Enabling user write access to Fat 32 partition

**smith88** · 10-14-2005

I've been using Ubuntu now for a few weeks and I decided I'd add my shared partition on my computer to it, which is a FAT32 (/dev/hda5). I can mount it fine to the media folder using the /etc/fstab entry:

/dev/hda5 /media/share vfat defaults 0 0

But I'm not sure what I need to change to enable a normal user account to write to the partition. At the moment the only permissions on the drive are 755.

I have tried chmod 777 -R /media/share both with the drive mounted and without it mounted. I've also tried to copy the entry on the /etc/fstab from my suse 10 fstab to ubuntu and I've noticed they are in no way compatible.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated

**smolloy** · 10-15-2005

I forget the exact syntax, but you need to add "rw" to the fstab to enable read/write access. Just a guess, but maybe it's as simple as adding it right after the word "defaults"??

**smith88** · 10-15-2005

Thanks but I've already tried that and it says when I try to mount it that there is an error in the fstab file.

**Vergil83** · 10-15-2005

try

Code:

/dev/hda5       /media/share          vfat       auto,users,rw,exec   1       0

**smith88** · 10-16-2005

It still doesn't work. I can't even change the permissions of individual folders through the terminal logged in as root.

Can anyone think of anything else I might not have done? I've changed the fstab file to what was suggested and I have been able to use the same partition fine in SUSE 10 which is also on the same computer.

**smith88** · 10-16-2005

All is good now, thanks. Basically I followed the advice on ubuntuguide.org but the biggest problem I had was that I needed to restart the computer so it would mount during boot.

Anyway, it works now. thanks!

**juvestar15** · 10-16-2005

"sudo mount -a" would have solved that problem. I think the Ubuntu guide mentioned it somewhere.

**msg43** · 10-16-2005

Originally Posted by Vergil83

try

Code:

/dev/hda5       /media/share          vfat       auto,users,rw,exec   1       0

what exactly does exec do? Just curious

**Vergil83** · 10-17-2005

It lets you execute binaries that are on that partition (which you aren't really supposed to do

)

**msg43** · 10-17-2005

Originally Posted by Vergil83

It lets you execute binaries that are on that partition (which you aren't really supposed to do

)

Doesn't chmod +x filename do that?

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Enabling user write access to Fat 32 partition

tried that

argh!!!

yay

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