Linux can mount three types of filesystems that are of interest
in accomplishing this for you, Ralph:
VFAT
NTFS
SMB
And I'm ignoring "MSDOS", but VFAT is a variation on that theme.
Linux can read and write VFAT partitions. They look pretty much
the same when mounted to Linux as they do when used from Windows.
Linux can read, but not write (unless you're a risk taker),
NTFS partitions. They also look much the same on Linux as Windows.
SMB is the networked form of Windows filesystem access.
If you've got an NT server, or even ye olde Windows 95,
you can mount an SMB "share" onto Linux. It's read-write.
This is rather trickier than the other two because you have to
authenticate yourself with the SMB file server.
All three require filesystem support, typically loaded as a module.
SMB additionally requires a user-space program (that is, something
outside of the kernel) to be running to handle the connection.
SAMBA provides all of the SMB support, though it is usually
split into multiple RPMs by the distributors.
Rough overview. I hope it helps. (Is it a FAQ?)
-- R;
