Mounting a Windows Hard Drive on Linux

Today, I had problems with my Windows hard drive. The operating system (XP) refused to start up and was complaining about corrupt system files. I wanted to back up my files in case things got worse. Luckily, I have a USB external hard drive enclosure and an Ubuntu Linux netbook so this is what I did:

• I took out the hard drive from my Windows laptop.
• I inserted it into my Akasa Integral External Enclosure and plugged it via USB into my Ubuntu netbook.
• Ubuntu wasn't about to mount it automatically and gave me an error saying that the hard drive had problems and that I should "force" it to mount using a command.
• I opened a terminal and typed the following commands to mount the disk manually:

$ sudo mkdir /media/disk
$ sudo mount -t ntfs /dev/sdb1 /media/disk -o force
$ cd /media/disk

• I was then able to browse the contents of the Windows drive and back up important files.
• Finally, I unmounted the drive as follows:

$ sudo umount /dev/sdb1

Adding Laptop Memory

Last week, I decided to add more memory to my Dell Inspiron 1150 laptop. Its about 3 years old now and only had 256MB RAM! To be honest, I should have added more memory ages ago, but just couldn't be bothered. I only use my laptop for email and internet anyway.

I logged onto crucial.com and ordered a 1GB 200-PIN SODIMM 128Mx64 DDR PC2700 Pb-Free upgrade for my laptop. The total cost came to £68.14 (£57.99 + £10.15 tax) and it arrived the next day - I wasn't expecting such a speedy delivery!

I shut-down my computer, disconnected all cables, closed the display and turned it upside down on my desk. I slid out the battery as shown below:


I then loosened the captive screw in the memory module cover and removed it, revealing the 256MB module and an empty slot:



I unwrapped the new module and slid it into the empty slot at a 45-degree angle until it clicked into place. It required quite a bit of force.


I then closed the cover, put the battery back in and powered up.

As the computer booted, it detected the additional memory. I then went to Control Panel > System to check me new memory which was indeed 1.25GB.

Its amazing how much difference this has made! All my applications, such as Firefox and Eclipse are so much more faster and the system as a whole is much more responsive.