Partitioning internal HDD ext3/NTFS - how to?

[tripkip]

Is it possible, i mean can the pch handle multiple partitions?
I'd like to do this because I love my current theme but other than that I don't need nmt apps. I'd like 1GB to be ext3 for the pch and the rest of my internal 500GB HDD to be NTFS for quick read/write + shows up in windows with the usb cable.

Can you help me out?

[nuke12]

Tain't going to work. The internal drive must be ext3.

[tripkip]

(08-25-2009 01:48 PM)nuke12 Wrote:  Tain't going to work. The internal drive must be ext3.

Do I have to install a special driver to be able to read/write via my windows computer to the ext3 drive with the USB cable?

[nuke12]

(08-25-2009 01:51 PM)tripkip Wrote:  Do I have to install a special driver to be able to read/write via my windows computer to the ext3 drive with the USB cable?

Yes. There are two of them and a wiki entry on the subject.

[tripkip]

Found it, if someone else is wondering why his internel drive doesn't show up under "my computer" then you have to install this:

http://fs-driver.org/

Cheers!

[nuke12]

Well, start with this one;
http://www.networkedmediatank.com/wiki/i.../USB_Slave

It mentions one tool there but there is a second. More wiki searching, will find more info.

[tripkip]

(08-25-2009 02:06 PM)nuke12 Wrote:  Well, start with this one;
http://www.networkedmediatank.com/wiki/i.../USB_Slave

It mentions one tool there but there is a second. More wiki searching, will find more info.

Thanks man, I didn't found it in the wiki, it was the first program popping up when I googled "read/write ext3 windows".

[nuke12]

You're welcome. Lots of luck

[zoltano]

My first post... Yippee!

Apparently there is a forum member called highonhd who has a slightly different take on this. Let me quote him:

I split the 3rd EXT3 partition into two with GPARTED leavi ng this EXT3 partition size to about 1GB (for the NMT Apps) and the rest as NTFS (for the media files).
Now when I plug into the PC, I have no problems with seeing the NTFS partition from the PC.
On the NMT, I get a new drive called HARD_DISK_A4 and can play all my files

BuddyBoy also seems to think the same:

It may be possible to limit (or reduce) the size of the third partition, leaving room on the drive for additional file systems, and still have the NMT accept your drive as having the NMT apps on it. I don't think anyone's ever tried it. If the NMT specifically checks for either 1) additional partitions, or 2) a third partition that doesn't extend to the end of the of the disk, it might not work.
I see two ways of testing this. First way is to let the NMT create the file systems, then use a third-party utility to reduce the size of the third ext3 partition, and then create one or more file systems in the unallocated space. If everything works, your NMT apps will still be available, you'll see your third ext3 partition as "HARD_DISK", and your extra partitions as "HARD_DISK_A4", "HARD_DISK_A5", etc. If it doesn't work, your NMT apps may disappear, and you'll also see "HARD_DISK_A1" and "HARD_DISK_A3", meaning the NMT didn't accept your hard drive as having NMT apps installed on it.

I actually intend to try this on my 2TB internal HD as soon as I get my C-200... I want to occassionally take the HD out from the PCH and drop it into my USB connected external HD dock and add files this way to the NTFS partition without fiddling with EXT2FSD etc...

[cheaper_popcorn]

Quote:I actually intend to try this on my 2TB internal HD as soon as I get my C-200...

Don't forget to back up your hard disk....

[zoltano]

(08-30-2009 06:24 AM)cheaper_popcorn Wrote:  Don't forget to back up your hard disk....

Taken care of. The other 2TB drive is already installed in my PC with all my current media files loaded on it. Besides being a media player, the C-200 will serve as a backup device to my PC. I use my PC exclusively to obtain media; my plan is to take the PCH drive out, pop it into an external USB HD dock connected to my PC, and update it's content with the new material from the PC drive in every month or two. I hope that the NTFS partition on the PCH drive will provide flexibility and simple operation when used as a backup drive.

BTW I have a third 2TB drive as well, used as a mirror to my PC drive. As you can see, backing my "digital treasure" up is indeed my primary concern...

[nuke12]

Well first off, this thread started off about the A/B series units. Now we are talking about the C-200. I don't have one yet but I see it as being configured very different then the A/B series.

I see the internal 2.5 inch drive as being ext3 and containing the NMT apps and swap partition. I see the front docking drive as being the users data drive and could be ext2/3, ntfs, fat, fat32, hfs+.

Course, this all could be a crock. Maybe now that some units are out and many more to follow, maybe Werner can talk about how the drives are setup?

[zoltano]

(08-30-2009 11:16 AM)nuke12 Wrote:  Well first off, this thread started off about the A/B series units.

Please excuse me for bringing up my strategy regarding the C-200 in my second post. I didn't mean to thread crap.

At the same time my first post was exclusively about the A series and I hope that it contained info that can be useful for the OP and others coping with the same dilema.