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I just installed Ubuntu 13.10.

Specs:

  • CPU: AMD A10-7700K
  • APU: with Radeon(TM) R7 graphics × 4
  • mobo: Gigabyte GA-f2a88xm-d3h
  • RAM: 8GB
  • HDDs: primary 128GB + secondary 2TB

Just after installation, I quick formatted secondary with NTFS file system and I started copying files. When I rebooted the system, the 2nd HDD was split into 3 partitions only two showing and when I tried access I got the following message:

Unable to access “372 GB Volume”
error mounting /dev/sdb2 at /media/mihalis/2604497C1A110D84: Command-line `mount -t "ntfs" -o "uhelper=udisks2,nodev,nosuid,uid=1000,gid=1000,dmask=0077,fmask=0177" "/dev/sdb2" "/media/mihalis/2604497C1A110D84"' exited with non-zero exit status 12: NTFS signature is missing.
Failed to mount '/dev/sdb2': Invalid argument
The device '/dev/sdb2' doesn't seem to have a valid NTFS.
Maybe the wrong device is used? Or the whole disk instead of a
partition (e.g. /dev/sda, not /dev/sda1)? Or the other way around?

Please give me some help, I am trying for the first time use Ubuntu. I know nothing about.

3
  • try installing ntfs-progs or ntfs-3g using apt-get install <pkg>. Apr 14, 2014 at 20:59
  • @AlexejMagura This package should be installed already. I guess the error message NTFS signature is missing. hints at the cause.
    – LiveWireBT
    Apr 18, 2014 at 10:04
  • try updating Ubuntu (from the "update manager" that appears now and then). I think your issue was fixed
    – 842Mono
    May 31, 2014 at 4:04

2 Answers 2

4

Installing ntfs-progs or ntfs-3g should fix the issue you're experiencing.

I don't think it matters which of the two you install, you can the Ubuntu Documentation to see if one of the two is preferred. I recall one of the two being preferred in Arch Linux but I don't recall which.

You can check to see if you already have them installed using:

dpkg -l | grep ntfs | grep ii # if there is no output, then you need to install
# one of the ntfs pacakges.

Example of how to install ntfs-progs

apt-get install ntfs-progs # make sure that you run this as root

To run something as root, prefix the command with sudo:

sudo apt-get install ntfs-progs
2

The essential part seems to be the following error message:

exited with non-zero exit status 12: NTFS signature is missing.

As you should have no data on that partition in your case, you should simply create a new NTFS filesystem without quick format option.

In case you had data on the partition, you should scan the filesystem for errors, preferably on Windows.


Reformatting a partition with NTFS

  • Option 1: Terminal

    sudo mkntfs /dev/sdXY
    

    See the mkntfs manpage for details. Don't use -f or -Q.

  • Option 2: Disks Utility (installed by default)

    enter image description here

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  • Option 3: GParted

    enter image description here

    See also: Partitioning instructions.

2
  • mkntfs command saved my day. Couldn't find an equivalent answer anywhere else! Jun 12, 2016 at 17:46
  • Event though I had the volume formatted in Windows 10, re-formatting it in Ubuntu was the only solution that worked. No biggie as it wasn't the C drive.
    – MHT
    Jul 29, 2018 at 0:14

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