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Guide: Enable native NTFS Read/Write in Snow Leopard

Tex-Twil said:
I also have the impression that the native NTFS write is faster.
Click to expand...

I think both are pretty fast. I was also able to get NTFS 3g / MacFUSE working. It just started working. Kind of like the Bootcamp HFS support. Right out of the blue.

I'm back with NTFS 3G and won't go back unless I have a really good reason.
 
Would you say that "NTFS for MAC" by Paragon is useless now that SL supports NTFS natively?
 
iBlacky said:
Rename the original /sbin/mount_ntfs tool:

sudo mv /sbin/mount_ntfs /sbin/mount_ntfs.orig

Create a script like this:

#!/bin/sh
/sbin/mount_ntfs.orig -o rw "$@“

save the script to /sbin/mount_ntfs

sudo chown root:wheel /sbin/mount_ntfs
sudo chmod 755 /sbin/mount_ntfs

Enjoy R/W access to NTFS volumes...

In case you don't like it

sudo mv /sbin/mount_ntfs.orig /sbin/mount_ntfs

and everything is back to R/O.
Click to expand...

I followed your guide and success after some failed, but now my computer can not see the NTFS disk, I also use : "sudo mv /sbin/mount_ntfs.orig /sbin/mount_ntfs" to return the original but can not. I can see the HDD in Disk Utilities and see Writable: Yes; Anyone help me?
 
applevx said:
iBlacky of the same forum posted a better method. Basically, it's running mount_ntfs with read/write option specified.

Here's how it's done in Terminal:

sudo mv /sbin/mount_ntfs /sbin/mount_ntfs.orig

sudo nano /sbin/mount_ntfs
#!/bin/sh
/sbin/mount_ntfs.orig -o rw "$@"​
(press Enter, Ctrl-O, Enter, Ctrl-X in sequence)​

sudo chown root:wheel /sbin/mount_ntfs
sudo chmod 755 /sbin/mount_ntfs​



Make sure to check that mount_ntfs is listed as -rwxr-xr-x and root wheel when you type ls -al /sbin/mount_ntfs and you're good to go.

P.S.
If it isn't working for you, it may be that the NTFS partition wasn't cleanly unmounted previously (e.g. not using safe eject in Windows). To check if this is the case, open Console in Utilities, and go to 'All Messages' instead of 'Console Messages'. Search for 'ntfs' and you may come across an error that displays like this:

NTFS-fs error (device /dev/disk3s1, pid 435): ntfs_system_inodes_get(): $LogFile is not clean. Mounting read-only. Mount in Windows.
​

You need to plug the disk into Windows-running system, and do a safe eject. Then the NTFS partition will mount in read/write mode.

Good luck!
Again thanks iBlacky :)
Click to expand...

Just found the reason, my file mount_ntfs.orig is blank, anyone help me to send me the content of this file?
 
joms said:
Would you say that "NTFS for MAC" by Paragon is useless now that SL supports NTFS natively?
Click to expand...

sure, if you don't mind your mac crashing, the native ntfs driver is GREAT!
There's a reason apple deactivated the native ntfs driver in snow leopard before release- it ain't reliable!
use ntfs-3g or pay for the tuxera ntfs driver. ntfs3g is slow, free, and reliable. tuxera is fast, costs money, and is reliable.
 
I enabled read/write using the method described. However I have encountered a problem. I copied a couple files to the NTFS partition and tried to open them in Windows 7 and it says that I don't have the correct permissions to access the files. Can somebody please help me?
 
Haberd said:
I enabled read/write using the method described. However I have encountered a problem. I copied a couple files to the NTFS partition and tried to open them in Windows 7 and it says that I don't have the correct permissions to access the files. Can somebody please help me?
Click to expand...

something like that to me.

Everything seems to work, but after i eject drive from macos. files never work again.

when i plug the disk again. i get corrupt icons on files. if y try delete on them message is "file in use".
 
elvisizer said:
sure, if you don't mind your mac crashing, the native ntfs driver is GREAT!
There's a reason apple deactivated the native ntfs driver in snow leopard before release- it ain't reliable!
use ntfs-3g or pay for the tuxera ntfs driver. ntfs3g is slow, free, and reliable. tuxera is fast, costs money, and is reliable.
Click to expand...

What about NTFS for Mac? How does it compare to NTFS-3G?
 
Chrysaor said:
I am sure many of you heard that Snow Leopard was supposed to have native read/write for NTFS partitions. Apple supported NTFS R/W in older SL builds but I guess decided to not to go with it for some reason, however support is still present.
For this, you need to modify your /etc/fstab file to mount NTFS partitions for read and write.

