[SOLVED] Error mounting /dev/sda2 - blocking ntfs3 in favour of ntfs-3g driver module

[Allan]

I have a back-up drive, which is [edit] a Seagate Barracuda 2TB hard drive [/edit]. It is listed in the Devices menu in Files as "New Volume". When I click on New Volume on the menu I get the following error message:

Error mounting /dev/sda2 at /media/allan/New Volume: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/sda2, missing codepage or helper program, or other error.

I am using Linux Mint on a desktop PC which I purchased new about one month ago. There were no problems with using the back-up SSD up until today.

My Linux Mint version is: release 22, codename wilma.

I'm sorry if there is an existing topic for this issue. I searched the existing topics and couldn't find any regarding the exact same situation.

[altair4]

Is the device formatted in ntfs:

The file manager mounts ntfs with the new ntfs3 driver.

ntfs3 is messed up.

If you prevent ntfs3 from loading the file manger will use the older and more reliable ntfs-3g driver

Run this command to block ntfs3:

Code: Select all

echo 'blacklist ntfs3' | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/disable-ntfs3.conf

Easily reversible by deleting the disable-ntfs3.conf file.

Note: You need to reboot.

[Allan]

Is the device formatted in ntfs:

The file manager mounts ntfs with the new ntfs3 driver.

ntfs3 is messed up.

If you prevent ntfs3 from loading the file manger will use the older and more reliable ntfs-3g driver

Run this command to block ntfs3:

Code: Select all

echo 'blacklist ntfs3' | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/disable-ntfs3.conf

Easily reversible by deleting the disable-ntfs3.conf file.

Note: You need to reboot.

I tried that command and restarted and I still get the same error message.

The response in Terminal to this command was the line: blacklist ntfs3

I searched in Files for the disable-netfs3.conf file and only got a "File not found".

BTW You might want me to include a screenshot of Terminal showing the command as I actually entered it but I don't know how to post images from my PC here.

[altair4]

The only way you can get this ....

The response in Terminal to this command was the line: blacklist ntfs3

.... Is if you only ran this: echo 'blacklist ntfs3'

You need to run the entire command as posted. Just SELECT ALL then copy and paste into a terminal.

[Allan]

The only way you can get this ....

The response in Terminal to this command was the line: blacklist ntfs3

.... Is if you only ran this: echo 'blacklist ntfs3'

You need to run the entire command as posted. Just SELECT ALL then copy and paste into a terminal.

I typed the whole command. I typed it because I didn't know how to copy and paste from the post into Terminal. I used that method after reading your post and got the same result as before.

[altair4]

And does the file show that content:

Code: Select all

cat /etc/modprobe.d/disable-ntfs3.conf

tester@vmint22cinn:~$ cat /etc/modprobe.d/disable-ntfs3.conf
blacklist ntfs3

If it does and you did a reboot that should fix that particular error message.

If it does not your error is caused by something else ... or the partition is not ntfs.

[Allan]

And does the file show that content:

Code: Select all

cat /etc/modprobe.d/disable-ntfs3.conf

tester@vmint22cinn:~$ cat /etc/modprobe.d/disable-ntfs3.conf
blacklist ntfs3

Yes it does.

If it does and you did a reboot that should fix that particular error message.

If it does not your error is caused by something else ... or the partition is not ntfs.

I did do a reboot, and the error message still appears. I did copy files to that drive using Windows the first time I used it, so they are probably NTFS.

So that would leave "something else".

However, I still wonder why I am unable to find disable-ntfs3.conf in Files, using "Search for files"? This search returns "No files found".

[altair4]

If you did the cat command and it found the contents of the file the file exists.

If you list the contents of the parent folder and it shows the file the file exists:

Code: Select all

ls -al /etc/modprobe.d

Did you verify if this device is formatted ntfs?

Code: Select all

lsblk -fl

[Allan]

If you did the cat command and it found the contents of the file the file exists.

If you list the contents of the parent folder and it shows the file the file exists:

Code: Select all

ls -al /etc/modprobe.d

It shows the file.

Did you verify if this device is formatted ntfs?

Code: Select all

lsblk -fl

The device (sda2 / New Volume) shows as "ntfs" under FSTYPE.

[altair4]

Post the output of fstab just in case this is a Disks application thing:

Code: Select all

cat /etc/fstab

[Allan]

Post the output of fstab just in case this is a Disks application thing:

Code: Select all

cat /etc/fstab

[altair4]

Looks like this is "something else".

Maybe this partition / device was connected to a Win10/11 machine and improperly shut down.

[Allan]

Looks like this is "something else".

The error message lists other things it could be:

...bad option, bad superblock on /dev/sda2, missing codepage or helper program, or other error.

Maybe this partition / device was connected to a Win10/11 machine and improperly shut down.

I hadn't used Windows for some time up until the back-up drive stopped mounting. It was working fine literally the day before it failed to mount.

I bought this PC only last month. I have two NVMe SSD drives, one for Windows and one for Linux Mint, and a back-up drive which is a 2TB hard drive. It took me a few days to successfully install Linux Mint on one drive, so before I installed Linux Mint, I backed up my data from my old external back-up HDD to the new HDD, from Windows (i.e. not from Linux Mint).

(I misspoke in my OP - the Crucial NVMe SSD drive is not the back-up drive. I'll edit this part of the OP.)

[AndyMH]

Plug the drive into a win machine and run chkdsk on it.

[Allan]

Plug the drive into a win machine and run chkdsk on it.

This turned out to be a bit complicated.

First, after booting from my Windows drive, I clicked on the back-up (New Volume) HDD in File Explorer to see if the drive can be accessed, and it opened the file system with no problems.

Next I ran the disk check from File Explorer, by right-clicking on the back-up drive (New volume) and then Properties, Tools and Check. First I got a message saying potential errors were found, and I clicked on Scan for errors. Errors were supposedly found and I was told to Scan and repair them, but this time without being actually given an option to Scan and repair.

I clicked on Check a second time, and this time the result was that no errors were found. I opened Windows Terminal and entered chkdsk and got a message saying Access denied, I don't have privileges for running that utility or drive is locked by another process, run the utility in elevated mode or ensure drive is not locked etc.

So strangely I don't have privileges for checking my own back-up HDD. Also strangely, I do have privileges for running the exact same utility from File Explorer.

[RIH]

So strangely I don't have privileges for checking my own back-up HDD. Also strangely, I do have privileges for running the exact same utility from File Explorer.

You need to press the Windows Key plus x in Windows and select Windows PowerShell (Admin)

You also need to turn off Fast Start Up/Hibernation in Windows otherwise you will continually have problems when trying to access that disk in Mint.

[Allan]

So strangely I don't have privileges for checking my own back-up HDD. Also strangely, I do have privileges for running the exact same utility from File Explorer.

You need to press the Windows Key plus x in Windows and select Windows PowerShell (Admin)
windows.png

This menu actually took me to Terminal (Administrator) but from the menu in Terminal I could choose PowerShell. I ran CHKDSK on that drive and it returned no problems, except a "WARNING! /F parameter not specified" before running the check.

You also need to turn off Fast Start Up/Hibernation in Windows otherwise you will continually have problems when trying to access that disk in Mint.

This appears to have worked. I disabled Fast Start Up on the Windows drive and now I can access the back-up drive from the Linux Mint drive.

(It appears that even installing Windows on a separate drive wasn't enough to stop it from causing problems!)

Thanks! I can now label this topic "SOLVED".