[SOLVED] Portable hard drive "Transcend" isn't mounted.

Portable hard drive "Transcend" isn't mounted.
My Ubuntu 22.04 reads:

< Unable to mount Transcend.
Error mounting /dev/sdb1 at /media/igor/Transcend:
Unknown error when mounting /dev/sdb1 >.

Any ideas?
Thank you.

Portable hard drive "Transcend" isn't mounted.

What exactly were you doing to get that message?
Does the mount point directory /media/igor/Transcend exist?
Is this an external drive? What filesystem is on it?

Usually external hard drives are formatted as NTFS or maybe exFAT which Ubuntu should be able to mount without installing anything extra. It might be your drive's filesystem is corrupted. You can try the linux utility ntfsfix but if is more then a simple problem you need to try connecting it to a Windows computer and running chkdsk.

Originally Posted by yancek What exactly were you doing to get that message? Does the mount point directory /media/igor/Transcend exist? Is this an external drive? What filesystem is on it?

Thanks.
- I tried to create some mount-point without luck.
- Yes, it's external.
- No idea about the filesystem.
That Hard drive is years in use, along with other jack flashes.
I began to use all that stuff on Windows and continued on Linux. Yet flash jacks continue to work.
I suspect the "Transcend" got corrupted, and think about bringing it to some workshop. For I need it's contents.

From a terminal.

sudo lsblk -f
sudo file -s /dev/sdb1

Use code tags to maintain readability.

I tried to create some mount-point without luck.

Again, what did you do? What happened when you did whatever you did? Creating and mounting should be as simple as the example below:

sudo mkdir /mnt/sdb1
sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/sdb1

Report back what happens and the output of the commands suggested above to get help.

yancek,

I tried:

sudo mkdir /mnt/sdb1
sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/sdb1

And I got:

mount: /mnt/sdb1: special device /dev/sdb1 does not exist.

GParted shows:

/dev/sda1 grub2 core.img 1.MiB --- --- bios.grub
/dev/sda2 EFI System Partition fat32 /boot/efi 513 Mib
?dev/sda3 297.29 GiB

Is the drive plugged in?

The commands I suggested in post 6 were based on the information you posted in the initial post indicating that the device/partiiton in question was sdb1. If the device is not plugged in, obviously it won't work. If you have multiple drives attached it is up to you to determine which one you want to access. You can find the devices and list partitions on all disks attached with the command below which also show the filesystem type:

sudo parted -l

If you used this device on windows it has a windwos filesystem unless you changed it and if the filesystem is corerupted you will need windows software to repair it.

Is the drive plugged in?

What do you mean -- switched on, started up, recognized by PC?
When I need a device, I plug it in. When I finish, I unplug it.
As I am not a pro, I may misunderstand some terms here.

Your drive might have failed or that udev did not detect it being inserted.
Unplug the drive.
run the command sudo dmesg -w
Insert the drive. You should see something like:

[  360.810826] usb-storage 1-2:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected
[  360.811230] scsi host4: usb-storage 1-2:1.0
[  360.812189] usbcore: registered new interface driver usb-storage
[  360.818704] usbcore: registered new interface driver uas
[  361.853358] scsi 4:0:0:0: Direct-Access     SanDisk  U3 Cruzer Micro  4.05 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2
[  361.856615] scsi 4:0:0:1: CD-ROM            SanDisk  U3 Cruzer Micro  4.05 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2
[  361.857410] sd 4:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg3 type 0
[  361.862874] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdc] 8013453 512-byte logical blocks: (4.10 GB/3.82 GiB)
[  361.864320] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdc] Write Protect is off
[  361.864322] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdc] Mode Sense: 03 00 00 00
[  361.865899] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdc] No Caching mode page found
[  361.865901] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdc] Assuming drive cache: write through
[  361.888333] sr 4:0:0:1: Attached scsi generic sg4 type 5
[  361.899668]  sdc: sdc1 sdc2
[  361.900210] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdc] Attached SCSI removable disk

In your initial post, you indicated that you were having a problem mounting a device named sdb1. In post 7, you indicated that when you attempted to use the commands suggested in post 6, you got an error indicating /dev/sdb1 did not exist and that gparted only showed partitions on a device sda. That is why you were asked if the device was plugged in.

