Help! please?! I booted my laptop today to an unrecognizable partition prompt. after trying to reinstall XP or even 2K to no avail, I then turned to my 3CD set of RedHat Linux 9, which installed just fine on a partition that windows would not even try to install onto. since I am 100% ignorant to linux, how the heck do I access my other partitions, which are FAT32. I have two other partitions that consist of all my Data backup from windows. I only put an OS on this laptop at all right now to get to one single folder, which I could NOT access at the Windows repair console utility window when I tried that. I am seriously desperate to get that info off of my laptop. I shutdown without updating my backup that I did 12 hours earlier. any ideas from anyone on how I can access my Data folders on these FAT32 drives? I don't care how, even Xtree if that will work, and if I can find it to download on the PC I am typing this on. I have the interest but not the time right now to learn linux. soon, but not today. please help a fellow tech. pleeeeaaaase. a.s.a.p. thanks for any input. Chuck

Before you can access those two fat32 partitions, you need to mount them... I don't know exactly what partitions those two are on so I just assume here. Replace the right partitions in your case, mkdir /mnt/first mkdir /mnt/second mount -t vfat /dev/hda2 /mnt/first mount -t vfat /dev/hda3 /mnt/second taurus

thanks Taurus, but in my ignorance, I must ask you a ground level basic question: where am I typing the commands you mentioned? thanks, Chuck

Log in as root and if you start X, then open a terminal and type those commands in at the prompt (looks like a DOS prompt)!!! And after logging as root and you see something like #, then type those in after that symbol--prompt... taurus

yeah. I don't mean to test your patience taurus, but try to drop down even lower. my laptop boots to the Gnome desktop. from there, what's next?

in the Hardware Browser, it lists the following: hda7 (where rh9 is) ext3 hda8 (where rh9 is too I think) ext3 hda5 (1 of 2 data partitions) fat32 hda6 (the other data partition) fat32 but where do you get the dos-like screen to type in all the commands that are always suggested? I am assuming it is a good sign that the hw browser sees the other partitions at all, and am needing to know how to make them mount so I can access them.?

Well, the Dos like environment is called a terminal. You probably will find one in the equivalent of the "windows start menu" To make yourself root, type once you are in the terminal the command: su <enter> and give the root password <enter> After that follow what Taurus said, only replace hda2 and hda3 with hda5 and hda6. Your partitions can now be found in the directory /mnt/first And of course, with the normal filebrowser you can go to that partition/directory.