[SOLVED] VFAT file system mounting gives inconsistent results

[jur]

I am having trouble with thunderbird; it thinks my mail directory is not mounted when it actually is.

Before opening tb, I mount the drive where the mail is:

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sudo mount -t vfat /dev/sda2 /mnt/mail
This works - I can browse the mail directory.

But thunderbird reports an error. (The reported error seems unrelated but from experience I know unmounted data/profile is what causes this error report.)

Previously, I had the data directory on an ntfs drive which I mounted with

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sudo ntfs-3g /dev/sdb2 /mnt/mail
which worked.

Now for the inconsistency:

If I FIRST mount /dev/sda2 on mnt/sda2 using rox by clicking on sda2, then tb proceeds fine.
However, if I FIRST mount /dev/sda2 on mnt/sda2 by typing

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sudo mount -t vfat /dev/sda2 /mnt/sda2
, then as before, tb fails.

In all of the above cases, the file system is actually mounted as I can browse sda2 using rox. But tb proceeds ONLY if I first mounted sda2 by clicking on it in rox.

Help please?

Edited title by adding vfat

[bmarkus]

I am having trouble with thunderbird; it thinks my mail directory is not mounted when it actually is.

Please specify version. Is it thunderbird or thunderbird3 or both?

[gerald_clark]

try specifying a userid during the mount, as vfat has no concept of file ownership or permissions.

[jur]

I am having trouble with thunderbird; it thinks my mail directory is not mounted when it actually is.

Please specify version. Is it thunderbird or thunderbird3 or both?

Both are doing the same thing.

[roberts]

Stop using Microsoft file systems! They do not fully support *nix.
http://www.osnews.com/story/9681/The_vfat_file_system_and_Linux/page1/

[jur]

try specifying a userid during the mount, as vfat has no concept of file ownership or permissions.

How would I do this? Google and manpages weren't very helpful.

[jur]

Stop using Microsoft file systems! They do not fully support *nix.
http://www.osnews.com/story/9681/The_vfat_file_system_and_Linux/page1/

Very interesting, thanks for the linky.

The trouble is, at my workplace windows is the spoken language (not to mention every other member of my household). So I am faced with the necessity of being able to access data from both OS's. What other options are there?

[roberts]

Create a virtual disk formatted for linux. http://www.tinycorelinux.com/faq.html#qemu

[curaga]

If you give a full mount command, ie "mount -t vfat /dev/sda2 /mnt/sda", the command thinks you wish to ignore what's in /etc/fstab.

Doing simply "mount /dev/sda2" fills in the blanks from fstab, including the user option so you can access the files as a regular user. I'm guessing Rox does it like this.

[jur]

If you give a full mount command, ie "mount -t vfat /dev/sda2 /mnt/sda", the command thinks you wish to ignore what's in /etc/fstab.

Doing simply "mount /dev/sda2" fills in the blanks from fstab, including the user option so you can access the files as a regular user. I'm guessing Rox does it like this.

That did it - thanks!

[roberts]

Just a heads up that I will not let such an old (circa 1995) file system limit the progress of Core.
As was pointed out by my link above, bzimage when it should be bzImage is only the beginning.

[jur]

Just a heads up that I will not let such an old (circa 1995) file system limit the progress of Core.
As was pointed out by my link above, bzimage when it should be bzImage is only the beginning.

All the same Windows won't go away so access to information from both OS's is not old hat, it's here to stay. Perhaps exFAT support should be considered?

[gerald_clark]

Or update the kernel boot line to use the bogus windows file name.

[roberts]

Demand to use the latest kernel, lib,etc, then demand to use a 1995 file system to host it.
Absoutley amazing.

[jur]

No, what is amazing is your inability to see the need for data access.