NTFS not seen in Kubuntu 24

[Stephen Constantinou]

Dear Liam and others

Below I have tried to answer your questions.

I should also say that I have a laptop with exactly the same version of
Kubuntu.  On both the command: cat /etc/issue gives this return:
    Ubuntu 24.04..1 LTS \n \l.
With the laptop I can see and read and write to the external HDD via
USB.  But not the desktop.

Master and Slave - OK got it.

I was saving lots of data onto an external HDD - The external HDD was
connected to the desktop (Kubuntu) via a USB.
The following is a bit hazy: If I started Virtual Box then I would
either get Windows in Virtual Box see the HDD, assign a drive letter - I
think, but not allow me to read or write to it.

Virtualbox is very much still alive and still works. Why change? That
could cause many problems. - I cannot remember what the problems were in
VB.  Five years ago I had problems with it, dumped it for VMware, and
later went back.  But do not forget, Kubuntu on the desktop does not see
the HDD.  The same vesion of Kubuntu on the laptop does allow me to see,
read and write to the external HDD connected via USB.  That is the
problem I need to resolve.

Next, as my external HDD (NTFS) was sounding poorly Please explain? - It
was taking longer for the HDD to be recognised.  Lots of clicking from
the HDD.  Sometimes it would connect if I turned the HDD upside down.  I
interpreted this as a poorly HDD that was going to fail soon.

I copied the essential files to the Kubuntu slave drive. - I copied the
essential files from the external HDD (via a USB connection) to the
second internal HDD (the one that does not have Kubuntu on it).

I brought a replacement HDD.  Again: are you sure? - Yes it is
mechanical.  I could not afford a solid state drive of that size.

on a laptop whose HDD I disconnected, Er -- how? And then how did you
use GParted? - I took out the HDD of a laptop.  I burnt GParted to a DVD
and inserted it into the HDD less laptop, booted to GParted, inserted
the external HDD via USB, and used GParted to format the HDD to NTFS.  I
cannot remember all the formatting details.  However the same HDD is
readable, writeable in the laptop with the same version of Kubuntu.

How? What size is it? Connected how? Partitioned how?  I cannot remember
all the formatting details.  At the time of formatting the external HDD
it was connected to the laptop via USB.  In Kubuntu (the laptop that
sees the HDD) it is reported as 931.5GB, formatted as "ntfs3", on
/dev/sdc1, when connected via USB. Also note that the VMware is not
working properly on the laptop, I keep getting a swap file not big
enough message, and it freezes the VM and the host.  So I hope not to
try to start Windows as a VM - I hope that does not cause more issues -
sorry.

Believing myself to be clever, I connected the extHDD to the Windows
machine and formatted it again as NTFS.  No improvement.  Again: how? -
Oh dear, I should have taken notes, but I did not.  It was some sort of
disk management tool inside windows or via the properties - Sorry.

I hope I have not confused the diagnosis too much.  Any further help
appreciated

Stephen C


On 08/01/2025 12:43, Liam Proven wrote:
> On Sun, 5 Jan 2025 at 21:26, Stephen Constantinou via ubuntu-users
> <ubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com> wrote:
>>
>> I am a low ability user.
>
> OK, fair enough. But there are holes in your story.
>
> I need to flag some of these, because they are not clear in your post.
> I can see they have caused further discussion.
>
> You keep using terms "master" and "slave" drives. This was a concept
> in the 1990s with EIDE hard disks and CDs, but it hasn't applied since
> then. There are no master or slave drives in modern computers that use
> disk interfaces like SATA, USB, and so on.
>
> So don't use those words, because they are misleading you and us. Find
> some other ways, but slave drives don't exist any more and haven't for
> about 20 years or so. In modern computers every drive is standalone.
> What is a bit more important is whether a drive is internal or
> external, and whether we're talking about hard disks (spinning
> mechanical drives) or SSDs (solid state drives: all electronic, no
> moving parts.)
>
> E.g. If you can hear it working, and hear if it's turned on, if it
> vibrates, it's a hard disk.
>
>   > I have been using Kubuntu 22.04.  I also ran
>> VirtualBox with Windows 11 as a virtual machine.
>
> OK.
>
>> I was saving lots of data onto an external HDD
>
> Are you sure?
>
> Connected to the computer how?
>
> Connected to Virtualbox how?
>
>> I upgraded by way of complete reinstall, to Kubuntu 24.  Which meant
>> reinstalling VirtualBox. VirtualBox had too many problems so I now use
>> Vmware.
>
> Whoa whoa whoa. Why? It's a very different tool.
>
> Virtualbox is very much still alive and still works. Why change? That
> could cause many problems.
>
>> Next, as my external HDD (NTFS) was sounding poorly
>
> Please explain?
>
>> I copied the
>> essential files to the Kubuntu slave drive.
>
> No such thing. Please explain in other terms.
>
>>   I brought a replacement
>> HDD.
>
> Again: are you sure?
>
>>   I formatted it using Gparted
>
> OK.
>
>> on a laptop whose HDD I disconnected,
>
> Er -- how? And then how did you use Gparted?
>
>> as NTFS.
>
> How? What size is it? Connected how? Partitioned how?
>
>> Windows as a VM can see it
>
> We are now talking about in VMware, yes?
>
> If so: how did you connect the drive to VMware?
>
>> Believing myself to be clever, I connected the extHDD to the Windows
>> machine and formatted it again as NTFS.  No improvement.
>
> Again: how?
>