I'm trying to troubleshoot a 8gb USB flash drive which linux (ubuntu narwhal) recognizes but is unable to properly mount or format.

In disk utility, it shows as
FLASH Drive SM_USB20
Firmware 1100
Capacity No Media Detected
Serial No (this is present and valid)
Device /dev/sdb
SMART Status Not Supported

When I try to format the drive, i get several optiobns intlucing Master Boot Record, GUID table, none, and Apple. Doesn't matter which option I pick, I get the same error for all of them:

"An error occurred while performin an operation on "FLASH Drive SM_USB20" (FLASH Drive SM_USB20): the operation failed"

with a drop-down details box which says:
"Error creating partition table: helper exited with exit code 1: cannot open /dev/sdb: No medium found"

I did search the site and found a similar thread however it did not address the no medium found issue and also the op's issue was not resolved.

When I stick this thumb drive into a macintosh computer it does not ever recognize that there's a new drive. in a windows machine, it mounts, unmounts, mounts, unmounts in a vicious cycle. I was hoping that with linux (ubuntu) I would be able to figure out the issue or format the drive. Is there any hope? the drive has a status indicator light which is solid and stable with the ubuntu machine.

Would appreciate any help you could provide.

this is an old Dell Dimension 2400 desktop running Ubuntu Natty Narwhal.

You most likely tried to format the software section of device.
You should go to the manufacturer & download the repair software & it will return to fat32

Could you post the output of
And specify which devices you already know (such as your system disk).

went to the manufacturer website (samsung pleomax the drive is a "premium t300" 8gb usb flash drive) and there is not any software or repair download options for this device.

I think it's the initialization software.
http://www.samsungpleomax.com/servic...&oidOnedepth=2

If you'll notice in the list, the only items which are specified for the Pleomax t300 are a windows 98 initialization program. Unfortunately, I do not have Windows 98. I tried downloading and using the first item listed which is an initialization program for "PUB-S90/100" and discovered that whether its the right program or not, it can't find the usb flash drive, either.j

I also tried the "PUB S90/100 Utility Program" and it basically wont even run on my computer. Just lots of error messages and scripts that won't run and the like.

My post regarding the results to fdisk appears not to have arrived when I posted it the day before yesterday so I will post it again next as a separate post.

I'm still a newbie to linux, but I tried to learn as much as I could and try some more.

Here's what I tried and the results:

sisterd@ubuntu-vastdeep:~$ fdisk -l
sisterd@ubuntu-vastdeep:~$

sisterd@ubuntu-vastdeep:~$ fdisk -l /dev/sda
Cannot open /dev/sda
sisterd@ubuntu-vastdeep:~$

sisterd@ubuntu-vastdeep:~$ fdisk -l /dev/sdb
Cannot open /dev/sdb
sisterd@ubuntu-vastdeep:~$

In Disk Utility, /dev/sda is my hard drive, which is listed as healthy, and/dev/sdb is the usb flash drive, which is listed as mounted but is not formatable, no media found.

gparted seems only to scan or recognize /dev/sda and its partitions. I have not figured out if there is a way to tell it to scan for /dev/sdb. the drop-down menu at the top right for selecting disks does not have any other options that /dev/sda.

hope that helps.

you got this result because you did not run the command as super user (my bad, forgot to mention it.
please try:
as well as:

sisterd@ubuntu-vastdeep:~$ sudo fdisk -l
[sudo] password for sisterd:

Disk /dev/sda: 80.0 GB, 80000000000 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9726 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00087e4a

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 6287 50500296 b W95 FAT32
/dev/sda2 * 6288 9650 27008000 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 9651 9726 610470 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Disk /dev/sdc: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000340e8

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 1 121602 976760832 7 HPFS/NTFS
sisterd@ubuntu-vastdeep:~$

sisterd@ubuntu-vastdeep:~$ df -Th
Filesystem Type Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda2 ext4 26G 13G 12G 54% /
none devtmpfs 238M 688K 237M 1% /dev
none tmpfs 244M 200K 244M 1% /dev/shm
none tmpfs 244M 104K 244M 1% /var/run
none tmpfs 244M 0 244M 0% /var/lock
/dev/sdc1 fuseblk 932G 46G 886G 5% /media/Ardais
sisterd@ubuntu-vastdeep:~$

Although the thumb drive is in one of the USB ports and its red light is stable, it does not show up anywhere in any of the above results. The /dev/sda and variations are all the hard drive, and the /dev/sdc is an external hard drive directly connected to the computer. The expected /dev/sdb or /dev/sdd or later is not present in any of these results. not sure what to do about that. The information in my original post about it being visible in linux's Disk Utility is still valid. I can still see it and get the same results/issues trying to format it as originally posted.

