USB flash disk and Linux?

Tommi · 07-01-2003, 01:45 PM

Yo!

Please advice...

I bought an USB flash disk, a removable hard disk, an usb mass storage device. Also called as memory stick.

It seems to work under following conditions:

1. I can save files in Linux
2. I can read the saved files and transfare them to other harddisks.

Good. It works perfectly in Linux. What's up then?

I save the jpeg image - or whatever file - and try to open those files in Windows 2000 or XP. The files are corrupted.
Then I save a file in Windows 2000 for the same flash disk and it starts to work perfectly...but the files made with Linux are lost.

It also works in Mac OS X perfectly - no problems at all!

But when I try to transfare files BETWEEN different operating systems, the files are ALLWAYS corrupted.

Is this normal? If that is so, this device is nearly useless, and definitely does not replace cd's. I hope I am wrong.

-Tommi

jpbarto · 07-01-2003, 03:01 PM

it could be a device specific issue. I have a 128 mb traveling disk and it works seemlessly across OS (win2k, win xp, linux, haven't tried mac). the only problem is that when I transfer files to the thing in linux it formats them into the 8.3 dos filename format. but otherwise no problems.

even with simple text files you get corruption? could be an issue with the kernel module that handles reading / writing to the flash disk filesystem.

akaBeaVis · 07-01-2003, 06:59 PM

I'm using an Apacer HandyDrive USB and am not having this problem, I wonder, perhaps you need to format this "drive" using the vfat file system?

2damncommon · 07-01-2003, 07:49 PM

My USB Drive works fine with Linux and for moving files between Linux and Windows.
Have you tried with simple text files?

jpbarto · 07-01-2003, 10:47 PM

formatting it with vfat might not be a bad idea.

Half_Elf · 07-01-2003, 10:50 PM

I had the same problem about jpg, a day. I'm not sure about this but I think M$ sometime have problems reading jpg that are made with gimp. Maybe there's a standardisation problem, or something, but I don't think your flash drive is the problem.

2damncommon · 07-01-2003, 11:21 PM

Quote:

I think M$ sometime have problems reading jpg that are made with gimp.

???
Every graphic on my webpage has been created or resized via the Gimp and I have never had a problem viewing them in Windows.
Perhaps there are some circumstances...

Tommi · 07-02-2003, 05:03 AM

The device is broken. Its formatted with vfat and also tested with others. No difference.

Many thanks, I now know what to do.

-Tommi

Tommi · 07-02-2003, 12:33 PM

Yo!

I got another flash usb disk and now it seems to work...but I am not really sure yet. I have not exported files from Linux to Windows and Mac, but I have imported files from windows and mac to Linux and it works really well. Amazing...it seems that the earlier flash disk really was broken.

Anyway could you please tell how do you write your fstab file in etc folder? I would like to know how and why you write it as you do.

-Tommi

jpbarto · 07-02-2003, 01:27 PM

You can find out more about the fstab file by reading the man page for 'mount'. ( 'man mount' ).

also here's a link defining the different sections of fstab
http://man.he.net/man5/fstab

Tommi · 07-02-2003, 01:45 PM

i think there are no all options which i could use

-tommi

Half_Elf · 07-02-2003, 01:58 PM

here is my fstab
notice the "/dev/flash", this is my flash drive line.
it's a simple link to /dev/sdc wich is USB flash drive on my system.

/dev/hda2 swap swap defaults 0 0
/dev/hda1 / ext3 defaults 1 1
/dev/hda5 /home ext3 defaults 1 2
/dev/hda6 /usr/local ext3 defaults 1 2
/dev/hda7 /mnt/win_d vfat umask=022 1 2
/dev/hdb1 /mnt/win_c vfat umask=022 1 1
/dev/cdrom /cdrom iso9660 noauto,owner,ro,user 0 0
/dev/fd0 /floppy auto noauto,owner,user 0 0
/dev/jaz /mnt/jaz auto noauto,owner,user 0 0
/dev/zip /mnt/zip auto noauto,owner,user 0 0
/dev/flash /mnt/flash auto noauto,owner,user 0 0
none /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=620 0 0
none /proc proc defaults 0 0

Tommi · 07-02-2003, 02:25 PM

Thanks, it helps me, Í think I have had also problems with wrong settings in fstab...but I changed them a little bit and it started to work...but the earlier flashdisk didnt work, whatever I did.

-Tommi

Phrater · 07-02-2003, 03:39 PM

I just purchased a Lexar 128MB JumpDrive. If I plug it into my Win2k Server it's fine, but If I plug it into my RH9 box it refuses to
mount complaining that it is not a block device. I'm afraid I'm lost.
Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

jpbarto · 07-02-2003, 03:42 PM

my device is mounted by mounting /dev/sda1... someone else in this forum mounts at /dev/sdc... looks like your mileage may vary. Is it in the usb log files what device is lined up with the inserted flash drive?