How to access ext2, ext3, ext4 partitions from Windows? Connecting ext4 in Windows How to edit ext2 partition in windows

The Windows operating system is a very isolated world that is not friendly with alternative operating systems; monopolists can take such liberties. There are native standards and formats here, others are simply not supported. Try connecting the drive with file system, marked up for Linux, we will correctly receive an optimistic notification of an unknown partition and a proposal to format. Now, perhaps, the only working solution that allows you to access partitions of a file system formatted in ext2 or ext3 from Windows is the Ext2Fsd driver program.

The installation process is standard, there are several familiar points that you can automatically agree to. When a window appears asking you to select additional tasks “Select Additional Tasks”, check all the boxes, this means the program will start automatically when the operating system starts and you can not only read, but also write to disk partitions.

Ext2Fsd will allow you to access disks marked in ext2 and ext3 file systems, which have long become a standard in the Linux world. According to the developers, while reading is guaranteed to work, writing is still in the testing stage and stability is not guaranteed. During the experiments, I did not observe any problems with recording files, but it is better to refrain from using recording unless it is vitally necessary.

To connect a disk, you need to open the main program window by clicking on the icon in the notification area. In the top table we look for items where ext2 or ext3 is written in the “File system” column, these are our patients.

Double click the mouse to open a window and here you can go through the following points:

— “Mouunt volume in readonlymode” if this checkbox is checked, the files will be read-only.

The next two points allow you to choose how the partitions will be mounted.

— “Automatically mount via Ext2Mrg”, the partition is automatically mounted if detected. If the disk is physically disconnected, it will be removed from the list of partitions connected to the system.

— “Mountpoint for fixed disk, need reboot” the partition is rigidly tied to a certain letter, if you are going to physically disconnect the disk, you must first unmount it in the program, otherwise a phantom disk will remain in Explorer, leading to nowhere.

There is one caveat if new disk does not appear after the partition is mounted, you will need to reboot the operating system.

From useful features This is resetting the cache to disk (press F11 or through the tools menu) and deleting phantom disks whose letters are visible in Explorer, but in fact there are no partitions (press F9 or through the tools menu), the main thing here is not to overdo it, make sure you don’t delete something useful.

The settings as such are all done during use.

Ext2Fsd actually works, allowing you to access disk partitions from Linux. True, the interface cannot be called the height of perfection, and the first time you will have to sweat while you figure it out. Now there is no alternative option for mounting ext2, ext3 partitions in Windows, so I recommend it for use.

Works in 32 and 64 bit versions of the operating system. Interface only on English language, no options.

Page for free download of Ext2Fsd (latest version link above the table with a list of files)

Latest version at the time of writing Ext2Fsd 0.51

Program size: installation file 0.99 MB

Compatibility: Windows Vista and 7, Windows Xp

If you have two operating systems installed, Windows and Linux, then you would probably like to be contained on partitions of a free operating system directly from Windows, without rebooting the computer.

Unfortunately, there is no support for Linux OS partitions in Windows. But in vain. It seems to me that this could be a nice gesture on Microsoft's part.

The crux of the problem is that Windows uses a file-based NTFS system, and Linux has its own way of organizing files, the extended file system, latest version which has serial number 4.

Linux is more user-friendly than its commercial sister: Linux supports the Windows NTFS file system by default. Of course, you won’t be able to install Linux on an NTFS partition, but you can read and write data from such a partition.

Ext2 IFS

Ext2 IFS supports Windows NT4.0/2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008 versions x86 and x64 and allows you to view the contents of Linux ext2 partitions and can also write to them. The utility installs the ext2fs.sys system driver, which extends Windows features and includes full support ext2 in it: ext2 partitions are assigned drive letters, and files and folders on them are displayed in the dialogs of all applications, for example, in Explorer.

Ext2 FSD

Ext2 FSD – free driver for Windows systems(2K/XP/VISTA/7 versions x86 and x64). Like the previous utility, which is also a driver in its essence, it includes full support for the ext2 file system in Windows.

