Re: Mount failed: Invalid argument
On Fri, Jan 09, 2004 at 09:34:33AM +0900, Douglas Dreistadt imagined:
> As for my level of expertise... well, zero experience with
> Linux. I have been using DOS/WIN since DOS 3.2, so I do feel
> comfortable at the command line, but I am not familiar with
> Linux commands. I was really impressed with the Knoppix CD I
> tried recently, and decided to take the Linux plunge with
> Debian because I'm a WordPerfect user and I heard that WP for
> Linux runs best on Debian.
You probably want to switch to OpenOffice as soon as possible -
it's 'free/libre' software (aka open source).
> I tried Alt-F2, and guessed that the command for mounting a
> disk was "mount". I tried "mount hda3" and "mount /dev/hda3"
> and several other combinations of these, but I keep getting
> the error "Can't find hda3 in /etc/fstab" I also tried issuing
> the commands from different directories, but the error message
> was always "Can't find hda3 in /etc/fstab".
man pages are the best resource for figuring out 'syntax'
questions. So,
man mount
> It's also hard to tell exactly where I am because the Linux
> prompt doesn't display the working directory,
The prompt can be configured to display anything you want pretty
much. For instance, this configuration will display the name of
the current directory *without* including the preceding path:
PS1='[\u@\h: \W]\$ '
The above line is in /etc/profile so it is a 'global' setting;
you could also include it in ~/.bashrc for a more 'local'
configuration. Also this environmental variable needs to be
'exported', so in the same file you would have another line that
reads like so:
export PS1
Failing all of the above, there is of course the basic 'pwd'
command that reveals your 'present working directory'.
> and the "ls" command rarely returns anything. I guess I'm
> going to have to find some info on Linux commands and learn
> them before attempting the install again, because I can't seem
> to find any help on commands and switches at the command line.
It's a good idea to bone up on some basic command-line commands.
It makes working with *nix kind of funky when you start to learn
your way around the command-line :-)
I sure you could google a beginner tutorial or two without two
much trouble...
Have Fun,
Raymond
--
"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the
homeless, whether the mad destruction is brought under the name
of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy?"
(Gandhi)
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