How many drives/devices do you have plugged in? Are they all identical size? If not, it should be pretty simply to determine which is the problem device by using the parted, fdisk or similar commands. Use parted or fdisk to get information on what devices are attached to select the problem device and then use the example commands above to mount it to see what happens.

Before removing/unplugging a device, you should select to safely remove it which on a standard Ubuntu, you would see an icon for the drive/partition on the Desktop and you should be able to right click and select safely remove. Do not just unplug the device after it is mounted without unmounting it.

You still have not answered questions previously asked such as what you did to get the error. Were you trying to access the device using a file manager? What filesystem is it? You can get that with various commands such as parted? You indicate you used it on windows so it is likely a windows filesystem and unless it is an extremely minor problem, you will need windows proprietary software to repair it.

I would suggest you run the command: sudo parted -l which will list drives/partitions and post the output, specifically the output for the drive in question. Put this in code tags as suggested by clicking on the # icon above the input box where you are entering information. What you have posted in post 7 shows a bios.grub partition, an efi partition and another larger partition which appears to have some problem/corruption. That would indicate some operating system is installed there and you indicate this drive was used for data so the questions about this being the correct drive.

Originally Posted by yancek In your initial post, you indicated that you were having a problem mounting a device named sdb1. In post 7, you indicated that when you attempted to use the commands suggested in post 6, you got an error indicating /dev/sdb1 did not exist and that gparted only showed partitions on a device sda. That is why you were asked if the device was plugged in. How many drives/devices do you have plugged in? Are they all identical size? If not, it should be pretty simply to determine which is the problem device by using the parted, fdisk or similar commands. Use parted or fdisk to get information on what devices are attached to select the problem device and then use the example commands above to mount it to see what happens. Before removing/unplugging a device, you should select to safely remove it which on a standard Ubuntu, you would see an icon for the drive/partition on the Desktop and you should be able to right click and select safely remove. Do not just unplug the device after it is mounted without unmounting it. You still have not answered questions previously asked such as what you did to get the error. Were you trying to access the device using a file manager? What filesystem is it? You can get that with various commands such as parted? You indicate you used it on windows so it is likely a windows filesystem and unless it is an extremely minor problem, you will need windows proprietary software to repair it. I would suggest you run the command: sudo parted -l which will list drives/partitions and post the output, specifically the output for the drive in question. Put this in code tags as suggested by clicking on the # icon above the input box where you are entering information. What you have posted in post 7 shows a bios.grub partition, an efi partition and another larger partition which appears to have some problem/corruption. That would indicate some operating system is installed there and you indicate this drive was used for data so the questions about this being the correct drive.

How many drives/devices do you have plugged in?
-- One by one, "Transcend" being largest.

Before removing/unplugging a device, you should select to safely remove it ...
-- Thanks, even I know that.

You still have not answered questions previously asked such as what you did to get the error.
-- I plugged it in, pressed "mount" and got the message.

You indicate you used it on windows ...
I did not. Probably, you saw that on my previous post/thread
(marked "solved").

Right now, I am trying to follow the way recommended on
<https://askubuntu.com/questions/47700/fix-corrupt-ntfs-partition-without-windows>, in particular,
<sudo apt-get install testdisk &&
sudo testdisk>.
It takes a while.
Later.

Presuming you know what disks exist on your system, remove your drive, open a terminal and run 'lsblk.'

Then insert your drive, let it settle and run lsblk again. Compare the two, and you have the differences. That will help you sort your mount issues. Some faults prevent disks mounting.

The tool 'ntfsfix' is part of the ntfs-3g package. Chkdsk /f in windows might not be a bad option. But as it's a removable drive, it's also movable. So it doesn't have to be your copy of windows . I've used it - it works on ntfs drives.

michaelk :

[QUOTE
Unplug the drive.
run the command sudo dmesg -w
Insert the drive.
QUOTE]

And that helped.
Thank you so much.