usb device on desktop?

fannymites · 03-14-2006, 08:04 PM

I'm running gnome on debian sid and I can't get usb removable storage devices to autorun or an icon appear on the desktop.
It's the one remaining thing I haven't managed to get working.
The devices are a usb digital camera and mp3 player. In other distros they automatically appear on the desktop when plugged in which is mainly what I'm after and are mounted as removable storage devices but it's no go on debian.
I can manually mount both devices and browse, copy from and copy to them as a regular user but just can't get this automount thing working.
I'm setting debian up as an ubuntu replacement but the missus won't use it if she has to type commands to get things working.

dracae · 03-14-2006, 08:41 PM

apt-get install pmount gnome-volume-manager
restart X

fannymites · 03-15-2006, 12:29 AM

Both already installed. Tried dpkg-reconfigure-ing them tried removing them as well as hal and other related stuff then re-installing them all but still not getting anywhere.

dracae · 03-15-2006, 12:36 AM

Do you have it enabled?
Desktop->Preferences->Removable Drives and Media

fannymites · 03-15-2006, 01:33 AM

Yes but I've noticed that if I check auto-run programs on new drives and media, it won't stay checked. However, if I mount the mp3 player manually, nautilus automatically opens and if I mount the camera, gthumb automatically opens and I get icons on the desktop so it knows what to do with the devices when they are mounted, it's just getting them to automatically mount when plugged in without any user input.
Also, everything is checked in Gconf-editor>desktop>gnome>volume_manager and gconf-editor>apps>nautilus>desktop>volumes_visible is checked

dracae · 03-15-2006, 08:35 AM

Are you running Sid current? I had this issue a month or so ago, but it has been fixed in an apt-get upgrade

fannymites · 03-15-2006, 10:10 AM

Yes I have updated today and no change, though I did notice that udev and initramfs-tools (I think it was called) gave an error during the update. I can't remember exactly what it was but it was something like "initrd has been changed - unable to update"
I'll try to provide more info when I get back to my comp.

I forgot to mention that both devices automount/autorun and put an icon on the desktop in kde, the problem is only with gnome.

dracae · 03-15-2006, 10:25 AM

Unless you have some done something special to it, rename it and run dpkg-reconfigure linux-image-`uname -r`

fannymites · 03-15-2006, 02:45 PM

I have tried that and get no errors at all but if I do dpkg-reconfigure udev or initramfs-tools I get the same message.
Other than this problem everything is running very well, no problems at all so I don't know what this error could mean.

I booted into ubuntu dapper to try comparing what was and wasn't installed and the only things I've noticed that are different is that on dapper, my user is added to the plugdev group (I haven't touched groups at all so this is how it was setup during install) but it isn't in debian. Also, under Menubar>System>Preferences>Sessions>startup programs dapper has the entry "gnome-volume-manager --sm-disable" which isn't in debian. Should I be manually running gnome-volume-manager and what does the "--sm disable" switch do? It never crossed my mind to actually try running it manually.
I'm not gonna get the chance to try these out til later but maybe it'll get sorted.

dracae · 03-15-2006, 02:55 PM

You renamed you initrd and ran dpkg-reconfigure linux-image-`uname -r`?

fannymites · 03-15-2006, 04:11 PM

Sorry, I didn't read your last post properly.
So I renamed the initrd and ran dpkg-reconfigure linux-image-2.6.15-1-k7 and this is the output -

Code:

Running depmod.
Finding valid ramdisk creators.
Using /usr/sbin/mkinitrd.yaird to build the ramdisk.
Running postinst hook /sbin/update-grub.
Searching for GRUB installation directory ... found: /boot/grub
Testing for an existing GRUB menu.list file ... found: /boot/grub/menu.lst
Searching for splash image ... none found, skipping ...
Found kernel: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-1-k7
Updating /boot/grub/menu.lst ... done

I then did dpkg-reconfigure udev and this is the error I mentioned -

Code:

/boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-1-k7 has been altered.  Cannot update.

I then renamed it again and did dpkg-reconfigure linux-image-'uname -r' and got this

Code:

Running depmod.
Finding valid ramdisk creators.
Using /usr/sbin/mkinitrd.yaird to build the ramdisk.
Not updating initrd symbolic links since we are being updated/reinstalled
(2.6.15-8 was configured last, according to dpkg)
Not updating image symbolic links since we are being updated/reinstalled
(2.6.15-8 was configured last, according to dpkg)
Running postinst hook /sbin/update-grub.
Searching for GRUB installation directory ... found: /boot/grub
Testing for an existing GRUB menu.list file ... found: /boot/grub/menu.lst
Searching for splash image ... none found, skipping ...
Found kernel: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-1-k7
Updating /boot/grub/menu.lst ... done

So there's something wrong but I don't know what.

Regarding my usb devices - adding my user to plugdev results in all my partitions being automatically mounted, which I don't want so I removed my user and added hal to plugdev instead. Now, the devices auto mount and an icon appears on the desktop but when I try to unmount them it says /dev/sda is not in fstab but if I add it to fstab the it says /dev/sda is already mounted.