I recently set up Linux Mint on a second SSD. My question is, if I want to access the same files on both the Windows and Linux systems, do I need to download them separately on each OS, essentially using double the storage? Also, I'm having a bit of a headache trying to access files from my Windows drives while on Linux. I can see that the Windows drive is mounted, but when I try to double-click to open it, nothing happens. My setup includes two SSDs and one HDD; how can I access all these drives on both operating systems?
3 Answers
To summarize, accessing files between Windows and Linux requires you to mount the drives correctly. Usually, the file manager will do this automatically. Just click on the drive in the file manager, and you should be able to access and copy files just like on Windows! If you have issues, make sure you're actually clicking the right files and check that the drives are mounted.
So, about accessing those hard drives: If you see Windows files in your Linux file manager, you can just drag and drop them or use copy-paste to move them to your Linux drive. If double-clicking doesn’t launch anything, it's likely because you're trying to run a Windows program. Linux isn't going to run Windows executables directly, so you may need to seek out equivalent applications that work in Linux.
If you're looking to use the same files on both Windows and Linux, you don't have to download them twice. Instead, you can keep them on a shared partition or external drive that both systems can read. For copying files, just right-click to copy from one location and paste it where you want it to go. Double-clicking is typically used to open files, not to copy them over to another system.
Also, keep in mind that Windows doesn't recognize Linux file systems like ext4. So it's best to save files on an NTFS partition or a USB that both OSes can access.
Right! For things like Logitech G Hub, you can't just double-click the .exe to open it on Linux. Look for Linux alternatives like Piper or Solaar. You can install these via the terminal with commands like 'sudo apt install piper'.