What is filesystem panic?

[Per Anton Rønning]

I guess I should rephrase my question about my 4GB memory stick/pen, 
where the filesystem
now is set to readonly when I enter it into one of the slots.
Could anyone tell me what might have happened by taking a look at the 
snip of the logfile?

I am not allowed to do anyting but reading files. I am not allowed to 
delete files ,remove directires
or write to files, even if I change to root privileges.
I cannot say when this started - it just happened one time when I tried 
to backup some files to the Jet Flash.
Then I got the message (one example):
  cp: cannot create regular file `/media/disk/trade/statQ': Read-only 
file system
Does anyone have a clue? I'd be grateful for pointers in the right 
direction.

*** snip ***
Oct 27 11:36:13 localhost kernel: usb 1-2: New USB device strings: 
Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
Oct 27 11:36:13 localhost kernel: usb 1-2: Product: Mass Storage Device
Oct 27 11:36:13 localhost kernel: usb 1-2: Manufacturer: JetFlash
Oct 27 11:36:13 localhost kernel: usb 1-2: SerialNumber: TCC95547
Oct 27 11:36:18 localhost kernel: scsi 9:0:0:0: Direct-Access     
JetFlash TS4GJF185        8.07 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2
:
:
Oct 27 11:36:18 localhost kernel: sdb: sdb1
Oct 27 11:36:18 localhost kernel: sd 9:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI 
removable disk
Oct 27 11:36:18 localhost kernel: sd 9:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 
type 0
Oct 27 11:36:19 localhost hald: mounted /dev/sdb1 on behalf of uid 500
Oct 27 11:36:19 localhost gnome-keyring-daemon[2713]: adding removable 
location: volume_uuid_7A22_FF86 at /media/disk
Oct 27 11:36:30 localhost kernel: FAT: Filesystem panic (dev sdb1)   
[!!!!!!!! - my remark]
Oct 27 11:36:30 localhost kernel:    fat_free_clusters: deleting FAT 
entry beyond EOF  [My remark: What does this
                                                                        
                                                     mean? Looks like an 
error message]
Oct 27 11:36:30 localhost kernel:    File system has been set read-only 
[!!!!!!! - my remark]
*** end snip ***

[Per Anton Rønning]

Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
>  Per Anton Rønning wrote:
>    
> > I guess I should rephrase my question about my 4GB memory stick/pen,
> > where the filesystem
> > now is set to readonly when I enter it into one of the slots.
> > Could anyone tell me what might have happened by taking a look at the
> > snip of the logfile?
> >
> > I am not allowed to do anyting but reading files. I am not allowed to
> > delete files ,remove directires
> > or write to files, even if I change to root privileges.
> > I cannot say when this started - it just happened one time when I tried
> > to backup some files to the Jet Flash.
> > Then I got the message (one example):
> >  cp: cannot create regular file `/media/disk/trade/statQ': Read-only
> > file system
> > Does anyone have a clue? I'd be grateful for pointers in the right
> > direction.
> >
> > *** snip ***
> > Oct 27 11:36:30 localhost kernel: FAT: Filesystem panic (dev sdb1)  
> > [!!!!!!!! - my remark]
> >     
>  An error was found on the file system that will not allow it to
>  finish mounting it.
>
>    
> > Oct 27 11:36:30 localhost kernel:    fat_free_clusters: deleting FAT
> > entry beyond EOF  [My remark: What does this mean? Looks like an
> > error message]
> >     
>  I am guessing, but it sounds like there were clusters assigned to a
>  file in the FAT, but were actually after the end of the file. Or
>  another way to say it is that the actual file length was much
>  shorter then the space assigned to it.
>
>    
> > Oct 27 11:36:30 localhost kernel:    File system has been set read-only
> > [!!!!!!! - my remark]
> > *** end snip ***
> >
> >     
>  There are errors in the file system that can not be automatically
>  fixed, so the file system is being mounted Read Only to prevent
>  further damage, while allowing you to recover what data you can.
>  If you have a Windows system, run disk check on it, and see what it
>  reports. You may also want to run fdisk on it under Linux, and see
>  what it says. You may have to backup and re-format the drive before
>  it will work correctly.
>
>  Mikkel
>     
I have tried both fdisk and cfdisk, but non of these are allowed open 
the jetflash device
(as root!)
It  has made itself inaccessible it seems, so I guess I just have to 
discard it.
If there is no command that I have not thought of that might help me to 
erase its contents and
create everyting (i.e. some backup directories) anew.

BRGDS
PAR

[Per Anton Rønning]

