Strange behaviour with HD and CD/DVD drives
Since a recent update, I don't actually know which one,about 4 weeks back, which may not be related either. I have lost the proper function of the DVD\CD-WR units in my computer. I can write a disk using K3b or Brasero, but they always come back as locked disks, (not appendable) no matter the amount of files on the disks. I also seem to have lost the ability to Drag and Drop files to DVD\CD drives. Even if the disk is formatted as 'appendable' in another computer. The drives also lock up not enabling me to eject the disks when using the above programs or after reading them in Nautilus. I get a 'Not Mounted' message each time. The only way to eject the disks is to restart the computer. It is as if the drives are no longer a part of the computer but can be seen in Nautilus I have moved these DVD\CD-WR drives to a second computer and they work as one would expect. Writing and reading and ejecting of the disks. One can rule out a fault witht he drives. That computer by the way has Ubuntu 8.04 on it.

I am also seeing some strange locking of files on the HD partitions. (All those files have a lock over the icon.) I found this happening on the two hard disks. It sometimes shows up in the File System folder as well, Leaving me no alternative but to restart the computer so as to access some of these files again. Though it is most frequently in my own files in other partitions.
I am so far unable to resolve this issue though it is not for the want of trying. I have re-built the Fstab file numerous times, which MAY resolve the issue for a day or so and provided there is no DVD\CD access,but as soon as I try using the DVD\CD the problem can but not always return. I am using Ubuntu 8.10 and have thought to upgrade, but before I do I wnat to know a solution to this on going problem.
Has anyone else experienced these starnge things or can anyone help me resolve them.
I have looked through the forums and can find somethings but nothing that seems to actually resolve the issues.

UUID=6c014b16-1e36-44e5-a635-bd1742908623 / ext3 defaults 0 1
UUID=2f0c38b3-1d2f-4f19-a2db-e4427740af2d /home ext3 defaults 0 2

UUID=49E7-4818 /media/sda7 vfat defaults 0 0
UUID=49E7-4819 /media/sda8 vfat defaults 0 0
UUID=ae28bca9-ba07-4aa0-9699-4fee8b1eb0d1 swap swap sw 0 0
UUID=49E7-4AC8 /media/sdb5 vfat defaults 0 0
UUID=49E7-4AC9 /media/sdb6 vfat defaults 0 0
UUID=4A77-1635 /media/sdb7 vfat defaults 0 0
UUID=49E7-4ACC /media/sdb8 vfat defaults 0 0
UUID=49E7-4ACD /media/sdb9 vfat defaults 0 0
/dev/scd0 /media/cdrom0 udf,iso9660 noauto 0 0
/dev/scd1 /media/cdrom1 udf,iso9660 noauto 0 0
Submitted here as no answer from the Ubuntu forums in the hope someone has some idea of what is going on.

You want to be able to add files to a writable optical media disk.
... K3B and brasero may be defaulting to "locked mode" - or "fixating" the disk at the end of a burn. What this means is that a table of contents has been burned to the disk. I cannot speculate for disks burned on proprietary systems, anything can happen.

The way to make sure is to use the CLI tool: Wodim.

wodim -tao -multi track1 track2 ...

K3B and brasero are gui frontends for wodim. There is usually a setting someplace for multi-session disks.
Note - if the other system burned the disk with -multi, you still won't be able to get this system to add a file unless it is also set to multi. See the wodim man page for details.

"Drive not mounted" error on eject from K3B or Brasero.
... have you tried using the eject command from a terminal? Try this, and past the exact command you used with the output.

eject -v /media/cdrom0

Files which are supposed to be read/writable by you, are "locked". Reboot clears the lock.
... when you see that next time, go to a commandline and get a long listing of the directory the folder is in. For instance, if you see locked files in your home folder:

ls -l ~

have a look at the permissions.
You can also do this by rt-clicking the locked file and selecting properties > permissions



If this were windows, I'd want you to run AV software. If you have some form of compatability interface, like WINE, then you probably should. apt-get install clamav


A burned disk

Many thanks Simon,
I have at least discovered the reason for the locked files and the strange behaviour. I had to take the computer apart to find out, but it actually comes down to a faulty second HD on the computer. What I do find strange even about this the S.M.A.R.T system check was not showing a fault with this WD drive on an Asus M2V board. Yet removing the drive to another Asus m/board showed there was a fault. I would suggest to all users to be aware that the S.M.A.R.T technology is not that smart, at least in some circumstances. Simply go back to basics and check those drives out.

