So, we have a hard drive with an Ext2 or Ext3 file system on it (typically pulled out of a computer running Linux). And we need to connect it to a computer, specifically one running Windows. What should we do - after all, this system for some reason doesn't recognize one of the most common file systems.
Let's get to it. We'll need a free utility called Ext2fsd. You can find it on the manufacturer's website: link. And here's a link to the download page: download.
After downloading, install it. During the process you'll be asked a few questions:
- Make ext2fsd automatically started with system boots: Check this box if you plan to use the Ext3/Ext2 disk on a permanent basis (then the utility will automatically load with the system and mount the specified disks). If it's more of a "need to sort this out quickly, one time" situation, you can leave the box unchecked.
- Enable write support for ext2 partitions: Check this box if you want to be able to write to the partitions of the connected disk (i.e., check it regardless).
- Enable force writing support on Ext3 partitions: Check this box to be able to force writes to an Ext3 partition, even though this isn't recommended and is normally blocked.
After installation, uncheck "Run now" - on Windows Vista/7/2008+ the utility needs to be launched manually, since it requires local administrator rights, but if you just start it normally, it won't automatically request elevation - it will just fail with an error.
Now, find the installed Ext2fsd in the "Start" menu, right-click on it and choose "Run as administrator". After that, the long-awaited piece of software will open its window for us.
Mounting the diskThe hard drive with Ext3 should already be connected.
1) Find the partition you need, right-click on it and select "Change drive letter F4".
2) In the window that opens, we see that the partition doesn't yet have a letter assigned in Windows, so click "Add".
3) Next, a more interesting window opens. Here we're offered:
- Choose a drive letter from the drop-down list;
- Specify the mount type.
On the second question (mount type) - three options are available to us:
- Mount via DefineDosDevice. Haven't tried it, but as I understand it - it creates a kind of virtual DOS drive that is guaranteed to disappear after a reboot.
- Automatic mount via MountMgr. This is the default option. In this mode, the utility itself handles tracking the drive's "presence" and mounting/unmounting it. For this to work the utility must be running - then it will automatically detect when the drive is connected and disconnected, and automatically attach it to Windows and detach it. If the drive is mounted this way, then at computer startup it will not appear at first - until you run Ext2fsd at least once. Moreover, if you close the utility, you can still continue working with the drive - it just won't automatically disappear from the system if you physically unplug it. This is better suited for one-off connections or USB drives, i.e. for cases where the drive isn't connected permanently.
- Create a permanent mountpoint via Session Manager. This option suits cases where we want to attach the drive permanently (as a special case - we have 2 OSes on the computer and want to work with the Linux drive from Windows - so as not to lose its space). In this case the drive will be accessible even after a reboot, without launching Ext2fsd. If you remove the drive but don't first remove its letter via Ext2fsd, an inaccessible zombie drive will remain hanging around in the system (which isn't very nice).
Choose whichever option is convenient for you and click "OK". The drive gets a letter, and we can access it via Explorer or any file manager.
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