Mounting a hibernated Windows 8 NTFS partition on Linux Mint

You can mount the Windows partition read-only. This will work even if it is hibernated (but of course you cannot update files or write new ones).

The reason you cannot mount the Windows C: drive is that with Fast-start Windows 8 is actually hibernating automatically for you - but only the system session. From a Linux point of view it's the same as if you hibernated yourself.

If you want to mount it read-write you have to Restart from Windows, not Shut down. Shutting down hibernates the system image, but Restarting does not.

I also would like to know, if it was possible to just delete the hibernate file in Linux.

But just for info, if you want to disable the "Fast Startup" option in windows 8 anyway, I found this:

Unable to mount Windows (NTFS) filesystem due to hibernation

There is a new feature in Windows 8 called Fast Startup. 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.
2. Click on Choose what the power buttons do.
3. Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable.
4. Uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended).
_{Click on the numbers above to see screenshots.}

Click on Save changes. Now, shutdown Windows 8 and boot back into Linux. You'll be able to mount without getting errors.

Source: Fast Startup - Turn On or Off in Windows 8.

None of the older answers seem to work anymore. I don't know if there is a new answer. On my latest purchase of a new Windows 8 machine, I have disabled fast startup, completely removed hibernate mode and used restart to switch to the Linux OS (also Mint 15) and it doesn't matter. Linux sees the NTFS partition one way (for a while) and your changes are there as long as you don't reboot Windows again, but as soon as you reboot Windows, your Linux changes are just gone. Then if you go back to Linux, you may see your changes, if your lucky, but eventually (for me, always by the 2nd reboot) they are gone from both OS views. Windows is viewing its partition its own way (changes must be delayed, somewhere, even without hibernation) and eventually overwrites your Linux work (that it never seems to see). I have only seen large files written from Linux appear occasionally after a Windows chkdsk /f (as recovered data). I don't know if the new "System Protection" for partitions has anything to do with this.