# How to Mount and Unmount a Hard Drive in Ubuntu Linux This guide walks you through identifying, fixing, mounting, and unmounting a hard drive or USB with an NTFS file system on Ubuntu. --- ## Prerequisites - A connected external or internal hard drive (e.g., `/dev/sdb2`) - Admin (sudo) access on Ubuntu - NTFS-formatted drive (common for Windows drives) --- ### Step 1: Identify the Drive Open a terminal and list connected drives: ```bash sudo fdisk -l ``` Look for the correct partition (e.g., /dev/sdb2) based on size and type. ### Step 2: Check Drive Info Use `blkid` to confirm the filesystem and UUID: ```bash sudo blkid /dev/sdb2 ``` You should see something like: ```bash /dev/sdb2: UUID="YOUR UUID WILL APPEAR HERE" TYPE="ntfs" ... ``` ### 🛠 Step 3: Fix Errors (Optional but Recommended) Run `ntfsfix` to repair common NTFS issues: ```bash sudo ntfsfix /dev/sdb2 ``` You should see output like: ```bash Mounting volume... OK Processing of $MFT and $MFTMirr completed successfully. NTFS partition /dev/sdb2 was processed successfully. ``` ### Step 4: Create a Mount Point Choose where to mount the drive: ```bash sudo mkdir -p /mnt/sdb2 ``` ### 📥 Step 5: Mount the Drive Mount it using the NTFS file system: ```bash sudo mount -t ntfs /dev/sdb2 /mnt/sdb2 ``` Check if it's working: ```bash ls /mnt/sdb2 ``` ### (Optional) Auto-Mount the Drive at Boot #### Get UUID: ```bash sudo blkid /dev/sdb2 ``` ### Edit fstab: ```bash sudo nano /etc/fstab ``` Add this line(replace UUID iwth your actual one): ```fstab UUID="YOUR UUID NUMBER HERE" /mnt/sdb2 ntfs defaults 0 0 ``` Save and exit. This mounts the drive automatically at boot. ### Step 6: Unmount the Drive When you're done: ```bash sudo umount /mnt/sdb2 ``` #### NB: You can’t unmount a drive while you're inside it `(cd /mnt/sdb2)`. Always cd away from the mount point before unmounting. #### Notes 1. For FAT32 drives, use `-t vfat` instead of `-t ntfs` 2. For ext4 Linux partitions, omit the `-t` flag or use `-t ext4` 3. You can view mounted drives with `lsblk` or `df -h Mounting and unmounting drives in Ubuntu is straightforward once you're familiar with the tools. This process helps you access and back up data from external or Windows drives on your Linux machine. Thank you!