Can't see windows "c" Drive after booting up with

[dazhick]

I have loaded/booted up my computer using knoppix successfully (I think). However I can't find my windows "c" drive to allow me to copy files from it to another computer/cd.
I'm using knoppix because I can't boot into my hard drive using the pre installed windows XP(bad system crash). I can see an hda1 and a hda5 on my knoppix desktop, but these do not relate to the "c" drive which I want to gain access to, thus allowing me to gain access to the files on my hard drive.
It would be great if anyone could give me assistance, I'm a total newbie. But I'm totally into this new operating system.
Thanks
Daz

[Crusader]

Unfortunately, you're kinda out of luck.
Try opening a console and typing
mount /dev/hda2
or
mount /dev/hda3
etc. That might work, though if Knoppix didn't detect them it might not be able to read them. Linux doesn't have good support for the Windows XP file system (NTFS) and can only read from drives. I don't know how well it handles NTFS, period.

[Stephen]

I have loaded/booted up my computer using knoppix successfully (I think). However I can't find my windows "c" drive to allow me to copy files from it to another computer/cd.
I'm using knoppix because I can't boot into my hard drive using the pre installed windows XP(bad system crash). I can see an hda1 and a hda5 on my knoppix desktop, but these do not relate to the "c" drive which I want to gain access to, thus allowing me to gain access to the files on my hard drive.
It would be great if anyone could give me assistance, I'm a total newbie. But I'm totally into this new operating system.
Thanks
Daz

The hda1 is your C: drive or at least it should be unless you have some kind of strange partitioning scheme going on. The hda5 would be depending on the drives in your system your D:, E: or whatever the extended (second) partition on your first hard drive is normally called in windows.

[mightydavefish]

You can use "fdisk -l" to list your partitions and see which one you want. On a default XP system you want to look for an NTFS partition. See if you can mount it manually once you know which partition you want. Knoppix does not automagically mount NTFS partitions (I think, I have modified my fstab and can't really remember exactly what was in there before) look for "noauto" in the /etc/fstab listing for your XP partition and remove it to have your partition mounted after booting. On my system my win98 C: is hda6, my win2k C: is hda4, so you can't judge which partition is which by number or letter.

[dazhick]

Thanks for your help.
In my original post I stated that I had hda1 and hda5 on my knoppix desktop, actually I have hda2 and hda5 (sorry) hda1 is NOT there.
As said I’m new to this linux operating system and I may sound a bit dim! But could someone please explain the following.
1) How do I open a console thus allowing me to type in mount /dev/hda3?
2) How do I use "fdisk -l" to list my partitions?

[Stephen]

Thanks for your help.
In my original post I stated that I had hda1 and hda5 on my knoppix desktop, actually I have hda2 and hda5 (sorry) hda1 is NOT there.
As said I’m new to this linux operating system and I may sound a bit dim! But could someone please explain the following.
1) How do I open a console thus allowing me to type in mount /dev/hda3?
2) How do I use "fdisk -l" to list my partitions?

A console window is opened by clicking on the monitor with what looks like a shell on it in the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. To use the commands you need to have sudo in front of them which will give you super user (root) access so you would type in the window that opened up sudo fdisk -l /dev/hda to list the partitions, to mount it you would use for example hda3 sudo mount /dev/hda3 /mnt/hda3 then you would access at /mnt/hda3 say you want to see the contents then you would use ls /mnt/hda3/ to see what is on the partition.

[dazhick]

Thanks for your reply Stephen.

Unfortunately after I enter the knoppix console and type in any of the commands you have listed all I ever get is “can’t find” Are the commands you listed case sensitive, are gaps between words critical, etc. I’m unable to “noauto” anywhere. Where exactly do I find it?
I have tried the knoppix cd in another computer and it opened up fine, listing that computers “c” drive on the knoppix desktop as hdc1. When I click on the icon it opened up windows hard drive, works fantastic, however when I enter that Konsole and type in the commands you listed I get the same response message “can’t find” Therefore I must be typing something wrong, missing a gap out or something similar. Is there anything else I have to do before I enter the Konsole to type in these commands to allow them to work?

When I click on either hda2 or hda5 icon on the knoppix desktop (back on the knackered computer again know) a dialogue box opens which states the following;
Can’t mount dev/hda2
Wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock.
Or too many mounted file systems.
I take it that neither hda2 nor hda5 are my windows “c” drive. But what and how could I prevent this dialogue box opening? Does it have any significance to my particular problem?

Lastly, I tried the find option to see if this could highlight my windows “c” drive (it did on my other computer above) it listed a load of hda and hdc files it also listed a few files one in particular called devl (size) 536,809,472 it’s permission is set to inaccessible, does this have any significance and how do I allow myself access to this file?

Many Thanks

Daz

[windos_no_thanks]

Unfortunately after I enter the knoppix console and type in any of the commands you have listed all I ever get is “can’t find” Are the commands you listed case sensitive, are gaps between words critical, etc.

All commands in linux (and unix) based systems are case sensistive. How much space you put in between the words shouldn't matter (as long as you use at least one space where there is supposed to be some)

[dazhick]

Listed below are some of the commands I have tried on the konsole. It appears that Knoppix can seee my windows XP "c" drive, listed as hda2. However, I'm having problems actually gaining access to hda2, thus enabling me to retrievs data from my XP hard drive. Could someone please explain to me the commands I have to type in at the Konsole which will allow me to gain access to my "c" windows drive. There-by enabling me to copy files from it to cd/dvd disks and/or my other computer on my network.

Many Thanks
Daz

knoppix@ttyp0[knoppix]$ sudo fdisk -l /dev/hda

Disk /dev/hda: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 2 5 32130 5 Extended
/dev/hda2 * 6 14593 117178110 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/hda5 2 5 32098+ 6 FAT16

knoppix@ttyp0[knoppix]$ sudo mount /dev/hda2 /mnt/hda2
mount: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/hda2,
or too many mounted file systems

knoppix@ttyp0[knoppix]$ sudo /mnt/hda2
sudo: /mnt/hda2: command not found

[TeckniX]

just a quick note for the n00b - the 'sudo' command used here by our dazhick leet user, is a command that allows you to operate under root (the most powerful account in unix/linux - kinda like administrator in windows), somewhat like 'su' does but doesn't need for you to know the root password.
The user though needs to be in the sudoer's file, in order to be allowed to execute those root commands. In short if you can't execute the commands with sudo, it's only because dazhick uses more advance commands. Just simply login as root, and you should be ok.

-TeckniX

[milkjam]

Similar problems reported here (http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8423) and here (http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=38596)

[Durand Hicks]

I don't know if you realize this, but in the fdisk listing, it listed hda1 as being in an extended partition instead of a primary partition. Do you by any chance have a hidden partition for recovery purposes that might be the actual primary partition?