James Wilkinson wrote:
>  Per Anton Rønning wrote:
>    
> > I guess I should rephrase my question about my 4GB memory stick/pen,  
> > where the filesystem
> > now is set to readonly when I enter it into one of the slots.
> > Could anyone tell me what might have happened by taking a look at the  
> > snip of the logfile?
> >
> > I am not allowed to do anyting but reading files. I am not allowed to  
> > delete files ,remove directires
> > or write to files, even if I change to root privileges.
> > I cannot say when this started - it just happened one time when I tried  
> > to backup some files to the Jet Flash.
> > Then I got the message (one example):
> >  cp: cannot create regular file `/media/disk/trade/statQ': Read-only  
> > file system
> > Does anyone have a clue? I'd be grateful for pointers in the right  
> > direction.
> >     
>  <snip>
>    
> > Oct 27 11:36:30 localhost kernel:    fat_free_clusters: deleting FAT  
> > entry beyond EOF  [My remark: What does this
> >                                                                           
> >                                                  mean? Looks like an  
> > error message]
> > Oct 27 11:36:30 localhost kernel:    File system has been set read-only  
> > [!!!!!!! - my remark]
> > *** end snip ***
> >     
>
>  It looks to me like this is a logical inconsistency with the filesystem
>  on the drive.  Did you create it, or is it as the drive came?
>
>  A number of these drives come with slightly inconsistent partitioning
>  and formatting – it looks like this is becoming a FAQ. It’s possible
>  (but rather unlikely) that a stray Linux bug or memory errors corrupted
>  something. It’s slightly more likely that a bug in the drive itself
>  corrupted something.
>
>  In any of these cases, I’d recommend backing up everything that’s on the
>  disk, and either:
>   * fdisk it to remove and recreate any partitions, then mkfs a new
>     filesystem
>   * just mkfs a filesystem on the “raw” device (e.g. /dev/sdc rather than
>     /dev/sdc1).
>
>  Hints: the fdisk man page recommends cfdisk or parted to the traditional
>  fdisk program: you might want to try the graphical gparted. If you want
>  to use this disk under Windows, use
>  mkfs -t fat32 -F 32 -n diskname /dev/sdx
>  where diskname is the name you want to give the disk.
>
>  And make sure you do this on the right device! There is always the
>  prospect with these devices, if you’re not careful, of screwing up your
>  hard disk!
>
>  It’s vaguely possible that this disk’s reached its maximum number of
>  rewrites and has no spare sectors to swap in. If this is the case, then
>  it’s basically dead – it just allows you to get all the data off it.
>  (This seems to be the most normal failure mode with Flash, and is
>  definitely a Good Thing).
>
>  In any case, and as a general principle, never trust any disk too much.
>  If you haven’t got multiple copies of a piece of data (in multiple
>  locations), you haven’t really got it.
>
>  Hope this helps,
>
>  James.
>
>     
Thanks James.
I did not create it, the flash pen was ready to go when I got it. I just
created the necessary directories on it and started copying to it.
I also used it to tranfer data and programs from an old computer
(running FC5), which was very convenient.

But now the pen seems to be really stuck, just look at this:

[root@localhost disk]# /sbin/fdisk /dev/sdc
Unable to open /dev/sdc

And also:
[root@localhost disk]# /sbin/fdisk /dev/sdc1
Unable to open /dev/sdc1

This is not a disaster, it just means that I have to consider this flash 
pen obsolete and buy a new one.
I have been using it for backup of some hard disk directories,  so it is 
no big deal if I lose whats on it, since my harrdisk is intact.

Perhaps I should buy a  removable HD instead.

BRGDS
PAR

[Per Anton Rønning]

Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
>  Per Anton Rønning wrote:
>    
> > I have tried both fdisk and cfdisk, but non of these are allowed open
> > the jetflash device
> > (as root!)
> > It  has made itself inaccessible it seems, so I guess I just have to
> > discard it.
> > If there is no command that I have not thought of that might help me to
> > erase its contents and
> > create everyting (i.e. some backup directories) anew.
> >
> > BRGDS
> > PAR
> >
> >     
>  Double check that you are accessing the correct device. USB drives
>  do not always get "assigned" the same device. (It might get assigned
>  /dev/sdd instead of /dev/sdc for example.) If you are interested in
>  the reasons for this, it should probably be a separate thread...
>
>  Mikkel
>     
Oh yes, my processor is slow now. a df command shows this:
[root@localhost trade]# df
Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/mapper/VolGroup00-LogVol00
                     718841144   8123212 674202912   2% /
/dev/sda1               194442     44177    140226  24% /boot
tmpfs                  1943548        48   1943500   1% /dev/shm
/dev/ram0                15863       728     15135   5% /mnt/rd
/dev/sdf1              3985612     53992   3931620   2% /media/disk

The JetFlash pen is assigned to sdf1. But do I have to assign it to sdc1 
for it to work??
What consequences does this have?

Brgds PAR

[Per Anton Rønning]

Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
>  Per Anton Rønning wrote:
>    
> > But now the pen seems to be really stuck, just look at this:
> >
> > [root@localhost disk]# /sbin/fdisk /dev/sdc
> > Unable to open /dev/sdc
> >
> > And also:
> > [root@localhost disk]# /sbin/fdisk /dev/sdc1
> > Unable to open /dev/sdc1
> >
> > This is not a disaster, it just means that I have to consider this flash
> > pen obsolete and buy a new one.
> > I have been using it for backup of some hard disk directories,  so it is
> > no big deal if I lose whats on it, since my harrdisk is intact.
> >
> > Perhaps I should buy a  removable HD instead.
> >
> > BRGDS
> > PAR
> >
> >     
>  Plug the drive in, and then run "tail /var/log/messages" to see what
>  messages are generated. I would not be surprised to if the problem
>  was that the drive was assigned a different letter. Also, you do not
>  want to use fdisk on anything but the base drive. Using it on
>  /dev/sdc1 will produce all kinds of interesting errors on a good drive.
>
>  Mikkel
>     
Sorry, I discovered this too late (The eyes stand in the way of eyesight):

[root@localhost trade]# tail /var/log/messages
Oct 29 19:47:26 localhost kernel: sd 9:0:0:0: [sdf] Write Protect is off
Oct 29 19:47:26 localhost kernel: sd 9:0:0:0: [sdf] Assuming drive 
cache: write through
Oct 29 19:47:26 localhost kernel: sd 9:0:0:0: [sdf] 7987198 512-byte 
hardware sectors (4089 MB)
:
:

It says sdf, not sdc. Is that the problem maybe?


