Automatic mounting but without stopping on errors

[David Garamond <lists@zara.6.isreserved.com>]

I have an entry in /etc/fstab to mount /dev/hdc1 on /backup as ext3 
automatically. However, sometimes this harddrive is unplugged (meaning 
there's nothing on /dev/hdc) or replaced with another non-ext3 partition 
(e.g. vfat or reiserfs3).

Can I still put the /backup entry in /etc/fstab without Debian stopping 
and asking for a root password at boot when the /backup drive is not 
there? I've tried the "errors=continue" option but that didn't do it. 
I'd like Debian to continue without mounting the /backup.

Regards,
dave