Files
2026-08-04 19:39:34 -04:00

72 lines
2.0 KiB
Markdown

+++
date = '2026-08-02T20:58:52-04:00'
title = 'fstab guide'
draft = true
tags = ['linux', 'guide']
+++
When I was but a burgeoning penguin cutting my teeth in Mint, my first few forays with mounting a new drive had proven to be a struggle. Sure - LLMs exist now, why bother writing this?
Why not.
This brief tutorial should be cross-flavor, meaning it should work on Debian-, Fedora-, and Arch-based systems alike. For today's guide we'll be using CachyOS, adjust for your package manager accordingly! :)
## STOP TALKING AND GIVE ME INFO
### Installing Gnome Disks
I'm assuming your drive is already installed in the machine.
To begin, if you don't already have it, I like to use Gnome's Disk Utility on most of my distributions - it is handy for our use case.
Install it with:
```bash
sudo pacman -Syyu
sudo pacman -S gnome-disk-utility
```
Then we leave that terminal open to the side, and open up what we just installed. You can either search "Disks" in your app launcher, or run:
```bash
gnome-disk-utility
```
Ideally you'll have Disks on one window, terminal on the other.
### Formatting
Now. In Disks, you'll want to format your disk from the 3-dot menu in the top right.
Once formatted, mount the sucker. Name it something you'll remember, we'll need it soon.
*(Quick note! If you plan to daily this drive in Linux, leave it as "ext4". If you intend to dual boot, format to "fat32")*
### Making a Directory
Now you're formatted. You'll notice a little string of numbers under the partition now, a field labeled "UUID". We need that. Copy paste your UUID, and move over to the terminal
Now it's time to make a directory - so the computer knows where to dump the available storage. In your terminal:
```bash
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/YourDriveName
```
Name the directory whatever you decided earlier.
### /etc/fstab
```bash
sudo nano /etc/fstab
```
Use the DOWN key to go to the bottom of the file. Once there, insert:
```txt
UUID=[uuid from Gnome Disk Util] /mnt/
```