LTOOLS is a set of command line utilities that allows you to read and write data to/from Linux ext2, ext3 and ReiserFS (standard Linux file systems) partitions from a machine running DOS or Windows.

There is a version of the program with graphical shell(written in Java) – LTOOLSgui, as well as a version with a graphical shell written in .

Ext2Read

Dessert is, as always, the most delicious.

Ext2Read is a file manager-type utility that allows you to both view and write to ext2/ext3/ext4 partitions. It supports LVM2 and, what distinguishes it from other programs in this review, the ext4 file system. Built-in support for recursive directory copying.

And here is the second dessert. At first, it was said that a good gesture on Microsoft's part would be to enable support for Linux partitions in Windows by default.

The gesture was nevertheless made on the 20th anniversary of Linux. See for yourself.

That's all. Thank you for your attention. I'll go fight off the cockchafers. There are so many of them this spring. 🙂

What is this method?
Perhaps everyone has heard about the coLinux project. This is a Linux kernel ported and modified to run on Windows, including a driver to convert Linux system calls to Windows calls. Linux Applications can be run in coLinux without recompilation, and there is no loss in application performance.
We will use the coLinux system as an intermediate link for accessing the necessary file systems. coLinux will have direct access to file systems, and from under Windows (hereinafter - the host system) they will be accessible using a Samba server configured on the coLinux system (guest system). Communication between the guest and host systems will be carried out using a virtual TAP network adapter. In this case, compatibility will be almost complete, right down to editing access rights, etc. (naturally, in the guest system).

Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantage is that the native Linux file system driver is used (since a full copy of Linux is actually running, and the driver runs in this environment). And therefore it will be carried out full access to a FS without bugs from Windows, unfinished, or even unrealized, capabilities of Windows drivers, etc.
The first disadvantage follows smoothly from the advantage: due to the fact that a complete copy of Linux is running with all drivers, services and programs, the amount of free resources of the host system is sometimes quite reduced, especially when exchanging files.
The second drawback is the low file exchange speed: the reading speed from the XFS file system does not exceed an average of 5 megabytes per second, and the writing speed is 7 (which is quite strange).

Installing and configuring a Linux guest system

Download the coLinux kernel. We install, for example, in the C:\coLinux directory (later in the article this will be used as an example).
Download one of the images of the installed Linux system. I preferred , and therefore the upcoming work in the guest system will use Debian-specific commands. You need to unpack the archive with the image into the directory where coLinux is installed, in our case C:\coLinux.
Editing the config file debian-lenny.conf, located in the coLinux directory (we unpacked the archive with the image into it, right?). Remove the comment character (#) from lines #mem=256 And #eth1=tuntap
Now you need to enter the names of the necessary sections in the config to access them. These names look like \Device\Harddisk1\Partition2. The easiest way to find the correct names for the desired partitions is to download the Windows-port dd utility and use the command:
dd --list
V command line Windows with administrator rights (naturally, being in the directory with the dd executable file) we look for the partition names we need under the words NT Block Device Objects(a little inconvenient, because you will have to search for the necessary sections by size, which, moreover, is given in bytes).
So, we have found the necessary names, now we need to enter them into the config. At the end of the config we enter lines like:
cobdX=\Device\HarddiskY\PartitionZ
where X is the serial number of the device file (it will be seen from under the guest system in /dev), starting from 3, and Y and Z are the disk and partition numbers in its Windows name. For example:
cobd3=\Device\Harddisk1\Partition2
And so on for each section.
Go to the properties of the virtual network adapter “TAP-Win32 Adapter V8 (coLinux)” (in WinXP - Control Panel - Network connections- RMB on the adapter - Properties - Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) - Properties, in WinVista/7 - Control Panel - Network and Sharing Center shared access- Changing adapter parameters - RMB on the adapter - Properties - Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4) - Properties) and set the IP address 192.168.37.10 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0 . Save the settings.
The most awaited moment is the launch of the guest system. :) Run the file debian-lenny.bat from the coLinux root directory and wait until the system boots completely. Login with login root and password colinux. We create directories - mount points for partitions in the guest system. Editing the file /etc/fstab(using vim or nano, to suit your taste) and enter lines there to describe the file systems to be mounted, for example:
/dev/cobd3 /mnt/cobd3 xfs defaults 0 0
Everything is standard here, I’ll just note that the file name of the required section matches the section line in the coLinux config. Afterwards we immediately mount all partitions using the command mount -a.
Let's set up a virtual network adapter on the host system. To do this, add the following lines to the /etc/network/interfaces file:
auto eth1
iface eth1 inet static
address 192.168.37.20
network 192.168.37.0
netmask 255.255.255.0
broadcast 192.168.37.255
We enable the network interface with the command:
ifup eth1
You can immediately ping the host system (192.168.37.10), everything should work without problems.
We create a regular user with the command adduser(eg. adduser user1) to prevent root access to files from Windows
Install SSH and Samba servers in the guest system:
apt-get install openssh-server samba
In the Samba config (/etc/samba/smb.conf) we enter a section like this for each mounted partition:
path=/mnt/cobd3
users=user1
read only=no
We change the necessary parameters in our own way. After editing the file, restart Samba using the command /etc/init.d/samba reload
In the context menu on the “My Computer” icon, select “Map network drive...”. We register it as a path for each section \\192.168.37.20\share_name, where the name balls is the name written in square brackets at the beginning of the Samba config section.

