Can I do this with crashing my system? I have a windows 98 partition and a linux native partition and a linux swap partition. I am using linux mandrake 8.2. NOw, in my linux mnt dir. i have a dir for windows. Can I move files from windows to linux with out causing problems with the partition. I did this one time before and i think it caused me trouble with "mixing" partitions or getting one "sector" crossed up with a windows "sector" Anybody know for sure if it is a good idea? The reason i ask is i dont have a net connection in linux, and it makes it easy for me to download files with windows and then just go to linux and then install them there.

If you mean that you have mounted your windows partition in f.ex. /mnt/windows, and then in mandrake moving files between your windows and linux, is nothing to be worried about.

Its like you don´t mess up things by moving files from one win partition to antoher.

ok I am not sure i follow you. I said before that i have a seperate partition for windows and a seperate partition for linux. They are on the same harddrive and the swap partition is between them. when i open my mnt/ dir i see
mnt/cdrom
mnt/floppy
mnt/windows
and if i click on the windows dir i can see my desktop and mydocuments and all my windows files. What i want to know is am i going to mess anything up if i move a txt or a .tar between the too partitions in this manner.I guess i am going back to what mama told me, she said "son, just because you CAN do something dosent mean you SHOULD do something. lol

You shouldn't have any problems moving a text file or any other file from your Windows partition to your Linux partition. Just be sure not to move files that are needed by Windows and you'll be alright, or if you do move them, instead of moving, copy them for that matter.

thanks, now i can rest a little easier and update my linux distro. I see your point about cp in stead of moving. makes sense. thanks again.

Also make sure that you're not moving files that are currently in use. If, for example, you have an image open in Gimp, don't move it whilst Gimp still has it open.