BT2 and NTFS partitions

[Simmo08]

im running BT2 (installed with XP as a dual boot) and ive noticed it has 2 linux partitions, my structure is as:

XP:

C:\ - NTFS
D:\ - NTFS

Linux (BT2)

E:\ - ext3

So in BT i get:

sda1
sda2
sda3
sda3

Yes, i get two sda3's. My question is which one do i not need, and how can i make the auto mounted ntfs partitions writeable, instead of just read-only?

Thanks all

[c0dak]

Wow thats crazy. I am not saying I don't believe you, but I have been working with Linux for fun and for profit for almost 10yrs and never seen that. What did you use to partition it with originally. And when you say you have 2 sda3's how are you getting that info, from fstab, from the mount command, or fdisk.

More importantly what does fdisk -l say.

[Simmo08]

i used pargon partition manager from XP to create a ext3 linux partition, i then booted BT2 from startup and installed from the live cd, onto ext3 partition.

I get this information from konqueror when im browing my sda2 (NTFS) partition, there is always 2 sda3's. Next time i boot BT i will take a screenshot.

Thanks for the reply

[Archangel-Amael]

You might try making a backup of both of them and then deleting the partition and see what happens.
If you have just started messing with bt and do not have a lot of extras of some sort on your hard drive then this might be an easy way to go.

You could also try unmounting the partition using umount partition here
and seeing what happens as well.
Just a guess on my part

[Simmo08]

oops it double posted...

i will try and unmount one thanks

[c0dak]

Just a thought but you really need to figure out the command line for stuff like that. It makes things so much easier, especially in Linux. I am willing to bet that you don't have 2 sda3's from the kernels point of view. Typically problems like that cause a kernel panic and you won't make it as far as you did. Now what konqueror says is going on and what is really going on can be two totally different things. Commands like the following will give you a realistic view of your system.

Last login: Wed May 14 20:20:10 2008 from 192.168.1.105
Linux 2.6.21.5.
bt ~ # fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 21.4 GB, 21474836480 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2610 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 13 104391 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 14 263 2008125 82 Linux swap
/dev/sda3 264 2393 17109225 83 Linux
bt ~ # cat /proc/partitions
major minor #blocks name

8 0 20971520 sda
8 1 104391 sda1
8 2 2008125 sda2
8 3 17109225 sda3

The /proc filesystem gives you a real time view of how the kernel see's things. Hope that helps....