Access to HDD

[fivedozenwhales]

Running Linux mint with fluxbox.

So I recently moved over from XP, because all I use this particular computer for is watching videos, so why wait 5 minutes for all kinds of unnecessary Windows stuff to load?
All my video files were on their own physical drive. Because it's huge and my ext3-formatted drive is tiny, I left the video drive formatted as NTFS.
I like to watch my video files on random play. So I created a VLC playlist containing all my video files, stuck it in home, and created an item on my flux menu: "exec : vlc /home/myuser/playlist".
The problem is, access to my NTFS drive requires me to enter my admin password. So when I click on my fluxmenu item, VLC loads okay but can't find the items in the playlist. It works fine if I first go in through thunar and access the NTFS drive, enter my password, close thunar, and THEN click the fluxmenu item, launching VLC and letting it find the files. But I don't want to have to do that extra step, I want the one-click option.
Is there any way I can remove this password protection on the NTFS drive? Or can I somehow include authentication in my fluxmenu item? The former would be preferable.

[BlahBlah_X]

You can include the authentication in the command by adding gksu to the front of it. This way, before VLC even tries to load, you will be prompted for your password.

[fivedozenwhales]

Well, I'd prefer to have to touch the keyboard at all. The idea is making the process as simple as possible; I'd like to be able to do it with one finger movement rather than 10.
On a haphazard guess I tried "sudo password vlc ..." and "sudo su password vlc ..." and neither of those even executed vlc.

[BlahBlah_X]

You mean you typed sudo then your password and then the rest of the command? Because you don't do that, you just do sudo (or gksu for running GUI apps) and then type your password when prompted.

[fivedozenwhales]

Yes, I figured that wasn't how it was supposed to work but I thought it was worth a try.
But basically I am hoping to remove the need for the user to type a password at all.

[fivedozenwhales]

gksu kind of works, but is actually the complete opposite of the solution I'm looking for. I want to remove the need to enter the password completely, or at least to have it happen automatically. I feel as though there must be a simple solution I am just overlooking, but I've tried lots of different things.

[MagnusB]

You can just edit /etc/fstab to mount the partition automatically on boot.

[bth73]

I'd like to do the same for my 2nd internal hd (hddb). How do you do the editing?
I don't like having to enter passwords either. I figured out how to turn off log on screen, and i'd like to do away with the root requirement to. Nobody but me uses this computer.

[MagnusB]

You can't fully remove root, the easiest way I find is to be root in a terminal:

Code: Select all

sudo su -

or if you have the root account enabled:

Code: Select all

su -

As for editing fstab, could you post it here, if it is an internal disk?

[bth73]

Yes, I'm talking about an internal hard drive. I'm a real newbee ( 2 months old), so please be complete in you answer.

Thanks, The computer Slayer

[MagnusB]

Could you post your /etc/fstab here?
use

Code: Select all

cat /etc/fstab

in a terminal window and post the output here.

[bth73]

bt@bt-desktop:~$ cat /etc/fstab
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# -- This file has been automaticly generated by ntfs-config --
#
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>

proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
# Entry for /dev/hda1 :
UUID=d9412e5f-8feb-4613-ac61-9ed97f3cea19 / ext3 defaults,errors=remount-ro 0 1
# Entry for /dev/hda5 :
UUID=23e81049-a6cf-4815-98b9-2935fc8aa357 none swap sw 0 0
/dev/hdd /media/cdrom0 udf,iso9660 user,noauto,exec 0 0
/dev/hdc /media/cdrom1 udf,iso9660 user,noauto,exec 0 0
/dev/fd0 /media/floppy0 auto rw,user,noauto,exec 0 0
bt@bt-desktop:~$

[MagnusB]

That does not list any NTFS partition, was it mounted when you ran cat?

[bth73]

Yes second HD was mounted. I have no ntfs drives.

[Fred]

bth73,

All my video files were on their own physical drive. Because it's huge and my ext3-formatted drive is tiny, I left the video drive formatted as NTFS.

lol.... OK, Well, now you have me confused too. If you don't have an NTFS drive you are trying to access; what is the question again?

Fred

[bth73]

Hey I think your confusing me with some one else. Some one else started this thread, I just jumped in. I'll back out of this thread as I've started another one on the same topic. Sorry for the confusion.
I think my question has been answered on this link.
viewtopic.php?f=90&t=11537
Thanks,

[Fred]

bth73,

I am sorry sir, It isn't your fault. I should have payed closer attention to what I was doing.

Fred

[bth73]

Sorry Fred, your the one helping me on the other thread I just realized.
It's fivedozenwhales that needs the help here on this thread.

Thanks again,

[Fred]

Well... This one will have to wait. I obviously need my beauty rest.

Fred

[Fred]

fivedozenwhales,

Open a terminal and type:

sudo mkdir /media/sdb1

Change the drive/partition designator, (sdb1), if necessary to make it correct.

Open /etc/fstab for editiing and put the below lines in the file

# Entry for sdb1
/dev/sdb1 /media/sdb1 ntfs defaults,umask=007,gid=46 0 1

Change the drive/partition designators, (sdb1), if necessary to make them correct. There is only one return in the lines above. Don't confuse word wrap with a return. Save and exit.

Reboot and if one of us didn't make a mistake, hopefully you will now have access without a password.

Fred