Ok, so before I switched from Windows to Zorin I backed up my data to an external hard-drive. It was windows compatible of course.
I have used bitlocker on the drive. Now when I insert it into my computer it is not being recognised. I mount it and can see it in Gparted but it still does not present in the file system. How can I access it when I need to obtain files?
Take a look at these threads:
Regarding bitlocker, check the threads @zenzen mentioned here
But in general, NTFS is a bit of a pain on anything that isn't Windows
The Default NTFS drivers that are built-in can only do read (not write) operations reliably. NTFS-3G - an extra driver for NTFS Support on Linux - can be installed, but I've personally not had a great experience with it, especially when trying to run games or other executables from an NTFS drive on Linux.
Generally, it is best to move your data somewhere else, and re-format the drive with exFAT as it's one of the few Filesystems Windows supports apart from NTFS
If you're fine with installing an extra driver, you can also format it with BTRFS and use the WinBTRFS driver on Windows.
BTRFS on Windows sounds interesting, actually. Also, +1 on making appropriate backups regardless.
thanks guys. dont know why but now its recognising it....baffled but happy