Accessing Windows With PCManFM (The LXDE File Manager)

[Neal ManBear]

This can be done without the aid of ntfs-config. If you have it installed, uninstall or disable it. Open PCManFM, look for your win partition in the menu on the left and click its entry. Your win partition will open.

Note: You need to open PCManFM as root to gain write access. You will have read access only as user.

Feedback welcome.

last edit: 30 Nov '10

[melodie]

Hi,

Up to now, and since the day I had posted about it at the MiniMe/ZenMini/LXDE/E17/Openbox board I can still confirm that the package ntfs-3g absolutely needs to be install, in order to be able to get access to NTFS partitions granted. But ntfs-config must not be used, and the partitions you want to access to must not be mounted in /etc/fstab.

I have a partition with Windows, partitions for PCLinuxOS, and 2 partitions for Archlinux. When I tested access to Windows configured with ntfs-3g this of course created an entry in /etc/fstab and then this messed up the access to the other partitions, which could not be mounted anymore.

[JakeLogan]

Stupid newbie question.

Whats the difference between doing this in PCManFM and doing this in Dolphin? I understand that PCManFM is a slimmed down file manager that doesn't have the features of Dolphin, but they can both access a ntfs partition to read and write from, right out of the box in PClinuxOS.

Was it normal in the past to not be able to do this without installing ntfs config?

I'm trying to understand the reason for this post.

(I have only had the latest version of PCLos.)

[melodie]

Was it normal in the past to not be able to do this without installing ntfs config?

I'm trying to understand the reason for this post.

(I have only had the latest version of PCLos.)

Hi,

The reason why before it needed ntfs-config is that all was happening in /etc/fstab : fstab was then the only place where you could configure mount points that would be mounted as soon as the boot was occuring.  (At the end of the boot, I suppose). Or it could be done as root, from a console, but not as user, with no special permission. Now, it can be done dynamically, as user,  in a way that does not need to use /etc/fstab or the command "mount" which can be used only as root.

Fancy : before, mount it from fstab. You could add the command line yourself, by hand (I mean, to mount the ntfs partition) provided you had installed the driver ntfs-3g. Or you could mount it as root from console. The access was not easy either... had to check you didn't need to be root to be able to modify/access a file in any way, in the Nfts partition.

and there is also a "before before" : when Ntfs-3g didn't exist, or during the period while it was starting, unstable, and could damage a file system. At this time, people had found the idea of creating a shared partition on a FAT 32 filesystem. This was 2004/2005 and before : no so old ?

(I was just starting at that time, a real newbie, and never got to give it a try).

Now, for people using PCManFM, the latest versions, there is gvfs : Gnome Virtual File System, and libfm (I don't really know what it does, by the way) and this, along with policykit, and the policykit.conf we have, allow us to mount  and unmount a partition on the fly, without having it configured in fstab. You can also access everywere as you need. Only in the Linux partitions, you need root permissions to modify a file... this is quite normal I think, that a minimum security is still there...

I noticed that if you configure with ntfs-config, then there is an entry in /etc/fstab (it configures it for you instead of you having to do it manually), but then the other Linux partitions can't be mounted on the fly anymore from within PCManFM.

In Thunar, you can't see partitions from within the left sidebar. You can see only the mount point directory if you configured one. This is another way of managing the files.

I don't know how it behaves with Dolphin, I don't use KDE. You may want to try, and you tell us ?

[Neal ManBear]

JakeLogan,
PCManFM is the file manager for PCLinuxOS-LXDE.
Dolphin is a file manager for PCLinuxOS-KDE.

These are two distinctly different desktop environments. If you are using KDE, you do not need PCManFM and can ignore this topic.

BTW, Thunar is the file manager for XFCE.

[JakeLogan]

Melodie:

It works the exact same in Dolphin as it does in PCManFM - at least from my point of view.

JakeLogan,
PCManFM is the file manager for PCLinuxOS-LXDE.
Dolphin is a file manager for PCLinuxOS-KDE.

These are two distinctly different desktop environments. If you are using KDE, you do not need PCManFM and can ignore this topic.

BTW, Thunar is the file manager for XFCE.

I asked because I had noticed I have PCManFM on my system and gave it a try. Of course this may be because I also have the LXDE desktop environment installed through a metapackage. As well as XFCE Fluxbox, Gnome, Openbox and Full Monty as desktop environments.

I suppose a lot of people are installing those desktop environments like I am so I assume this thread is useful to us also. - or would it not matter if your default core desktop is already set up to auto mount through Dolphin?

[Neal ManBear]

You have LXDE installed. This post is relevant to you because of that.

..... would it not matter if your default core desktop is already set up to auto mount through Dolphin?

If you are using dolphin and are happy with it, use it and be happy. There are no conflicts.

[JakeLogan]

You have LXDE installed. This post is relevant to you because of that.

..... would it not matter if your default core desktop is already set up to auto mount through Dolphin?

If you are using dolphin and are happy with it, use it and be happy. There are no conflicts.

LOL Thanks Neal.

I guess the point I was trying to make/ask was when you use a desktop environment through the metapackages, is it exactly like the real desktop or just a simulation and still have some core functionality from your default desktop environment.. from your answer I take it they are true desktop environments and your default environment is not loaded at all.

[Neal ManBear]

A metapackage installs the DE. There is no simulation. At login you choose which DE you want to use. That DE will be loaded on logging in. Other DEs will not be loaded. But you can use applications built for other DEs. If for example, you log into KDE and want to use PCManFM or GPicview, you can do so.

[JayMot]

I successfully mounted a shared Windows XP drive using Control Center/Network Sharing/Configure Windows(R) shares. I can access the share's files inside the mount point (/mnt/data in this case) if I navigate to that location from my home directory, but the mounted share isn't appearing in the PCManFM's left-hand pane like it ought to. This is with PCLOS 2010 LXDE full version just installed/updated three days ago, and reupdated tonight. PCManFM version 0.9.9. Any ideas?

[Neal ManBear]

I successfully mounted a shared Windows XP drive using Control Center/Network Sharing/Configure Windows(R) shares. I can access the share's files inside the mount point (/mnt/data in this case) if I navigate to that location from my home directory, but the mounted share isn't appearing in the PCManFM's left-hand pane like it ought to. This is with PCLOS 2010 LXDE full version just installed/updated three days ago, and reupdated tonight. PCManFM version 0.9.9. Any ideas?

If it is in fstab, it won't show up in PCManFM's menu of partitions.
The simple work-around is to navigate to it and bookmark it (PCManFM > Bookmarks > Add to Bookmarks), after which it will be added to your bookmarks and be shown in the lower half of your left hand menu.

[JayMot]

Ah, thanks! That's just what I've been looking for (for almost 2 hours) how to add links inside PCManFM. The term "bookmarks" mislead me: I thought it had something to do with integrating www bookmarks with the file manager.