'PortableUbuntu for Windows' question

[Shades]

Hello all,


After seeing this PortableUbuntu software on LifeHacker I downloaded it and am a happy user since.

However, I am moving to a new hard drive which has 12 times the capacity of my old one...and I decided to partition the new drive into 5 pieces. Partition C is dedicated to contain 'Windows' and 'swapfile', partition D is for all 'Program Files', partition E is for data like 'Documents and Settings' etc.

PortableUbuntu sees only the first partition (C:\) and the Ubuntu forums tell me that I have to edit the 'portable_ubuntu.conf' file first and 'fstab' file second. Editing the conf file was not a problem, the fstab file is. Since this file is stored in an image file, PortableUbuntu has to run and locks it. Now I thought to use 'su' and 'sudo' to upscale my rights to root level to see if I had any possibility to override/disable/sneak past the lock.

There seems to be no root level or I am already on it. PortableUbuntu has only one user defined (pubuntu) and it is not possible to add one (using the GUI at least). When I open a console the text before the cursor shows which user is logged on and that is (by default) pubuntu. The forums tell me that this pubuntu is a user with root privileges.

My question is, how do I change the fstab file?

[Shades]

To answer my own question:

'sudo passwd root' in a console did the trick of changing the root password, which in turn allowed me to login as root and I was able to edit the fstab file. 

But somehow I couldn't get my other partitions mounted. Because this piece of software is based on co-linux I decided to visit their forum as well. The PortableUbuntu forum is mainly filled with questions without answers and following the examples from the co-linux forum one didn't result in me being able to mount different partitions. 

Ah well, we learn as we go... 

[cranioscopical]

Thanks for taking the  trouble to post this, Shades.
Who knows, one day it may be useful to me, even comprehensible.
Please keep us updated on your adventures!

[nite_monkey]

Speaking of portableubuntu, how does it compare to regular ubuntu (or wubi for that matter)? I can't use it, because co-linux doesn't support xp x64. I like the idea of being able to run linux inside windows without using a full blown virtual machine.

[Shades]

Super fast it isn't, but it runs ok on my P4 3GHz 1GByte RAM SATA2 harddrive. Especially when going full screen the speed drops. It is very handy when you have a virus that is not deletable in Windows...PortableUbuntu does not care and will remove the file no matter what. For that reason alone it should be in every computer technician's digital toolbox.

For me it is mainly a test environment...to see if I really like Linux enough to jump that ship or continue on the ship with so many leaks that it should be called a submarine. (on my desktop, I mean.) 

Till now the experience is actually good, except that I cannot access any of my Windows partitions (except for C:\) through any of the file-managers in Ubuntu.

[Shades]

Finally!!! My other partitions are accessible as well. 

Stupid mistake on my side with reading too quickly...but I am happy that it works now.