Hooray! The section is visible, and everything is successfully read and written (of course, it is read and written only where there are appropriate rights).

Registering coLinux as a Windows service
There is only one problem left - coLinux has to be started manually, and when its console window is closed, access to the disks disappears. The solution is to register coLinux as Windows service(which will run in the background) and configure it to autostart when the system starts:

In the team Windows line(with administrator rights) in the coLinux directory we write the command:
daemon.exe --install-service colinux @debian-lenny.conf
Let’s start the service right away: net start colinux.
Let's launch services.msc(Win+R - services.msc - OK), find it in the list of services colinux, double-click on it, and in the window that appears, select the startup type - Automatic. Save.

To access the guest system we will use PuTTY (connect to ip 192.168.37.20).
Finally, I would like to note that this method of accessing Linux files is the best so far, because, as I noted above, existing drivers cannot yet provide full compatibility, and, moreover, they often require money for them.

How in Windows environment make it possible to access a disk partition or removable media with file systems Ext2/3/4 ? If, for example, there is also a second system on the computer Linux. And you need to work with its data from the environment Windows. Or another example - when virtual disks are mounted inside Windows with installed virtual machines systems Linux or Android. With Ext2/3/ 4 Windows cannot work natively; it needs third-party tools for this. What kind of means are these? Let's look at those below.

***
The first three tools will make it possible to only read information devices from Ext2/3/4. The latest solution will allow you to both read and write data. All the tools discussed below are free.

1. DiskInternals Linux Reader

A simple program is a primitive file manager, made like a standard one. Windows Explorer, with file system support Ext 2/3/4 , Reiser4 , HFS , UFS2. In the program window we will see partitions and devices with Linux or Android.

To copy, you need to select a folder or file, press the button "Save".

Then specify the copy path.

2. Plugin for Total Commander DiskInternals Reader

Fans of the popular can extract data Linux or Android inside Windows using this file manager. But first install a special plugin in it. One of these plugins is , it can connect and read information devices formatted in Ext2/3/4 , Fat/exFAT , HFS/HFS+ , ReiserFS. Download the plugin, unpack its archive inside , confirm the installation.

Let's launch (important) on behalf of the administrator. Let's go to the section. Click.

Here, along with other disk partitions and media, the one with Ext2/3/4 .

