I have a dual boot with 2 ntfs partitions, one is for windows xp, the other is for storage. I want to access the one for storage as user. I have successfully mounted it to the /mnt/windows direcotry, but every time it does that it locks that directory so that only root can get in. So, the only way i have to access that directory, which i want to be read only, is through file manager in super user mode. i want to access it as user. here's my fstab file:

# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
/dev/hde3 / ext3 defaults,errors=remount-ro 0 1
/dev/hde7 /home ext3 defaults 0 2
/dev/hde6 none swap sw 0 0
/dev/hda /media/cdrom0 iso9660 ro,user,noauto 0 0
/dev/hdc /media/cdrom1 iso9660 ro,user,noauto 0 0
/dev/hde5 /mnt/windows ntfs ro,user,noauto,unmask=0022 0 0


hde5 is the partition i wish to access read only. i tried mounting it in other folders, owned by user but it locks me out of those, too.

i have been reading other's postings on this matter and even tried some suggestions, but so far none have worked for me.

Chemdawg, I'm a newbie also so don't jump all over me if this is off-base, but can it be a simple matter of setting the permissions for the NTFS directory using chmod?? Or is that way too simple for this issue?

way too simple i'm afraid...

1) NTFS does not support UNIX file permissions. at the low ow file system level, NTFS doesn't recognise user id's, groups etc.... what you see if just the hack that linux has to use to make it look like something vaguely unixy

2) NTFS write support is VERY VERY VERY bad, for many reasons. DO NOT TRY TO WRITE TO NTFS PARTITIONS. you WILL destroy data. so much so, it's often impossible, as ntfs support is provided in a read-only module by default (called "ntfs") and optionally as the very dangerous read / write version, "ntfs_rw" i think.

Hi I don't know if it was a typo here only or also in /etc/fstab file but it should be "umask" with no "n" hope this is your only problem with this issue.

good eye, brainiac! That was in fact a typo and it fixed it! Thank you all for your suggestions.

C-dawg