I have vmware 6.5 workstation with windows xp running on ubuntu 9.04. I dont want to duel boot to xp so Im trying to get my vm working. How can I remove a hdd in ubuntu so I can mount it in my vm xp. Normally I can unmount for eg an usb drive in ubuntu and then mount it in xp but the xbox360 hdd isnt being reconised in ubuntu it just says mass storage drive and it is already unmounted but it shows up in my computer with no info(places -go to -computer).
When I do lshw i can find it, its logical name is /dev/sdb.
I want to xplorer my hdd with xplorerer360 and this program will only work in windows and not with wine.
*-disk:1
description: ATA Disk
product: ST920217AS
vendor: Seagate
physical id: 1
bus info: scsi@1:0.0.0
logical name: /dev/sdb
version: 3.01
serial: XXXXXXX
size: 18GiB (20GB)
configuration: ansiversion=5

So is there some way to get ubuntu not load or remove this drive and maybe some way never to load it when i boot my computer. Thnx

Check "/etc/fstab" and remove said partition from the list (just comment it out by adding a # at the begging of the line). This should work but I haven't used a *buntu in a while. This is why I went to Gentoo, so I can configure it all exactly as I want it from the start.

This is my fstab.

-# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# Use 'vol_id --uuid' to print the universally unique identifier for a
# device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name devices
# that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
#
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
# / was on /dev/sda1 during installation
UUID=bf038dfb-5b11-4a4b-87a5-fd19e943c3a6 / ext3
relatime,errors=remount-ro 0 1
# swap was on /dev/sda5 during installation
UUID=b1a8d2fc-8e68-41f1-bc19-4f844a4195ee none swap
sw 0 0


So do i need to make a new line? like:
# /dev/sdb

I cant see the drive in fstab only my computer hdd not the xbox360 hdd.

If the xbox drive is /dev/sdb, there should be also /dev/sdb1, unless the xbox file system is unrecognisable by linux. So try:

ls /dev/sd*

That will show you if there is a /dev/sdb1. If there is one, you can:

sudo fdisk -l

and it will tell you the file system type. Then you can mount it with:

sudo mkdir /mnt/sdb1
sudo mount /dev/sdb1 -t <file_system_type> /mnt/sdb1

and the file system will be available if you:

cd /mnt/sdb1
ls

And you should see some files.

#ls /dev/sd*
/dev/sda /dev/sda1 /dev/sda2 /dev/sda5 /dev/sdb

#sudo fdisk -l
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 59601 478745001 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 59602 60801 9639000 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 59602 60801 9638968+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Disk /dev/sdb: 20.0 GB, 20003880960 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2432 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Disk /dev/sdb doesn't contain a valid partition table
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is my output, and i dont want it mounted in my linux but remove it so i can mount it in vmware XP because all of the software like eg xplorer360 is written for windows and i found on the web that this is the one time that you HAVE to use windows. And again i like my linux system and wont want to spoile it with crappy windows duel boot so i try vmware maybe its better that i make a bootable windows xp usb if this wont work but i wanted to give it a try. Im using using ubuntu for about a half year now and learning every day new things and i hope i can learn enough that one day even my laptop goes linux instead of vista duel boot ubuntu.

I will give it a try again. I think i missunderstood if i cant mount my drive in ubuntu then i wont be able to unmount and mount it in vmware xp right?

It is not your fstab mounting it. It wold have to be some kind of Ubuntu app doing it. Seeing as how I haven't used Ubuntu since version 8 I do not know.

ok thanks anyway for your reply, i found out that the x360 drive has to be fat16 so i will try what awesomemachine said. If that doesnt work i will make a xp usb. I cant find anything on the web most people use windows.
EDIT:
sudo mkdir /mnt/sdb1
sudo mount /dev/sdb1 -t <file_system_type> /mnt/sdb1

#sudo mkdir /mnt/sdb
#sudo mount /dev/sdb -t fat16 /mnt/sdb
______________________________________
mount: unknown filesystem type 'fat 16'

so didnt work, going to make Bootable xp usb, but any suggestions still welcome.