First, uninstall NTFS-3G/Paragon if installed.
Open Terminal.app (/Applications/Utilities/Terminal)
Type "diskutil info /Volumes/volume_name" and copy the Volume UUID (bunch of numbers).
Backup /etc/fstab if you have it, shouldn't be there in a default install.
Type "sudo nano /etc/fstab".
Type in "UUID=paste_the_uuid_here none ntfs rw" or "LABEL=volume_name none ntfs rw" (if you don't have UUID for the disk).
Repeat for other NTFS partitions.
Save the file (ctrl-x then y) and restart your system.

After reboot, NTFS partitions should natively have read and write support. This works in both 32 and 64-bit kernels. Support is quite good and fast, it even recognizes file attributes such as hidden files.
Click to expand...


once i enter the UUiD and went to exit now it asks for a "file name to write" and give the options of " ^C cancel ^T to files M-D DOS format M-M Mac format M-A append M-P prepend M-B backup file " please help I don't understand what to do..
 
sidewinder said:
No, this mod allows NTFS read/write access. But it is not stable which is most likely why Apple did not enable it.

S-
Click to expand...

I can confirm you that this way IS NOT STABLE!!!

At the beginning you can read and write....delete, move, etc...

BUT

sometimes the disc appear on desktop also with the correct information (Free space) BUT.....no icons appear on it!!!

Itunes can read the music on NTFS disc but if you look in NTFS disc it appears empty and you have to:

RESTART

Start Windows and perform a SCANDISK because also MAC suggest you to do it (verbose mode) otherwise it can't mount it!

So 3 times on 5 this situation happens.

Do you think it is a real stable working method now???

I don't think so and I think that if NTFS-3G/PARAGON/etc are waiting to share a stable version for x64....MAYBE there is a reason...

So...you are advise....

I hope to be helpful.

PS: My specs: Snow Leopard 64bit 10.6.2 on hackintosh working GREAT!
 
Chrysaor said:
I am sure many of you heard that Snow Leopard was supposed to have native read/write for NTFS partitions. Apple supported NTFS R/W in older SL builds but I guess decided to not to go with it for some reason, however support is still present.
For this, you need to modify your /etc/fstab file to mount NTFS partitions for read and write.

First, uninstall NTFS-3G/Paragon if installed.
Open Terminal.app (/Applications/Utilities/Terminal)
Type "diskutil info /Volumes/volume_name" and copy the Volume UUID (bunch of numbers).
Backup /etc/fstab if you have it, shouldn't be there in a default install.
Type "sudo nano /etc/fstab".
Type in "UUID=paste_the_uuid_here none ntfs rw" or "LABEL=volume_name none ntfs rw" (if you don't have UUID for the disk).
Repeat for other NTFS partitions.
Save the file (ctrl-x then y) and restart your system.

After reboot, NTFS partitions should natively have read and write support. This works in both 32 and 64-bit kernels. Support is quite good and fast, it even recognizes file attributes such as hidden files.
Click to expand...


Nifty trick, but is there a way to reverse this in case I wanted to revert back to default settings?
 
True, true, true

pinturikkio2006 said:
I can confirm you that this way IS NOT STABLE!!!

At the beginning you can read and write....delete, move, etc...

BUT

sometimes the disc appear on desktop also with the correct information (Free space) BUT.....no icons appear on it!!!

Itunes can read the music on NTFS disc but if you look in NTFS disc it appears empty and you have to:

RESTART

Start Windows and perform a SCANDISK because also MAC suggest you to do it (verbose mode) otherwise it can't mount it!

So 3 times on 5 this situation happens.

Do you think it is a real stable working method now???

I don't think so and I think that if NTFS-3G/PARAGON/etc are waiting to share a stable version for x64....MAYBE there is a reason...

So...you are advise....

I hope to be helpful.

PS: My specs: Snow Leopard 64bit 10.6.2 on hackintosh working GREAT!
Click to expand...

Really sad, but it's true. It was such a simple way to make things work. I have to restart about 1 of 5 times. Right now I am trying NTFSmounter, till now it's OK.

PS: I also want to reverse all those lines in Terminal
 
The mount_ntfs modification method once worked for me, but I'm now randomly having trouble exclusively with external drives ever since plugging in a new 1TB MyBook Mac Edition drive I just got. Even formatting my old 5th gen iPod to NTFS resulted in it becoming unwritable. Only the internal disk in my iMac is correctly mounted with read/write privileges.

Can somebody post the original unmodified mount_ntfs binary? I extracted it from the 10.6.2 combo update straight off Apple's website, but Pacifist somehow claimed that the checksums didn't match with what was expected...

_____________________________

EDIT: And just as inexplicably as it stopped, it is now working just fine again. After booting in alternation between OS X and Windows a few times and trying everything I could think of, I think the problem resolved itself when some problematic cached data was cleared out.

For those who should ever need it, here are the modified and original Mount_NTFS files bundled:
http://drp.ly/6XkcB
 
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