Formating a USB Stick to Fat32 so that it can have folders created, files added and read by Windows
 

I have a 4G stick that has been used for installation media. This has always been done by formatting to fat32(LBA) and then simply using dd to copy the ISO file to the stick.

Now I need to transfer some data to a Windows system. Have the stick formated, my user owns the device (/dev/sde), my user owns the single partion (/dev/sde1). I can mount this in a directory in my /home.

I can open the empty stick in Thunar, use menu to select "Create Folder". Permission is denied.

Can anyone give me some clue as to what I am doing wrong?

To add to that a bit I can also attempt, with better output, to make the directory in the cli;
Dismounting the stick from ~/Mount adn trying that command again simply in that directory works fine;
as one would expect.

As an aside the @stoned in full would read @stoned.lizard. I also have lounge lizard on here. Everyone needs pets.

Guess the mount command or ls command may be of some use.

Not sure if it is an oddity of hotplug or usb timings. Guess it could happen.

When you unmount and unplug and the replug in doesn't it automount?


"This has always been done by formatting to fat32(LBA) and then simply using dd to copy the ISO file to the stick"
Format really not needed. When you dd you destroy all dev/sdx info.

I tend to like ntfs but that has nothing to do with this issue.

I am running testing on this install and have actually somehow screwed automount. But it will mount if I switch over to Lounge Lizard (Sid). Makes no difference in dealing with the stick as far as creating a directory or adding a text file.

If I formatted to ntfs would the stick be readable by a Windows 7 install?

Pretty sure I tried that once and it didn't work. I could well be wrong. I have not run Win since 08 when we switched. I many times don't even format sticks to fat when cleaning for another Gnu/Linux ISO.

Yes I am a serial multi booter probably in need of a 12 step program.

But I don't do windows. Except for data recovery jobs for Windows victims.

If ntfs will work I would actually prefer it. Crappy file system but it is, at least compared to fat, a modern fs.

Actually I have repaired a number of Win installs. Do it the same way we repaired ours. Save data, format hdd, install Gnu/Linux. People never have a problem with Win ever again.

This situation is actually embarrassing. I really have as more years of experience running on fat than any Linux fs. Started with MSDos. But never used a usb stick on either it, was a bit early for that, or Windows because I just didn't use them. A bit late on the uptake of sticks. Grumpy geezers can be that way at times. Have several now but none formated to fat.

Security issue. Most boxes are Win. Loose a stick and no one in this area will ever read it. County population density of 0.5 people per sq/mile. 6 known, to me, Gnu/Linux users including me. 3 others are family members including my 80 year old Dreaded Mother in Law. Other 2 are people I have personally perverted.

One of them dual boots. Am working on that.

But need to use IE for a training session, believe it or not (US Fed Gov department), on safe data handling. Requires IE to take. For a security lesson. For a musician there should be a Country song in that. Will accept IE 8. Now there is a secure Web Browser if there ever was one.

In 10 years of running Win I opened IE a max of 6 times. To download the newest Netscape for a fresh re install of Win. Did that because such radical Win hating publications such as PCWorld, in 1998, said running IE was for idiots.

Fast forward 18 years and I need IE for a data security lesson.

Wow.

If your mounting the stick manually, you'll need to add some mount options

Assuming your user ID is 1000

Thanks a bunch.

Worked like magic.

Always something new to learn. Gnu/Linux is really fun.

The more I learn the more my awareness of my ignorance increases. So I suppose this latest tidbit increases my ignorance some more.

Appears that I am going to have to spend more time with man mount.

Hopefully have a chance to get to the Win box soon. Will see if this thing will work there. Will report results.

I've been using Linux as my primary OS for over 10 years now, and I still learn some things here and there that are pretty basic.

It must work. But Why do you let all users read, write and execute, even if you use "uid=1000"?