Brgds
PAR

[Per Anton Rønning]

Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
>  Per Anton Rønning wrote:
>    
> > But now the pen seems to be really stuck, just look at this:
> >
> > [root@localhost disk]# /sbin/fdisk /dev/sdc
> > Unable to open /dev/sdc
> >
> > And also:
> > [root@localhost disk]# /sbin/fdisk /dev/sdc1
> > Unable to open /dev/sdc1
> >
> > This is not a disaster, it just means that I have to consider this flash
> > pen obsolete and buy a new one.
> > I have been using it for backup of some hard disk directories,  so it is
> > no big deal if I lose whats on it, since my harrdisk is intact.
> >
> > Perhaps I should buy a  removable HD instead.
> >
> > BRGDS
> > PAR
> >
> >     
>  Plug the drive in, and then run "tail /var/log/messages" to see what
>  messages are generated. I would not be surprised to if the problem
>  was that the drive was assigned a different letter. Also, you do not
>  want to use fdisk on anything but the base drive. Using it on
>  /dev/sdc1 will produce all kinds of interesting errors on a good drive.
>
>  Mikkel
>     
It goes like this:
[root@localhost trade]# tail /var/log/messages
Oct 29 19:47:26 localhost kernel: sd 9:0:0:0: [sdf] Write Protect is off
Oct 29 19:47:26 localhost kernel: sd 9:0:0:0: [sdf] Assuming drive 
cache: write through
Oct 29 19:47:26 localhost kernel: sd 9:0:0:0: [sdf] 7987198 512-byte 
hardware sectors (4089 MB)
Oct 29 19:47:26 localhost kernel: sd 9:0:0:0: [sdf] Write Protect is off
Oct 29 19:47:26 localhost kernel: sd 9:0:0:0: [sdf] Assuming drive 
cache: write through
Oct 29 19:47:26 localhost kernel: sdf: sdf1
Oct 29 19:47:26 localhost kernel: sd 9:0:0:0: [sdf] Attached SCSI 
removable disk
Oct 29 19:47:26 localhost kernel: sd 9:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg6 
type 0
Oct 29 19:47:27 localhost hald: mounted /dev/sdf1 on behalf of uid 500
Oct 29 19:47:27 localhost gnome-keyring-daemon[2721]: adding removable 
location: volume_uuid_7A22_FF86 at /media

I cannot see anything here pointing to an error situation (?) It does 
not even report that it set to write-only.
But it is still write-only.

I was only trying fdisk to see if it would disclose anything, but it did 
not get that far.

Brgds
PAR

[Per Anton Rønning]

Rick Stevens wrote:
>  Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> > Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> >> Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> >>  
> >>> Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> >>>   
> >>>> Double check that you are accessing the correct device. USB drives
> >>>> do not always get "assigned" the same device. (It might get
> assigned
> >>>> /dev/sdd instead of /dev/sdc for example.) If you are interested in
> >>>> the reasons for this, it should probably be a separate thread...
> >>>>
> >>>> Mikkel
> >>>>         
> >>> Oh yes, my processor is slow now. a df command shows this:
> >>> [root@localhost trade]# df
> >>> Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
> >>> /dev/mapper/VolGroup00-LogVol00
> >>>                     718841144   8123212 674202912   2% /
> >>> /dev/sda1               194442     44177    140226  24% /boot
> >>> tmpfs                  1943548        48   1943500   1% /dev/shm
> >>> /dev/ram0                15863       728     15135   5% /mnt/rd
> >>> /dev/sdf1              3985612     53992   3931620   2% /media/disk
> >>>
> >>> The JetFlash pen is assigned to sdf1. But do I have to assign it to 
> >>> sdc1
> >>> for it to work??
> >>> What consequences does this have?
> >>>
> >>> Brgds PAR
> >>>
> >>>     
> >> Nope - but you have to use /dev/sdf instead of /dev/sdc if you want
> >> fdisk to tell you anything about the drive. This is why you were
> >> getting the unable to open /dev/sdc error message from fdisk.
> >>
> >> Mikkel
> >>   
> > Of course!
> > And this is what now comes out of the woodwork:
> > fdisk /dev/sdf1 -l
> > Disk /dev/sdf1: 4089 MB, 4089428992 bytes
> > 126 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1022 cylinders
> > Units = cylinders of 7812 * 512 = 3999744 bytes
> > Disk identifier: 0x69737369
> >
> > This doesn't look like a partition table
> > Probably you selected the wrong device.
>
>  /dev/sdf1 is a partition.  /dev/sdf is the device.  Try:
>
>      # fdisk -l /dev/sdf
>
>  (that's "dash ell", by the way).  That should show you the partition
>  table on drive /dev/sdf. 
Sorry,  my mistake. I don't do these things too
often.


[root@localhost par]# /sbin/fdisk -l /dev/sdf

Disk /dev/sdf: 4089 MB, 4089445376 bytes
33 heads, 63 sectors/track, 3841 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 2079 * 512 = 1064448 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x7ef87cc2

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdf1               1        3842     3993583    b  W95 FAT32

But I cannot see any message here that points out what goes wrong -
why it is set to readonly.

Brgds
PAR


>  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>  - Rick Stevens, Systems Engineer                      ricks(a)nerd.com -
>  - AIM/Skype: therps2        ICQ: 22643734            Yahoo: origrps2 -
>  -                                                                    -
>  -           What is a "free" gift?  Aren't all gifts free?           -
>  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>

[Per Anton Rønning]

Rick Stevens wrote:
>  Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> > Rick Stevens wrote:
> >> Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> >>> Rick Stevens wrote:
> >>>> Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> >>>>> Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> >>>>>> Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> >>>>>>  
> >>>>>>> Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> >>>>>>>  
> >>>>>>>> Double check that you are accessing the correct device.
> USB 
> >>>>>>>> drives
> >>>>>>>> do not always get "assigned" the same device.
> (It might get 
> >>>>>>>> assigned
> >>>>>>>> /dev/sdd instead of /dev/sdc for example.) If you are 
> >>>>>>>> interested in
> >>>>>>>> the reasons for this, it should probably be a separate
> thread...
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> Mikkel
> >>>>>>>>         
> >>>>>>> Oh yes, my processor is slow now. a df command shows this:
> >>>>>>> [root@localhost trade]# df
> >>>>>>> Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use%
> Mounted on
> >>>>>>> /dev/mapper/VolGroup00-LogVol00
> >>>>>>>                     718841144   8123212 674202912   2% /
> >>>>>>> /dev/sda1               194442     44177    140226  24%
> /boot
> >>>>>>> tmpfs                  1943548        48   1943500   1%
> /dev/shm
> >>>>>>> /dev/ram0                15863       728     15135   5%
> /mnt/rd
> >>>>>>> /dev/sdf1              3985612     53992   3931620   2% 
> >>>>>>> /media/disk
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> The JetFlash pen is assigned to sdf1. But do I have to assign
>
> >>>>>>> it to sdc1
> >>>>>>> for it to work??
> >>>>>>> What consequences does this have?
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> Brgds PAR
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>     
> >>>>>> Nope - but you have to use /dev/sdf instead of /dev/sdc if you
> want
> >>>>>> fdisk to tell you anything about the drive. This is why you were
> >>>>>> getting the unable to open /dev/sdc error message from fdisk.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Mikkel
> >>>>>>   
> >>>>> Of course!
> >>>>> And this is what now comes out of the woodwork:
> >>>>> fdisk /dev/sdf1 -l
> >>>>> Disk /dev/sdf1: 4089 MB, 4089428992 bytes
> >>>>> 126 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1022 cylinders
> >>>>> Units = cylinders of 7812 * 512 = 3999744 bytes
> >>>>> Disk identifier: 0x69737369
> >>>>>
> >>>>> This doesn't look like a partition table
> >>>>> Probably you selected the wrong device.
> >>>>
> >>>> /dev/sdf1 is a partition.  /dev/sdf is the device.  Try:
> >>>>
> >>>>     # fdisk -l /dev/sdf
> >>>>
> >>>> (that's "dash ell", by the way).  That should show you the
> partition
> >>>> table on drive /dev/sdf.
> >>> Sorry,  my mistake. I don't do these things too often.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> [root@localhost par]# /sbin/fdisk -l /dev/sdf
> >>>
> >>> Disk /dev/sdf: 4089 MB, 4089445376 bytes
> >>> 33 heads, 63 sectors/track, 3841 cylinders
> >>> Units = cylinders of 2079 * 512 = 1064448 bytes
> >>> Disk identifier: 0x7ef87cc2
> >>>
> >>>   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
> >>> /dev/sdf1               1        3842     3993583    b  W95 FAT32
> >>>
> >>> But I cannot see any message here that points out what goes wrong -
> >>> why it is set to readonly.
> >>
> >> There's nothing wrong with the partition from what I can see.
> >>
> >> I'm afraid I've purged the previous messsages in this thread (stupid, I
> >> know), but I do have a few questions.  I'm sure you've answered them
> >> before, but I don't have the data handy.  Bear with me.
> >>
> >> 1. When you plug the device in, does it automount?
> >>
> >> 2. If it does automount, run "mount" as root and post the line
> >> regarding that device.  It should start with "/dev/sdf1".
> >>
> >> 3. The system should mount it somewhere in the /media directory.
> >> If it does, did the system choose the mountpoint name or did you
> >> create a directory that it mounts as?
> >>
> >> I can try to help you off-list if you wish.
> > Of course I'll bear with you, I make more than a fair share of 
> > mistakes myself.
> > My replies:
> > 1) Yes, it automounts.
> > 2) No manual mount is necessary
> > 3) It mounts in the directory /media/disk - I have not done anything 
> > to bring this about, it's automatic.
>
>  And yet /media/disk is mounted read-only.  This is very odd.
>
> > I have unplugged the Jet Flash device, and replugged it again, and 
> > this is  the system log:
> > --------------- snip ----------------------
> > Oct 30 09:21:28 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: USB disconnect, address 6
> > Oct 30 09:21:28 localhost hald[2162]: forcibly attempting to lazy 
> > unmount /dev/sdf1 as enclosing drive was disconnected
> > Oct 30 09:21:29 localhost gnome-keyring-daemon[2721]: removing 
> > removable location: volume_uuid_7A22_FF86
> > Oct 30 09:21:29 localhost hald: unmounted /dev/sdf1 from 
> > '/media/disk' on behalf of uid 0
> >
> > [I guess the logging of the replug starts here]
> > Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: new high speed USB device 
> > using ehci_hcd and address 7
> > Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: configuration #1 chosen 
> > from 1 choice
> > Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: scsi10 : SCSI emulation for USB 
> > Mass Storage devices
> > Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: New USB device found, 
> > idVendor=058f, idProduct=6387
> > Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: New USB device strings: 
> > Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
> > Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: Product: Mass Storage Device
> > Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: Manufacturer: JetFlash
> > Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: SerialNumber: TCC95547
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: scsi 10:0:0:0: Direct-Access     
> > JetFlash TS4GJF185        8.07 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] 7987198 512-byte 
> > hardware sectors (4089 MB)
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Write Protect is 
> > off
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Assuming drive 
> > cache: write through
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] 7987198 512-byte 
> > hardware sectors (4089 MB)
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Write Protect is 
> > off
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Assuming drive 
> > cache: write through
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sdf: sdf1
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Attached SCSI 
> > removable disk
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic 
> > sg6 type 0
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost hald: mounted /dev/sdf1 on behalf of uid 500
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost gnome-keyring-daemon[2721]: adding 
> > removable location: volume_uuid_7A22_FF86 at /media/disk
> > Oct 30 09:21:52 localhost gconfd (root-10214): starting (version 
> > 2.22.0), pid 10214 user 'root'
> > Oct 30 09:21:52 localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
> > "xml:readonly:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory" to a read-only 
> > configuration source at position 0
> > Oct 30 09:21:52 localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
> > "xml:readwrite:/root/.gconf" to a writable configuration source at 
> > position 1
> > Oct 30 09:21:52 localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
> > "xml:readonly:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.defaults" to a read-only 
> > configuration source at position 2
> > ------------------- snip end ----------------------
> > It says
> > localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
> > "xml:readwrite:/root/.gconf" to a writable configuration source at 
> > position 1
> > localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
> > "xml:readonly:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.defaults" to a read-only 
> > configuration source at position 2
> >
> > I'm not sure what the position designation means - but position 1 has 
> > a writeable config (it says)
> > whereas position 2 is readonly.
> > Perhaps "position" means the USB slot? I am not sure.
> >
> >
> > I would not mind off-list help if you think the problem is of limited 
> > public interest.
>
>  I don't know if it is, I just tend to offer to address specific issues
>  off-list.  However, this may have more broad appeal.
>
>  I've never really understood all the "xml:readwrite" stuff that Gnome
>  does, but I've never really taken the time to read up on it.  I don't
>  get such messages.  Here's a /var/log/messages transcript of what I see
>  when I plug in a 16GB FLASH drive on a F9 machine:
>
>  Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: new high speed USB device 
>  using ehci_hcd and address 6
>  Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 
>  choice
>  Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: scsi6 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass 
>  Storage devices
>  Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: New USB device found, 
>  idVendor=154b, idProduct=000d
>  Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, 
>  Product=2, SerialNumber=3
>  Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: Product: USB 20 DISK
>  Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: Manufacturer: PNY Technologies
>  Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: SerialNumber: AA04012700008042
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: scsi 6:0:0:0: Direct-Access     PNY USB 
>  2.0 FD       1638 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 CCS
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] 31457280 512-byte 
>  hardware sectors (16106 MB)
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: 
>  write through
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] 31457280 512-byte 
>  hardware sectors (16106 MB)
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: 
>  write through
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sdb: sdb1
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI 
>  removable disk
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 
>  type 0
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 hald: mounted /dev/sdb1 on behalf of uid 500
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 gnome-keyring-daemon[13027]: adding removable 
>  location: volume_uuid_D439_4564 at /media/USB 20 DISK
>
>  The output of dmesg that corresponds is:
>
>  usb 2-1: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 6
>  usb 2-1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
>  scsi6 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices
>  usb-storage: device found at 6
>  usb-storage: waiting for device to settle before scanning
>  usb 2-1: New USB device found, idVendor=154b, idProduct=000d
>  usb 2-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
>  usb 2-1: Product: USB 20 DISK
>  usb 2-1: Manufacturer: PNY Technologies
>  usb 2-1: SerialNumber: AA04012700008042
>  usb-storage: device scan complete
>  scsi 6:0:0:0: Direct-Access     PNY      USB 2.0 FD       1638 PQ: 0 
>  ANSI: 0 CCS
>  sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] 31457280 512-byte hardware sectors (16106 MB)
>  sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
>  sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 43 00 00 00
>  sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
>  sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] 31457280 512-byte hardware sectors (16106 MB)
>  sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
>  sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 43 00 00 00
>  sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
>   sdb: sdb1
>  sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk
>  sd 6:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0
>  SELinux: initialized (dev sdb1, type vfat), uses genfs_contexts
>
>  The output from "mount" referring to the device is:
>
>  /dev/sdb1 on /media/USB 20 DISK type vfat 
>  (rw,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal,shortname=lower,uid=500)
>
>  So, this looks to be some weird Gnome muckup on your machine.  I don't
>  know of a clean way to reset Gnome to a default setting for a given user
>  shy of:
>
>  1. Find some spare space and make a tar archive of the user's home
>  directory tree.  Make sure you keep permissions and SElinux context.
>
>  2. Find out the UID and GID of the user involved
>
>  3. Delete the user and the home directory ("userdel -r username")
>
>  4. Recreate the user ("useradd -u UID -g GID -m username")
>
>  5. Restore the user's files from the tar archive, but make sure you
>  use the "-k" option so you don't overwrite existing files in the new
>  home directory (you want the fresh Gnome-related files, not the ones
>  from the archive).
>
>  I SURE hope someone else has a better idea, because this one is a right
>  pain in the arse!
>  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>  - Rick Stevens, Systems Engineer                      ricks(a)nerd.com -
>  - AIM/Skype: therps2        ICQ: 22643734            Yahoo: origrps2 -
>  -                                                                    -
>  - Life:  That which happens while you search for the remote control. -
>  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>  
Gnome muckup is perhaps the correct clue here. Suddenly I get Selinux 
messages when printing
They dont stop anything, but I have never seen such messages before, so 
I dont quite know what they mean
I have completely lost my wallpaper, and I do no longer find the screen 
where I can choose one.

I get regular updates in Fedora and I accept them. There have alse been 
Gnome related updates.
Could this have caused the problem? An update meant to mend or improve 
things have caused damage instead?


Sometimes my desktop goes heywire, everything is dancing around at the 
tip of the mouse arrow, but a simultaneous left/rightclick has managed 
to calm it doen again.
This happens when the mousearrow passes over desktop icons (I dont know 
which one triggers it)
and everything gets wild. Unnamend folders are created, and the 
wallpaper menu used to pop up, and so forth.
Now I dont se the wallpaper choice screen any more.
Other times the mousearrow (or cursor) is moving slowly without me 
moving the mouse.  But moving the mouse a bit takes care of it.

This is not a very big deal, but it suggest some unstability in Gnome 
Desktop, which I supposed will be
fixed in due time.

And Yes, I hope there is a better way of resetting Gnome - I was not 
prepared for such updates right now,
I need to work on other things not pertaining to the system itself.

Brgds
PAR

[Per Anton Rønning]

Rick Stevens wrote:
>  Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> > Rick Stevens wrote:
> >> Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> >>> Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> >>>> Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> >>>>  
> >>>>> Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> >>>>>  
> >>>>>> Double check that you are accessing the correct device. USB
> drives
> >>>>>> do not always get "assigned" the same device. (It might
> get 
> >>>>>> assigned
> >>>>>> /dev/sdd instead of /dev/sdc for example.) If you are interested
> in
> >>>>>> the reasons for this, it should probably be a separate thread...
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Mikkel
> >>>>>>         
> >>>>> Oh yes, my processor is slow now. a df command shows this:
> >>>>> [root@localhost trade]# df
> >>>>> Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
> >>>>> /dev/mapper/VolGroup00-LogVol00
> >>>>>                     718841144   8123212 674202912   2% /
> >>>>> /dev/sda1               194442     44177    140226  24% /boot
> >>>>> tmpfs                  1943548        48   1943500   1% /dev/shm
> >>>>> /dev/ram0                15863       728     15135   5% /mnt/rd
> >>>>> /dev/sdf1              3985612     53992   3931620   2% /media/disk
> >>>>>
> >>>>> The JetFlash pen is assigned to sdf1. But do I have to assign it 
> >>>>> to sdc1
> >>>>> for it to work??
> >>>>> What consequences does this have?
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Brgds PAR
> >>>>>
> >>>>>     
> >>>> Nope - but you have to use /dev/sdf instead of /dev/sdc if you want
> >>>> fdisk to tell you anything about the drive. This is why you were
> >>>> getting the unable to open /dev/sdc error message from fdisk.
> >>>>
> >>>> Mikkel
> >>>>   
> >>> Of course!
> >>> And this is what now comes out of the woodwork:
> >>> fdisk /dev/sdf1 -l
> >>> Disk /dev/sdf1: 4089 MB, 4089428992 bytes
> >>> 126 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1022 cylinders
> >>> Units = cylinders of 7812 * 512 = 3999744 bytes
> >>> Disk identifier: 0x69737369
> >>>
> >>> This doesn't look like a partition table
> >>> Probably you selected the wrong device.
> >>
> >> /dev/sdf1 is a partition.  /dev/sdf is the device.  Try:
> >>
> >>     # fdisk -l /dev/sdf
> >>
> >> (that's "dash ell", by the way).  That should show you the
> partition
> >> table on drive /dev/sdf.
> > Sorry,  my mistake. I don't do these things too often.
> >
> >
> > [root@localhost par]# /sbin/fdisk -l /dev/sdf
> >
> > Disk /dev/sdf: 4089 MB, 4089445376 bytes
> > 33 heads, 63 sectors/track, 3841 cylinders
> > Units = cylinders of 2079 * 512 = 1064448 bytes
> > Disk identifier: 0x7ef87cc2
> >
> >   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
> > /dev/sdf1               1        3842     3993583    b  W95 FAT32
> >
> > But I cannot see any message here that points out what goes wrong -
> > why it is set to readonly.
>
>  There's nothing wrong with the partition from what I can see.
>
>  I'm afraid I've purged the previous messsages in this thread (stupid, I
>  know), but I do have a few questions.  I'm sure you've answered them
>  before, but I don't have the data handy.  Bear with me.
>
>  1. When you plug the device in, does it automount?
>
>  2. If it does automount, run "mount" as root and post the line
>  regarding that device.  It should start with "/dev/sdf1".
>
>  3. The system should mount it somewhere in the /media directory.
>  If it does, did the system choose the mountpoint name or did you
>  create a directory that it mounts as?
>
>  I can try to help you off-list if you wish. 
Of course I'll bear with you, I
make more than a fair share of mistakes 
myself.
My replies:
1) Yes, it automounts.
2) No manual mount is necessary
3) It mounts in the directory /media/disk - I have not done anything to 
bring this about, it's automatic.

