Unable to mount Windows (NTFS) filesystem due to hibernation!
Tags: ubuntu, hibernatemountntfswi
Published: 2021-11-25 17:06:18

---
title: Unable to mount Windows (NTFS) filesystem due to hibernation!
published: true
date: 2021-11-22 16:21:43 UTC
tags: Ubuntu,hibernatemountntfswi
canonical_url: https://stackallflow.com/ubuntu/unable-to-mount-windows-ntfs-filesystem-due-to-hibernation/
---

<header>
<p><span style="font-size: 1.2em; color: initial;">hibernate</span><span style="font-size: 1.2em; color: initial;">mount</span><span style="font-size: 1.2em; color: initial;">ntfs</span><span style="font-size: 1.2em; color: initial;">windows</span></p>
</header>

Whenever I boot Ubuntu, I get a message that it cannot mount my windows partition, and I can choose to either wait, skip or manually mount.

When I try to enter my Windows partition through Nautilus I get a message saying that this partition is hibernated and that I need to enter the file system and properly close it, something I have done with no problem so I don’t know why this happens.

Here’s my partition table, if any more data is needed please let me know.

```
   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 2048 20000767 9999360 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 20002814 478001151 228999169 5 Extended
/dev/sda3 * 478001152 622532607 72265728 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda4 622532608 625141759 1304576 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda5 20002816 478001151 228999168 83 Linux
```

#### Accetped Answer

A [bug](https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nautilus/+bug/1008117) has been filed about the Nautilus dialog you are seeing as it recommends a potentially dangerous option that could result in data loss. Please do not run the command in this dialog unless you want to **delete** your saved Windows session and potentially lose unsaved work.

> ## Explanation: Why Linux can’t open hibernated Windows partitions:
> 
> You are seeing this error because you hibernated Windows instead of  
> turning it off the normal way (in newer versions of Windows, hibernate  
> might be the default option).
> 
> - Hibernating saves the current state information to the hard disk and then powers down the computer.
> - Shutting down the computer closes all programs and ends all running processes before powering down the computer.
> 
> When you turn off Windows by hibernating it, you are essentially  
> pausing the system and saving all of that information (into a big file  
> called `hiberfil.sys`) This way when you resume from hibernation all  
> of your applications and files will be exactly how you left them. It  
> also sets a flag in `hiberfil.sys` to let other Operating Systems know  
> that Windows is hibernated.
> 
> Making changes to your Windows (`ntfs`) partition while it is  
> hibernated could be dangerous–it could cause Windows to not resume  
> from hibernation or to crash after resuming. Because of this, the  
> tool (`ntfs-3g`) that mounts (opens) the partition will not mount it  
> in read-write mode if it sees a hibernation flag. As such, Nautilus,  
> the default file browser, will not be able to automatically open this  
> partition–hence the error message that you see–because it is trying  
> to open it in read-write mode.

## Workaround for all versions of Windows:

There are three ways to mount a hibernated Windows partition:

1. Boot into Windows and power down the system by shutting it down  
completely. You may then boot back into Ubuntu and the partition will mount in read-write mode automatically when you open it in Nautilus. _Note that the “Shut Down” option may not be the one  
displayed in your start menu by default. You may need to click the  
button next to it to see further options._  
2. Manually mount the filesystem in read only mode.
  - Check to see if you have a mount point (folder for mounting your partition in) for your Windows partition in the folder `/media` using this command:

`ls /media`

  - `sudo mkdir /media/windows`

  - `mount -t ntfs-3g -o ro /dev/sda3 /media/windows`

  - Now you will be able to view/open files on your Windows partition using any program in Ubuntu. However you will not be able to write  
to the partition or modify any files as it is in read only mode.
3. If you need to mount the partition in read-write mode and are not  
able to or willing to boot into Windows and shut it down completely  
there is a third option. However, it is not included here because it **completely deletes** `hiberfil.sys` and will cause you to lose all  
unsaved information in the hibernated Windows programs. The following is a quotation  
from `man ntfs-3g` about the option that would be used to do this.
```
remove_hiberfile
              Unlike in case of read-only mount, the read-write mount is
              denied if the NTFS volume is hibernated. One needs either to
              resume Windows and shutdown it properly, or use this option
              which will remove the Windows hibernation file. Please note,
              this means that the saved Windows session will be completely
              lost. Use this option under your own responsibility.

```

## Solution (only for Windows 8 and 10):

There is a new feature in Windows 8 called [Fast Startup](http://www.typicaltips.com/2013/02/disable-fast-startup-in-windows-8.html). If this feature is enabled (which it is by default), Windows 8 does not actually completely shutdown when you choose shutdown. Instead, it does a “hybrid shutdown”. This is something like hibernating; it makes booting Windows 8 back up faster. So, you need to disable this feature to be able to shut it down properly, and be able to mount the Windows partitions. To do this, boot into your Windows 8 and:

> **Note** : disabling Fast Startup will most likely make your Windows 8 take a longer time to boot. There are no “exact” numbers, but let’s say that if it took you 10 seconds to boot into Windows 8, it will now take you 50 seconds after disabling this feature.

1. Open **Control Panel** in the small icons view and click on **Power Options**. (see [screenshot 1](https://i.stack.imgur.com/duyd8.jpg))
2. Click on **Choose what the power buttons do**. (see [screenshot 2](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hkc2M.jpg))
3. Click on **Change settings that are currently unavailable**.  
(see [screenshot 3](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rGvh7.jpg))
4. Uncheck **Turn on fast startup (recommended)**. (see [screenshot 4](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cjvol.jpg))

Click on **Save changes**. Now, shutdown Windows 8 and boot back into Ubuntu.

If you still aren’t able to mount without getting errors, you may need to turn off hibernation completely. Open an elevated Command Prompt (right click on the shortcut, click on “Run as Administrator”), and input:

```
powercfg /h off

```

**Source: [Fast Startup – Turn On or Off in Windows 8](http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/6320-fast-startup-turn-off-windows-8-a.html)**.

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