I'm trying to figure out how to share network drives, similar to how it works in Windows. Currently, I have a setup with a mini PC and a USB enclosure that houses an HDD, plus a desktop PC, and both are running Windows. The HDD is connected directly to the mini PC and is mapped as drive D: on both the mini PC and the desktop PC.
I want to keep sharing this HDD but I'm uncertain if I need to switch both PCs to Linux or if I can just switch the desktop to Linux while keeping the mini PC on Windows. Moreover, since the HDD is formatted with an NTFS file system, do I need to convert it to a different format? I'd like to avoid losing any data during this transition.
3 Answers
You can definitely share a drive between Windows and Linux! NTFS is supported by both systems, so you're good to go without switching everything to Linux. Just keep the mini PC on Windows while the desktop runs Linux. Your HDD formatted with NTFS will work just fine for sharing!
You can mount the HDD on the Linux desktop just fine without changing your mini PC setup. Drive letters like C or D are a Windows thing, so Linux will see the drive differently. And for file sharing between two Linux PCs, you'd typically use something like KDE Connect or NFS for a smoother experience.
If you're looking for a cross-platform solution for syncing files, check out Syncthing! It's compatible with Linux, Android, and Windows, so you’ll have a lot of flexibility.
Just to add, if you use NTFS, you might need to install some additional tools on Linux to access it properly, but it’s generally straightforward.