Thanks for your help... still such a noob I didn't even think to use the sudo command in front of fdisk....
SisterD

well, seems we need to know what gets logged when the usb key is plugged in.
Please do the following in a terminal:
plug the usb device
copy the result and post it here.

ok. took me a loooooong time to get this one done because i managed to mislay the device. Found it today, ran this syslog and here's what I get:

sisterd@ubuntu-vastdeep:~$ sudo tail -c 0 -f /var/log/syslog
[sudo] password for sisterd:
Sep 23 14:17:01 ubuntu-vastdeep CRON[2177]: (root) CMD ( cd / && run-parts --report /etc/cron.hourly)
Sep 23 15:17:01 ubuntu-vastdeep CRON[2219]: (root) CMD ( cd / && run-parts --report /etc/cron.hourly)

Don't know what to do with that....
sisterD

Did you open the terminal window and run before inserting the USB key? I ask because there's no indication that the USB key was inserted.

Should I have? No, what I did was insert the USB key, then go open up terminal and run that command. I had been hoping I would be able to see something that would indicate the computer knew it was there.

Yes. Executing that command in a terminal window and keeping the terminal window open while inserting the USB key will show us what the computer is doing as the usb key is being inserted

Since this thread explains my problem and it is not finished

DiskUtility:
/dev/sdd
No media detected

fdisk skips /dev/sdd:
...
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 1 243201 1953512001 7 HPFS/NTFS
Disk /dev/sde: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x8de2c65f
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sde1 * 1 121601 976760000+ c W95 FAT32 (LBA)

df also skips sdd:
/dev/sdb1 ext4 55G 38G 15G 72% /
none devtmpfs 2.0G 332K 2.0G 1% /dev
none tmpfs 2.0G 652K 2.0G 1% /dev/shm
tmpfs tmpfs 2.0G 41M 1.9G 3% /tmp
none tmpfs 2.0G 332K 2.0G 1% /var/run
none tmpfs 2.0G 4.0K 2.0G 1% /var/lock
none tmpfs 2.0G 0 2.0G 0% /lib/init/rw
/dev/sr1 iso9660 29M 29M 0 100% /media/web'n'walk
/dev/sde1 fuseblk 932G 379G 553G 41% /media/ARHIVA
/dev/sdc1 fuseblk 1.9T 1.8T 117G 94% /media/HDDx03

tail after plugin:
Nov 19 11:49:32 davidovv-home kernel: [ 574.730042] usb 1-6: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 9
Nov 19 11:49:32 davidovv-home kernel: [ 574.882928] scsi16 : usb-storage 1-6:1.0
Nov 19 11:49:32 davidovv-home kernel: [ 575.170029] usb 6-1: new low speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 14
Nov 19 11:49:33 davidovv-home kernel: [ 575.300021] usb 6-1: device descriptor read/64, error -71
Nov 19 11:49:33 davidovv-home kernel: [ 575.540060] usb 6-1: device descriptor read/64, error -71
Nov 19 11:49:33 davidovv-home kernel: [ 575.770035] usb 6-1: new low speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 15
Nov 19 11:49:33 davidovv-home kernel: [ 575.880839] scsi 16:0:0:0: Direct-Access Generic USB Flash Disk 7.76 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2
Nov 19 11:49:33 davidovv-home kernel: [ 575.883304] sd 16:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg4 type 0
Nov 19 11:49:33 davidovv-home kernel: [ 575.889193] sd 16:0:0:0: [sdd] Attached SCSI removable disk
Nov 19 11:49:33 davidovv-home kernel: [ 575.900032] usb 6-1: device descriptor read/64, error -71
Nov 19 11:49:33 davidovv-home kernel: [ 576.140032] usb 6-1: device descriptor read/64, error -71
Nov 19 11:49:34 davidovv-home kernel: [ 576.370027] usb 6-1: new low speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 16
Nov 19 11:49:34 davidovv-home kernel: [ 576.790070] usb 6-1: device not accepting address 16, error -71
Nov 19 11:49:34 davidovv-home kernel: [ 576.910048] usb 6-1: new low speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 17
Nov 19 11:49:35 davidovv-home kernel: [ 577.330026] usb 6-1: device not accepting address 17, error -71
Nov 19 11:49:35 davidovv-home kernel: [ 577.330051] hub 6-0:1.0: unable to enumerate USB device on port 1

tail after plugout:
Nov 19 11:57:08 davidovv-home kernel: [ 1031.124285] usb 1-6: USB disconnect, address 9

Is my flash disk usable any more?