As to the Drag and Drop. I would wish this to be on the computer, as I think it is a vauable tool. Having done some more Internet reading the program to use is Udftools. I have taken your notes and will try those out. I had set multi-session in K3b But it still did not allow me to drag and drop. If one can do it with USB drives etc. we should be able to do it with DVD and CD disks.

It means one has to do a little fiddling with Udftools in the files but at least it works once set up, or so I have read. It would be nice if there was a GUI for the program, but at least I hope to get it working.

For those that wish to follow this path here is a link to look at.

http://www.hot.ee/airm/linux/BLFS6.3.../udftools.html

In my Ubuntu 8.10 and 9.04 systems, when I insert blank media, the nautilus cd-burner window opens automagically. I can drag and drop files to/from this. Then I click "burn". This defaults to fixating the disk. There is no way to get it to make a multi-session cd.

The burner is brasero, and it defaults to fixating the disk.
You can drag and drop items in the disk creation dialog.
You can get it to use the nautilus cd-burner window to source it's files.
The burn dialog has a checkbox for "leave disk open" - you have to have this checked even if the cd was created as a multi-session cd already.

AFAIK: K3B is similar. Last time I used k3b, iirc, it had a text box in which you could write the cli arguments you wanted it to run for wodim (then it was cdrecord).

In other words, the functionality you ask for is available out of the box.
Why you, personally, don't have it now, is the issue.

One of the curious aspects of your first post is the language. You keep saying "appendable" instead of "multisession" and "locked" instead of "fixated". I have been assuming that these terms are synonimous. However, it may be that you have some burning tool which has a check box marked "make appendable disk" which does something undisclosed which is not the same as the standard multisession recording mode. In which case, it may be that only certain programs will be able to append files to that disk.

This is part of the reason I advocated making a multisession cd in wodim, directly. The cli is very clear about what is going on.



You were right to check the drive though - random file-system stuff-ups are either viruses or the early stages of disk failure. Note: you can also use fsck to check the drive integrety. SMART is pretty basic, yes.

Simon, Many thanks agin.
As to the HD. THis drive is without doubt faulty, and has been the cause of some problems, affecting other aspects of Ubuntu as well. I used the check feature of Partition Editor and the disk check out fine, many times. I believe that command is fsck is it not?

As to the words re DVD\CD The 'Appendable comes form K3B. A disk is noted as such under the drive header on the left hand side of the program window.When one inserts a disk. 'Locked' I do mean fixated. or in my ternms no longer writable to.
What I was looking for is the same function Windows offers with the use of Nero INCD. Where one can simply drag the files to a disk as one can with a floppy or memory stick. Instead we have a program(s) that appears to want to 'close' the disk even with one file on it. I have tried many times to get the read write function like INCD but it seems this UDF write feature is not really a feature yet available on Unbuntu.

I am doing some more testing of my drives. to see what you are saying works for me.
I will get back to you in this thread if I may.

Nero has similar behaviour to the nautilus burner - a window opens representing the disk, and you drag items to it - except nautilus fixates by default. I have not tried dragging items to the blank disk icon on the desktop - that would be interesting.

If you run brasero with the -n flag, you can use the nautilus burner window to set the disk content by drag and drop, then use brasero to make a multisession disk. However, you can also drag and drop files to the brasero dialog. It is not clear how this is a disadvantage over the Nero behavior.

You will notice that FOSS applications are either very simple indeed, or heavily over-powered, with nothing in between. This is usually a sign of a mature FOSS project: if an app is popular, the users add all the features they can think of. The only way this does not happen is if the project is designed to be limited - so you get K3B or NBurner. You were expecting something close to nburner, but in the middle ground.

Adding a multisession tag to nautilus-burner would appear to be a good idea though.
It's been pointed out before...
http://www.mail-archive.com/debian-b.../msg15802.html
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/de...st/002283.html

... theres a launchpad blueprint for this already
https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubu...ession-burning

... the mod would involve an alteration to the gui from end to wodim - a check box can "append files to existing session" and pass a -multi option on the cli. Getting it to check for data, and display the icons, would make it quite elegant.

There is a seperate source package for nautilus-burner in ubuntu, I may have a look at this if I get a chance.