Mounting and Unmounting File Systems

Filesystems for most common removable devices, like USB keys or CD-ROMs, are automatically mounted by Fedora Core 4, and shown on the desktop as an icon.

You can use the User Mount tool to mount and unmount file systems that aren't typically automatically mountedsuch as external hard drive file systems or backup filesystemsaccording to the entries in the /etc/fstab file discussed in Chapter 28, "Command-Line System Administration." Start the User Mount tool by choosing Desktop, System Tools, Disk Management. The User Mount Tool window is displayed, as shown in Figure 29.14.

Figure 29.14. The User Mount Tool window displays a list of all file systems that the current user is allowed to mount, unmount, and/or format.

Need a Refresher on Mounting, Unmounting, and /etc/fstab?

For a discussion of the uses for mounting and unmounting file systems and the format and use of the /etc/fstab file, refer to "Managing File Systems" in Chapter 28.

To change the mount status of one of the listed file systems, click its entry in the User Mount Tool window. One of two things happens:

• If the file system is currently unmounted, the Mount button is displayed; clicking it mounts the file system.

• If the file system is currently mounted, the Unmount button is displayed; clicking it unmounts the file system.

The User Mount Tool is User-specific!

Unlike the other tools in this chapter, the User Mount Tool is user-specific. It won't ask you for a password if you're not logged in as root; instead, it will simply display a list of the disks that the current user is allowed to mount or unmount. To have access to all disks, you must actually log in to the desktop using the root account, then start the User Mount Tool.

Formatting a Device or Partition

If you have permission to reformat a device or partition, the Format button is activated in the User Mount Tool window. Clicking the Format button for a nonremovable device presents a confirmation dialog box. Because formatting deletes all information stored on a disk, Fedora Core 4 asks you to confirm that you truly want to go forward with the formatting operation.

Formatting takes from a few moments to quite some time, depending on the size of the device, the file system it will contain, and whether a verify pass is performed. During this time, the User Mount Tool window buttons are grayed out. When the format is complete, the buttons are activated again.

After you make all desired changes to the mounted or unmounted states of the available file systems and have formatted devices and partitions as desired, click the Close button to close the User Mount Tool window.