SOLVED - Directory links not working as expected

[Guest]

I've always created links to directories using the command line ln -s ...
I could do it the same way in Kubuntu, of course, but the links work only while the PC is turned on; if I restart it, the links don't work anymore. If I list in the Konsole (ls) they show as red words, while they used to be light blue when working. Also, in Dolphin, they lose the folder icon and turn into an undetermined icon. Dolphin doesn't recognize the links anymore as folders. I can correct this by creating a new directory link - then, all the other links suddenly work again. It also happens when creating links via Dolphin's interface or even when copying an existing link from the Windows partition and then changing the "points to" field.

I've already reinstalled Kubuntu, directly from the x64 desktop iso, but the problem remains.

Any hints? Or anybody experiencing the same problem?

Thanks a lot!

PS.: All of those links are pointing to somewhere in the Windows partition - I haven't tested to point at something on Linux. Maybe the links are being loaded before the partition is mounted, or something like that. Anyway, I need a solution for it.

[LinuxRocks]

Re: Directory links not working as expected (may be newbie)

PS.: All of those links are pointing to somewhere in the Windows partition - I haven't tested to point at something on Linux. Maybe the links are being loaded before the partition is mounted, or something like that. Anyway, I need a solution for it.

While the links are not working, issue the mount command to see if the ntfs parts are mounting. If they are not, are you mounting them though fstab or manually mounting.

I don't have a Windows partition to link to for a test, but I can link to a smb share and it will not work until the share is mounted.

Joe

[Guest]

Re: Directory links not working as expected (may be newbie)

Hi Joe, thank you for reply. The partition is mounted, and I didn't have to mount it manually, it's automatic. When I open Dolphin right after starting KDE, the partition is there, mounted. But the links look "broken" and they remain like that until I create a random new link. Perhaps there would be a way to mount the partition before KDE loads? Because I think that may be the problem.

----

Ok, it really was what I imagined. I opened /etc/fstab to verify and the Windows partition wasn't there, so it wasn't being mounted in the boot. Just added this line to the end of /etc/fstab and now I can reboot without losing my links:

/dev/sda3 /media/Acer ntfs defaults 0 0

So, if anyone runs into the same newbie problem, I hope you'll find that googling around
Of course, change the paths and the partition type to fit your needs.

[LinuxRocks]

Re: Directory links not working as expected (may be newbie)

Hi Joe, thank you for reply. The partition is mounted, and I didn't have to mount it manually, it's automatic. When I open Dolphin right after starting KDE, the partition is there, mounted. But the links look "broken" and they remain like that until I create a random new link. Perhaps there would be a way to mount the partition before KDE loads? Because I think that may be the problem.

----

Ok, it really was what I imagined. I opened /etc/fstab to verify and the Windows partition wasn't there, so it wasn't being mounted in the boot. Just added this line to the end of /etc/fstab and now I can reboot without losing my links:

/dev/sda3 /media/Acer ntfs defaults 0 0

So, if anyone runs into the same newbie problem, I hope you'll find that googling around
Of course, change the paths and the partition type to fit your needs.

Fantastic! Glad its working for you now.

However, I'm puzzled by the fact that your links still fail even when the partition is remounted... Oh well, as long as its working for you .

Joe