[SOLVED] "read-only filesystem" error on USB sticks = bad sticks?

newbiesforever · 09-26-2013, 01:40 PM

Some of my USB sticks are unexpectedly saying "error: read-only filesystem" somewhat more frequently when I try to perform file operations on them. Because all of them are no more than a few months old, I hadn't really thought of the obvious question until now: does this error message suggest the sticks are failing?

TobiSGD · 09-26-2013, 02:46 PM

We need more information about this:
- Which filesystems are used?
- How do you mount those sticks?
- What is the output of

Code:

mount

when you run into those errors?

newbiesforever · 09-26-2013, 03:33 PM

I'll attempt to find that information (it might require reproducing the conditions, and even if that seemed a safe idea, I don't know how), but your question itself indicates the answer to my question is "not necessarily" or "maybe, maybe not."

SharpyWarpy · 09-26-2013, 04:31 PM

It would indeed indicate the sticks are bad.

TobiSGD · 09-26-2013, 04:33 PM

It may indeed be a hardware error, but it is unlikely that you will have this problems with several sticks at the same time, unless they are all from the same type/brand, from the same production batch and possibly equally often used.
More likely is that this is a software problem, for example accidentally using the ntfs driver instead of ntfs-3g or a problem in the auto-mounting routine of your distro/DE.