited by Didier Spaier; 08-06-2012 at 12:46 AM.
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