Reading files from a Windows filesystem, be it VFAT or NTFS, is supported by Linux. However, the other way around is not very common. If you have to access your files on a Linux partition without rebooting, you need a convenient solution. The following section describes how to install drivers for Windows and how to use it.
![]() | About Reading and Writing from Windows to Your Linux Partitions |
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The description in this section is used mainly to have access to your Linux partitions—mainly, to read files and directories. Writing from Windows to Linux might work, but it is not guaranteed. There can be subtle differences. Make sure you have always a backup of your important data. |
You need the following:
A running Windows system.
One or more Linux partitions with a Ext2/3 or Reiser filesystem.
Adminisrator permissions for this procedure on your Windows system.
At the moment, you can read EXT2/3 and ReiserFS filesystems under Windows.
To install a driver for a Linux EXT2/3 filesystem, proceed as follows:
Start your Windows system and log in as system administrator.
Download the EXT2/3 filesystem driver for Windows from http://www.fs-driver.org.
Double-click on the file Ext2IFS_*.exe
to
follow the instructions.
Choose the drive letters for your Linux partitions in the last
step, for example H:
for home. Do not assign a
drive letter to a swap partition.
Open Explorer. You can see your assigned drive letters.
![]() | Do not write on EXT3 partitions |
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At the moment, it is possible to read from EXT3. However, you should be very careful to write to an EXT3 partition. EXT3 is a journaling filesystem in comparition to EXT2. The driver does probably not recognize nor have implemented the journaling functionality in this driver. |