I want to move an external HD formatted in windows to my linux machine.

Assuming that the interface is USB since you say it is an external drive?

Just plug it in. Linux should see it and most desktop distributions will automount the drive.

Can you tell us what Linux distribution and version you are running? This will help if you happen to have one that will not automount or if you do plug in the drive and then reply that nothing happened. Hoping the opposite, but just in case.

OK, go ahead, you have our permission :-). Try before you post.

I really don't know why you posted, if you have a problem, any details at all because you never told us. How_To_Ask_a_Question

2 members found this post helpful.

( fdisk -l ) to see devices, then connect hd to system, then do another fdisk -l to see what popped up. Then run mount/dev/"whatever your hd device popped up as" exp: ( mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usb ) If you do not have a /mnt/usb make one or put /usb under /media.
When you are done with your device run umount /mnt/usb

OP posted because sometimes you're not sure about drives and OS's being able to read them or messing things up, so you don't want to take risks, especially if the drive contains very important data.

I just want to say to gburgess9@ that Linux can read just about anything, and it will not mess up with your drives, as long as you do not run hazardous commands. I even saw USB drives which cannot be used on Windows being mounted correctly on Linux. On Linux you have the appropriate tools to just do anything you wish. Windows can mess up with things but a good Linux distro won't.

It's good to be sure.

be sure you got ntfs-3 installed in Linux so it can see it (better) and mount it and work with it.