Data is copied traditionally way - by pressing F5 on the second panel.

3. Plugin for Total Commander ext4tc

A simplified alternative to the previous solution - ext4tc, another plugin for . It can connect to read information devices formatted only in Ext2/3/4. Download the plugin, unpack its archive inside the file manager, and start the installation.

Let's launch (important) on behalf of the administrator. Click. Let's go to .

If you need to copy data, use the usual method with the F5 key.

4. Ext2Fsd support driver

Program Ext2Fsd– this is the driver Ext2/3/4, it implements support for these file systems at the operating system level. You can work with disk partitions and drives formatted in these file systems as with regular, supported ones. Windows devices information in the Explorer window or third party programs. The driver allows you to both read and write data.

Download the latest current version Ext2Fsd.

During installation we activate (if for long-term work) three suggested checkboxes:

1 — Driver autorun with Windows;
2 - Recording support for Ext2;
3 - Formatting support for Ext3.

At the pre-finishing stage, we activate the option to launch the driver manager window - - along with assigning information to devices from Ext2/3/4 drive letters.

In the window that opens We will see the media with the letter already assigned. For example, in our case, a carrier with Ext4 the first free letter is given F.

Now we can work with the disk F in the Explorer window.

Assign a letter to new connected devices with Ext2/3/4 possible using context menu called on each of those displayed in the window devices. But simply by assigning a drive letter, such a device will not appear after reboot Windows, this solution is only for one computer session. To make a new device with Ext2/3/4 permanently visible in the Windows environment, you need to double-click on it to open the configuration window and install constant parameters connections. In the second column you need:

For removable media activate the checkbox indicated by number 1 in the screenshot and specify the drive letter;
For internal disks and partitions, activate the checkbox indicated in the screenshot below with the number 2, and also indicate the drive letter.

If you use Windows alongside Linux, sooner or later you may need to copy files from one operating system to another. When copying from Windows to Linux, there will be no problems since Linux opens file systems of the NTFS family perfectly, but opening an ext4 file system in operating system It won't be so easy from Microsoft.

In this tutorial I will describe several ways to connect ext4 on Windows. You can either add support for this file system in Windows or simply extract files from it using a special program.

Community open software An open source ext4 driver for windows called ext2fsd was developed.

1. Installing the ext2fsd driver

You can download the installer for your OS version from the program's official website. The installation process should not cause any difficulties and be reduced to pressing a button Further in the installation wizard, as usual when installing programs in Windows. The only window of interest is this:

Make Ex2Fsd automatically started when system boots - automatic download It is advisable to enable drivers during system boot.
Enable write support for ext2 partitions- support for writing to ext2 file system
Enable force writing support on Ext3 partitions- support for writing to ext3 file system

Check the required boxes and press the button a few more times. Further.

2. ext4 connection

Here the list shows all available partitions, their size and file system. To mount any partition, double-click on it:

There are two mounting options here:

Automatically mount via Ext2Mgr- the partition will be connected now, but only until the reboot
Mountpoint for fixed disk- constant automatic connection of the partition at system startup.

To the right of the mounting method field, you can select the drive letter to mount.

Also in the field Hiding files with prefix you can specify with which prefixes files should be considered hidden, as you know in Linux they are considered hidden files with a dot prefix. When you have specified all the required parameters, click the button Apply.

Now opening My Computer you will see the connected drive:

With the Ext2fsd driver you can work with your Linux partitions as with regular NTFS or FAT.

Extracting files from Ext4 on Windows

This is the easiest way to open ext4 in windows 10. Using DiskInternals Linux Reader, you can extract files from the file partition Linux system without adding its support to the system core. You can download the program on the official website. Installing the program, similar to the previous one, comes down to pressing a button Further:

The main program window looks like this:

Here you can select the desired partition with the ext4 file system and view all the files that are there:

To extract any of the files or a folder, right-click on it and select Save As, then select the folder where your file will be saved: