Ubuntu

how to set up a usb flash drive

Asked by Roger Warburton

Want to backup my files etc on to a usb flash drive for safety,it comes up as a icon on the desktop but cant go any further.
Do I need to download a program to make it work.
Linux/ubuntu 9.04

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actionparsnip
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marcobra (Marco Braida) (marcobra) said : 		#1

Please tell have already tried to copy and paste your files on it... for example using Nautilus (Main menu: Places...→Home Folder ...)

Thank you

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Roger Warburton (r-j-warby) said : 		#2

Thanks,
Got some of it but cannot get the paste command to work,on others

2009/6/28 marcobra (Marco Braida) <email address hidden>

> Your question #75525 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/75525
>
> Project: firefox-3.0 in ubuntu => Ubuntu
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actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said : 		#3

Can you have the device attached and can you then paste the output of:

mount; sudo fdisk -l

Thanks

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Roger Warburton (r-j-warby) said : 		#4

ok
roger@dell-desktop:~$ mount; sudo fdisk -l
/dev/sda1 on / type ext3 (rw,relatime,errors=remount-ro)
tmpfs on /lib/init/rw type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,mode=0755)
proc on /proc type proc (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)
sysfs on /sys type sysfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)
varrun on /var/run type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,mode=0755)
varlock on /var/lock type tmpfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev,mode=1777)
udev on /dev type tmpfs (rw,mode=0755)
tmpfs on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,nodev)
devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,noexec,nosuid,gid=5,mode=620)
fusectl on /sys/fs/fuse/connections type fusectl (rw)
lrm on /lib/modules/2.6.28-13-generic/volatile type tmpfs (rw,mode=755)
securityfs on /sys/kernel/security type securityfs (rw)
binfmt_misc on /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc type binfmt_misc
(rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)
gvfs-fuse-daemon on /home/roger/.gvfs type fuse.gvfs-fuse-daemon
(rw,nosuid,nodev,user=roger)
/dev/sdb1 on /media/USB2 type vfat
(rw,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal,shortname=mixed,uid=1000,utf8,umask=077,flush)
[sudo] password for roger:

Disk /dev/sda: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x88000000

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 13995 112414806 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 13996 14593 4803435 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 13996 14593 4803403+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Disk /dev/sdb: 8019 MB, 8019509248 bytes
45 heads, 45 sectors/track, 7734 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 2025 * 512 = 1036800 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xa309b654

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 4 7735 7827520 c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
roger@dell-desktop:~$

2009/6/28 actionparsnip <email address hidden>

> Your question #75525 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/75525
>
> Status: Open => Needs information
>
> actionparsnip requested for more information:
> Can you have the device attached and can you then paste the output of:
>
> mount; sudo fdisk -l
>
> Thanks
>
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> To answer this request for more information, you can either reply to
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Best actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said : 		#5

Ok well its ready to be accessed at:

/media/USB2

just copy the data you want in your favourite file browser (nautilus is default in ubuntu, dolphin is default in kubuntu etc.)

If you then traverse the file system to /media/USB2 and paste the data there, it will go onto the 8Gb USB device.

Interesting parts of your output are:

/dev/sdb1 on /media/USB2 type vfat
(rw,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal,shortname=mixed,uid=1000,utf8,umask=077,flush)

Disk /dev/sdb: 8019 MB, 8019509248 bytes
45 heads, 45 sectors/track, 7734 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 2025 * 512 = 1036800 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xa309b654

   Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 4 7735 7827520 c W95 FAT32 (LBA)

/dev/sdb is the device itself, this is something you can touch and feel. /dev/sdb1 is the first (and in this case the only) partition on the device. When you mount in ANY OS, you mount partitions. WIndows treats these as drives which is incorrect. You could have the device partitioned nito 2 partitions and windows would see a E drive and an F drive. It makes transferring over to the truth very hard.

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Roger Warburton (r-j-warby) said : 		#6

Thank you