How can I automatically mount a second internal SSD at boot?
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MellowPine42
I'm running CachyOS with KDE on a 1 TB SSD, and I want to use a separate 500 GB internal SSD for Steam games and other files because it's faster. What's the recommended way to have that drive mount automatically whenever the system starts?
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CachyOS should have a disk-management utility that can configure a drive to mount automatically at startup. If that option isn’t available or you want a setup that’s easier to maintain, configure it manually in /etc/fstab. The CachyOS documentation has a guide specifically for automounting additional drives at boot.
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The usual Linux solution is to add the SSD’s filesystem to /etc/fstab. Use the drive’s UUID rather than a device name like /dev/sdb1, choose the directory where you want it mounted, and then test the entry with `mount -a` before rebooting. Make sure the mount point already exists and that the filesystem type and mount options are correct.
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For a reliable setup, check the drive’s UUID with a command such as `lsblk -f`, create a mount directory like `/mnt/games` or a directory under `/home`, and add an appropriate fstab line. After saving it, run `sudo mount -a` to catch mistakes without restarting. Also check the ownership and permissions so your regular user can write to the Steam library.
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MellowPine42: Good point about permissions—I’ll make sure the mount directory is writable by my user before adding it as a Steam library.