I have unplugged the Jet Flash device, and replugged it again, and this 
is  the system log:
--------------- snip ----------------------
Oct 30 09:21:28 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: USB disconnect, address 6
Oct 30 09:21:28 localhost hald[2162]: forcibly attempting to lazy 
unmount /dev/sdf1 as enclosing drive was disconnected
Oct 30 09:21:29 localhost gnome-keyring-daemon[2721]: removing removable 
location: volume_uuid_7A22_FF86
Oct 30 09:21:29 localhost hald: unmounted /dev/sdf1 from '/media/disk' 
on behalf of uid 0

[I guess the logging of the replug starts here]
Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: new high speed USB device 
using ehci_hcd and address 7
Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: configuration #1 chosen from 
1 choice
Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: scsi10 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass 
Storage devices
Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: New USB device found, 
idVendor=058f, idProduct=6387
Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: New USB device strings: 
Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: Product: Mass Storage Device
Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: Manufacturer: JetFlash
Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: SerialNumber: TCC95547
Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: scsi 10:0:0:0: Direct-Access     
JetFlash TS4GJF185        8.07 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2
Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] 7987198 512-byte 
hardware sectors (4089 MB)
Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Write Protect is off
Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Assuming drive 
cache: write through
Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] 7987198 512-byte 
hardware sectors (4089 MB)
Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Write Protect is off
Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Assuming drive 
cache: write through
Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sdf: sdf1
Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Attached SCSI 
removable disk
Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg6 
type 0
Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost hald: mounted /dev/sdf1 on behalf of uid 500
Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost gnome-keyring-daemon[2721]: adding removable 
location: volume_uuid_7A22_FF86 at /media/disk
Oct 30 09:21:52 localhost gconfd (root-10214): starting (version 
2.22.0), pid 10214 user 'root'
Oct 30 09:21:52 localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
"xml:readonly:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory" to a read-only 
configuration source at position 0
Oct 30 09:21:52 localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
"xml:readwrite:/root/.gconf" to a writable configuration source at 
position 1
Oct 30 09:21:52 localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
"xml:readonly:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.defaults" to a read-only 
configuration source at position 2
------------------- snip end ----------------------
It says
localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
"xml:readwrite:/root/.gconf" to a writable configuration source at 
position 1
localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
"xml:readonly:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.defaults" to a read-only 
configuration source at position 2

I'm not sure what the position designation means - but position 1 has a 
writeable config (it says)
whereas position 2 is readonly.
Perhaps "position" means the USB slot? I am not sure.


I would not mind off-list help if you think the problem is of limited 
public interest.

Brgds
PAR

[Per Anton Rønning]

Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
>  Per Anton Rønning wrote:
>    
> > Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> >     
> >> Nope - but you have to use /dev/sdf instead of /dev/sdc if you want
> >> fdisk to tell you anything about the drive. This is why you were
> >> getting the unable to open /dev/sdc error message from fdisk.
> >>
> >> Mikkel
> >>   
> >>       
> > Of course!
> > And this is what now comes out of the woodwork:
> > fdisk /dev/sdf1 -l
> > Disk /dev/sdf1: 4089 MB, 4089428992 bytes
> > 126 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1022 cylinders
> > Units = cylinders of 7812 * 512 = 3999744 bytes
> > Disk identifier: 0x69737369
> >
> > This doesn't look like a partition table
> > Probably you selected the wrong device.
> >
> >     
>  I thought I covered this on an earlier message - /dev/sdf is the
>  entire drive, and what fdisk needs to look at. /dev/sdf1 is a
>  partition, and does NOT have the partition table. This is what fdisk
>  is trying to tell you.
>
>  On a side note - you normally put the option first, and then the
>  device. In this case, it does not matter, but with some programs it
>  does.
>
>  Mikkel
>     
Yes you're right, you made it clear, but I  made a mistake, sorry for that.

