Mounting NTFS drives by editing /etc/fstab

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[quote=“pfeiffep, post:1, topic:5612”]
Reading the Ubuntu Manual was a kinda like eating an elephant - I’m taking one bite at a time - but the problem with that method is in the digestion :smirk:[/quote]

If it’s true, “You are what you eat”, then at least you’ll now have a great memory! :smile:

Okay, here goes…

For your set-up (dual booting GNU/Linux / Windows), most recognised solution for a (non-OS) shared NTFS partition is as follows…

UUID=**** /media/Storage ntfs uid=1000,gid=1000,dmask=027,fmask=137,windows_names 0 2
  • replacing “****” with relevant NTFS partition UUID string
  • replace “Storage” with preferred name (Tip: no spaces allowed)

Explanation of other settings:

  • /media - For drives you wish to show
  • /mnt - For drives you wish to hide
  • uid=1000 - User ID (normally 1000)
  • gid=1000 - Group ID (normally 1000)
  • dmask=027 - Directory permissions using octal numbers
  • fmask=137 - File permissions using octal numbers
  • windows_names - Only allow Windows compatible names
  • 0 0 (seen below) and 0 2 - Pass numbers, 0 0 = do not check, 0 1 = check this partition first (used for the OS), 0 2 = check this partition next

Here’s another example to easily hide a Windows OS NTFS partition:

UUID=**** /mnt/Windows ntfs noauto 0 0
  • replacing “****” with relevant NTFS partition UUID string

I recommend hiding a Windows OS partition so damage/boot issues will not occur if Windows OS is using fast-boot. Doing so also prevents any mistakes such as accidental system file deletion.

Tip: There’s no need to create /mnt or /media directories first, /mnt directories are hidden anyway, /media directories are automatically created upon partition mounting, or after system restart.

PS: It’s okay to use either ntfs or ntfs-3g, ntfs symlinks to ntfs-3g

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