# Can't access ntfs file system on USB? (and other issues)



## mikethe1wheelnut (Mar 28, 2021)

I'm sorry I can't be more specific with a short title.

I've "just completed" "the simplest basic install" of freebsd (nearly everything default -I can give details -if- they are necessary, it'll require me to re-install and write everything down..), giving it xfce (super simple desktop), to which I've added firefox and blender.  ..I now want to collect my blender files to work with them..

1) When I insert the usb, two "file systems" are "recognized" -ie, they appear on the desktop.  one is a 15 GB volume, the other is "the" ventoy partition, vtoyefi. (https://www.ventoy.net/en/faq.html).  The usb was created/formatted, to the best I can recall, by windows 10.  So it could totally be an incompatible file system problem.

2) I can access the files in the ventoy partition, though I don't recognize any of them.  the 15 GB volume won't mount, so .. I can't access any of the files.  Those are the files I'm trying to access.  It contains "ordinary" files and folders, and several iso files that I've been using for installing operating systems.  Including, interestingly, freebsd.

3) From the desktop, I can mount and unmount the ventoy partition.  the 15 G partition fails to mount with:  "failed to mount (partition name), mount failed with  _______________ (nothing)"

4) In the file manager, if I try to eject either volume, it says: "the device is being ejected.  this may take some time..".  if I wait half-an-hour, it will continue saying the same thing.

5) following one of the requests on this page I have the output of

`tail -F /var/log/messages`

which is


```
Mar 28 11:55:47 ozzie kernel: ugen0.6: <vendor 0x6557 USB DISK 2.0> at usbus0
Mar 28 11:55:47 ozzie kernel: umass0 on uhub3
Mar 28 11:55:47 ozzie kernel: umass0: <vendor 0x6557 USB DISK 2.0, class 0/0, rev 2.00/1.00, addr 7> on usbus0
Mar 28 11:55:47 ozzie kernel: umass0:  SCSI over Bulk-Only; quirks = 0xc101
Mar 28 11:55:47 ozzie kernel: umass0:2:0: Attached to scbus2
Mar 28 11:55:47 ozzie kernel: da0 at umass-sim0 bus 0 scbus2 target 0 lun 0
Mar 28 11:55:47 ozzie kernel: da0: < USB DISK 2.0 PMAP> Removable Direct Access SPC-2 SCSI device
Mar 28 11:55:47 ozzie kernel: da0: Serial Number 07009B2D992ADF02
Mar 28 11:55:47 ozzie kernel: da0: 40.000MB/s transfers
Mar 28 11:55:47 ozzie kernel: da0: 14806MB (30322688 512 byte sectors)
Mar 28 11:55:47 ozzie kernel: da0: quirks=0x3<NO_SYNC_CACHE,NO_6_BYTE>
```

..I'll post more info as I research what you might need to know, and as I collect it..


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## SirDice (Mar 28, 2021)

Look at the output of `gpart show da0`. Then run `file -s <disk partition>`. That should give enough clues about what filesystem it has. That "ventoyefi" partition sounds like an ESP (EFI System Partition), that's usually just FAT and is automatically mounted using msdosfs(5).


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## mikethe1wheelnut (Mar 28, 2021)

SirDice said:


> Look at the output of `gpart show da0`. Then run `file -s <disk partition>`. That should give enough clues about what filesystem it has. That "ventoyefi" partition sounds like an ESP (EFI System Partition), that's usually just FAT and is automatically mounted using msdosfs(5).




```
eriadar@ozzie:~ % gpart show da0
=>           63  30322625  da0  MBR  (14G)
               63           1985          - free -  (993K)
           2048  30255104      1  ntfs  [active]  (14G)
  30257152         65536      2  efi  (32M)
```


```
file -s <disk partition>
```

I don't know what to replace "disk partition" with..

It's the ntfs partition that won't mount, so (clearly?) I need to track down what (if anything) to automatically mount that with.  ..found ntfs-3g, though it isn't available as a package..

I got my ports tree up to snuff but couldn't find ntfs-3g in it (didn't try -that- hard), but also found fusefs-ntfs, and did find -it- in the ports tree.  Installed it.. (took much longer than it should, asked a ton of questions..), ...and it didn't work.  -> would I need to re-boot?  one of the other posts indicate that this actually is the port I need..  

It's also mentioned there that I should format a fresh thumb-drive UFS.  I actually went and got a fresh drive earlier, anticipating this (freshly formatted drive) as a likely solution.


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## SirDice (Mar 28, 2021)

sysutils/fusefs-ntfs _is_ ntfs-3g.


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## mikethe1wheelnut (Mar 29, 2021)

Part of the solution to this problem is contained here in the handbook, starting in section 18.4, and continuing in 18.8.  However, it's looking like I probably have the same problem as in this post, which appears unresolved. So marking this as solved since the thread is likely redundant. I'm now considering the solutions suggested here. 

Edit:  Solved.  Fresh usb.  No modifications.  To either the usb, or the FreeBSD system.  It just worked.  Well.. it did some funky things, but semi-random clicking found a way.  The other usb was formatted with ventoy.


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