I have a SanDisk Cruzer that I use a lot to transfer files. I just recently installed Mandrake 9.1 on my computer, and I would like to be able to use the flash drive similar to how it is used in Windows, meaning I would like to:

be able to plug it in and have it automatically mounted
have write permission with all users
be able to safely remove it from the computer while Linux is running

I'm a definite newbie to all this. I looked at some other posts, but unfortunately I'm afraid I didn't understand them too well. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Just try plugging it in, waiting about 10 seconds, maybe more, and seeing if a little /mnt/removable icon pops onto your screen. If it doesn't, open a terminal and type usbview - that will show you what's happening (if this gives a no such command error, su to root and type urpmi usbview then pop in the install CD that is requested, then type usbview ).

Thanks for the reply. That works for me just like you said. My main problem now is an inability to write to the drive. What should I do to be able to do that?

Thanks.

i have a different question now. i've been able to fix the permissions thing (to be honest, i can't remember how). however, i noticed that when i unmount the device, the light on it doesn't go off. does this mean that it is unsafe to remove it from the system? i'd like to be able to remove it without turning off or rebooting the system, but i want to be assured that it's safe to do so.

thanks for any input.