Just starting with Linux Ubuntu - when I try to mount a drive I get a "Permission Denied". How do get around this?

You need to be root to mount devices.

Make sure you have the mount point created ie /mnt/cdrom

then:
# mount /dev/hdx /mnt/cdrom

Thats an example, if it doesn't suit you, post more info
about your device and comand(s) you are using

-West

Tried your input and received "only root can do that" - how do I get to the root from "home"?

I think the root account in Ubuntu is accessed by using the "sudo" command. Type "sudo CMD" in a terminal, where "CMD" is the command you want to run.

Also, if the permissions are set correctly on the device file, you can mount it as a normal user by using the "user" option in your /etc/fstab (or by passing the "user" option to "mount" with the "-o" switch). The device can then be un-mounted only by that user and root.

Strange, though, that Ubuntu wouldn't enable that by default, since it prides itself on its user-friendliness...

By gosh I think I have it! Thanks to all for your help