Comments on: Communicating With the Other Half: NTFS Support in Linux http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5523/ Open Source, Open Standards Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:44:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.11 by: graemeharrison http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5523/#comment-1895 Tue, 23 Dec 2008 07:43:26 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5523/#comment-1895 Linux is getting far better at handling all sorts of media... BUT I suggest that with plain ordinary desktop Ubuntu etc (ie the solution for the masses not the sysadmins), we need to have it simpler and more robust. Presently, on dual boot, or USB drives moved between systems, if the WinXP session which last accessed your NTFS drive did not shut down properly, it left a flag to indicated 'NTFS not closed'. Then when Ubuntu etc uses NTFS-3g to open those drives, it simply fails reporting that you do not have the rights to open, or that the NTFS was flagged as 'in use'. But let's remember that these are almost all single user drives, so it is not as if something else is currently accessing the drive, so the distro interface should prompt the user: "Do you want to force an OPEN of the NTFS drive (Y/N)?" and wait for some time (eg 30secs) before moving on. This would be far friendlier way of handling the situation. Giving advice that you can edit FSTAB etc is NOT the same. You've just migrated to a nice GUI easy-to-install OS and with the first glitch, it directs you to edit a critical file with a complex command adding a force option etc in what looks like hieroglyphics with the example parameters (eg 'sda') not being the same as yours. Far better to trap this error when it occurs (and it does occur) and optionally do the force at boot. Linux is getting far better at handling all sorts of media… BUT I suggest that with plain ordinary desktop Ubuntu etc (ie the solution for the masses not the sysadmins), we need to have it simpler and more robust.

Presently, on dual boot, or USB drives moved between systems, if the WinXP session which last accessed your NTFS drive did not shut down properly, it left a flag to indicated ‘NTFS not closed’. Then when Ubuntu etc uses NTFS-3g to open those drives, it simply fails reporting that you do not have the rights to open, or that the NTFS was flagged as ‘in use’. But let’s remember that these are almost all single user drives, so it is not as if something else is currently accessing the drive, so the distro interface should prompt the user:
“Do you want to force an OPEN of the NTFS drive (Y/N)?” and wait for some time (eg 30secs) before moving on.
This would be far friendlier way of handling the situation. Giving advice that you can edit FSTAB etc is NOT the same. You’ve just migrated to a nice GUI easy-to-install OS and with the first glitch, it directs you to edit a critical file with a complex command adding a force option etc in what looks like hieroglyphics with the example parameters (eg ’sda’) not being the same as yours. Far better to trap this error when it occurs (and it does occur) and optionally do the force at boot.

]]> by: Marco A. Cruz Quevedo http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5523/#comment-1578 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:49:49 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5523/#comment-1578 This column is a MUST! Essential information is provided for those who have a multiboot computer. This column is a MUST! Essential information is provided for those who have a multiboot computer.

]]> by: .. .. http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5523/#comment-1016 Sat, 19 Apr 2008 21:02:28 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5523/#comment-1016 great time-less article ... great time-less article …

]]> by: nucleartower http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5523/#comment-959 Fri, 04 Apr 2008 05:33:38 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5523/#comment-959 NTFS saved me a lot of trouble after I decided to completely stop using windows (I have 600gigs of used space on NTFS and dreaded conversion). All useful information, and I never knew about the ntfs tools like ntfscat, ntfsundelete, etc. Good article. Thanks! NTFS saved me a lot of trouble after I decided to completely stop using windows (I have 600gigs of used space on NTFS and dreaded conversion). All useful information, and I never knew about the ntfs tools like ntfscat, ntfsundelete, etc. Good article. Thanks!

]]> by: sm411 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5523/#comment-957 Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:56:23 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5523/#comment-957 Great. No can i use a NTFS harddrive on both win and linux. Great. No can i use a NTFS harddrive on both win and linux.

]]> by: shina01 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5523/#comment-956 Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:47:59 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5523/#comment-956 All news is good news for newbies and for oldies with memory loss. Yes, this is old stuff, but id forgotten it and i suddenly needed it. Thanks, Linux-Mag people! All news is good news for newbies and for oldies with memory loss. Yes, this is old stuff, but id forgotten it and i suddenly needed it. Thanks, Linux-Mag people!

]]> by: cuetzpallin http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5523/#comment-955 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:59:52 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5523/#comment-955 Probably, but it is very interesting and very important for new users. Good article Probably, but it is very interesting and very important for new users.

Good article

]]> by: fjgaude http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5523/#comment-952 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:34:34 +0000 http://www.linux-mag.com/id/5523/#comment-952 Gosh, this is pretty old stuff. Gosh, this is pretty old stuff.

]]>