Thunderbird profile (on shared partion) is inaccessible
I have a dual boot system with the following partions:-
Ubuntu 14.04 partition (Ext3 format) Windows 8.1 partition (NTFS format) Data partition (NTFS format, data therein is accessed by Firefox, Thunderbird, Lightning, etc, from both Windows and Ubuntu).
Thunderbird works perfectly when the Window OS is booted.
When Ubuntu is booted (Windows and Ubuntu CANNOT be running simultaneously) then Thunderbird is unable to access the required profile (on the Data partition) unless I first manually access the data partition. Only then does thunderbird run correctly.
Surely Thunderbird should be able to access the data partition without the partition having to be manually accessed first? (Note - the 'Path=' statement in the profile.ini was set by Thunderbird's profile manager, and is correct.
Alla svar (5)
first manually access the data partition
What exactly does this mean?
Is your data partition mounted automatically?
In order for Thunderbird to start correctly, I first have to select the 'Files' icon within the Launcher side bar. In the window that opens, I can then select the Data partition, which in turn opens a new window displaying the various primary directories on the partition. It is only at this stage that Thunderbird can be started successfully.
Is your data partition mounted automatically?
Do I have to mount the data partion as a separate act before opening the partition? - No, I don't.
Is the partition mounted before I select it to view its contents? - Apparently not. The mounting appears to be done automatically by the OS when I select the partiton to view its contents, and it appears to remain mounted from then on.
If, as it appears, Thunderbird is unable to access the partition until it has been mounted (and also appears unable to initiate the mounting), can the partition be mounted during the boot process so that it is always available to the programs that need access to the data on the partition?
Thunderbird is unable to access the partition until it has been mounted (and also appears unable to initiate the mounting)
This is the way it is. Thunderbird won't take care for mounting partitions. That is your responsibility. It's up to you how to do that, either manually as you do now, or automatically at boot time.
You can do the latter by adding an entry to your /etc/fstab. Refer to the documentation of your distribution if you need help with that.