This is the result:
[root@localhost par]# /sbin/fdisk -l /dev/sdf

Disk /dev/sdf: 4089 MB, 4089445376 bytes
33 heads, 63 sectors/track, 3841 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 2079 * 512 = 1064448 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x7ef87cc2

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdf1               1        3842     3993583    b  W95 FAT32

Brgds
PAR

[Rick Stevens]

Per Anton Rønning wrote:
>  Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> > Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> >  
> >> Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> >>    
> >>> Double check that you are accessing the correct device. USB drives
> >>> do not always get "assigned" the same device. (It might get
> assigned
> >>> /dev/sdd instead of /dev/sdc for example.) If you are interested in
> >>> the reasons for this, it should probably be a separate thread...
> >>>
> >>> Mikkel
> >>>         
> >> Oh yes, my processor is slow now. a df command shows this:
> >> [root@localhost trade]# df
> >> Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
> >> /dev/mapper/VolGroup00-LogVol00
> >>                     718841144   8123212 674202912   2% /
> >> /dev/sda1               194442     44177    140226  24% /boot
> >> tmpfs                  1943548        48   1943500   1% /dev/shm
> >> /dev/ram0                15863       728     15135   5% /mnt/rd
> >> /dev/sdf1              3985612     53992   3931620   2% /media/disk
> >>
> >> The JetFlash pen is assigned to sdf1. But do I have to assign it to sdc1
> >> for it to work??
> >> What consequences does this have?
> >>
> >> Brgds PAR
> >>
> >>     
> > Nope - but you have to use /dev/sdf instead of /dev/sdc if you want
> > fdisk to tell you anything about the drive. This is why you were
> > getting the unable to open /dev/sdc error message from fdisk.
> >
> > Mikkel
> >   
>  Of course!
>  And this is what now comes out of the woodwork:
>  fdisk /dev/sdf1 -l
>  Disk /dev/sdf1: 4089 MB, 4089428992 bytes
>  126 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1022 cylinders
>  Units = cylinders of 7812 * 512 = 3999744 bytes
>  Disk identifier: 0x69737369
>  
>  This doesn't look like a partition table
>  Probably you selected the wrong device. 
/dev/sdf1 is a partition.  /dev/sdf is the device.  Try:

	# fdisk -l /dev/sdf

(that's "dash ell", by the way).  That should show you the partition
table on drive /dev/sdf.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Rick Stevens, Systems Engineer                      ricks(a)nerd.com -
- AIM/Skype: therps2        ICQ: 22643734            Yahoo: origrps2 -
-                                                                    -
-           What is a "free" gift?  Aren't all gifts free?           -
----------------------------------------------------------------------

[Mikkel]

Per Anton Rønning wrote:
>  Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> > Double check that you are accessing the correct device. USB drives
> > do not always get "assigned" the same device. (It might get assigned
> > /dev/sdd instead of /dev/sdc for example.) If you are interested in
> > the reasons for this, it should probably be a separate thread...
> >
> > Mikkel
> >   
>  Oh yes, my processor is slow now. a df command shows this:
>  [root@localhost trade]# df
>  Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
>  /dev/mapper/VolGroup00-LogVol00
>                      718841144   8123212 674202912   2% /
>  /dev/sda1               194442     44177    140226  24% /boot
>  tmpfs                  1943548        48   1943500   1% /dev/shm
>  /dev/ram0                15863       728     15135   5% /mnt/rd
>  /dev/sdf1              3985612     53992   3931620   2% /media/disk
>  
>  The JetFlash pen is assigned to sdf1. But do I have to assign it to sdc1
>  for it to work??
>  What consequences does this have?
>  
>  Brgds PAR
>   
Nope - but you have to use /dev/sdf instead of /dev/sdc if you want
fdisk to tell you anything about the drive. This is why you were
getting the unable to open /dev/sdc error message from fdisk.

Mikkel
-- 

  Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for thou art crunchy and taste good with Ketchup!

[Mikkel]

Per Anton Rønning wrote:
>  I have tried both fdisk and cfdisk, but non of these are allowed
> open
>  the jetflash device
>  (as root!)
>  It  has made itself inaccessible it seems, so I guess I just have to
>  discard it.
>  If there is no command that I have not thought of that might help me to
>  erase its contents and
>  create everyting (i.e. some backup directories) anew.
>  
>  BRGDS
>  PAR
>   
Double check that you are accessing the correct device. USB drives
do not always get "assigned" the same device. (It might get assigned
/dev/sdd instead of /dev/sdc for example.) If you are interested in
the reasons for this, it should probably be a separate thread...

Mikkel
-- 

  Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for thou art crunchy and taste good with Ketchup!

[Mikkel]

Per Anton Rønning wrote:
>  
>  But now the pen seems to be really stuck, just look at this:
>  
>  [root@localhost disk]# /sbin/fdisk /dev/sdc
>  Unable to open /dev/sdc
>  
>  And also:
>  [root@localhost disk]# /sbin/fdisk /dev/sdc1
>  Unable to open /dev/sdc1
>  
>  This is not a disaster, it just means that I have to consider this flash
>  pen obsolete and buy a new one.
>  I have been using it for backup of some hard disk directories,  so it is
>  no big deal if I lose whats on it, since my harrdisk is intact.
>  
>  Perhaps I should buy a  removable HD instead.
>  
>  BRGDS
>  PAR
>   
Plug the drive in, and then run "tail /var/log/messages" to see what
messages are generated. I would not be surprised to if the problem
was that the drive was assigned a different letter. Also, you do not
want to use fdisk on anything but the base drive. Using it on
/dev/sdc1 will produce all kinds of interesting errors on a good drive.

Mikkel
-- 

  Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for thou art crunchy and taste good with Ketchup!

[Mikkel]

Per Anton Rønning wrote:
>  I guess I should rephrase my question about my 4GB memory stick/pen,
>  where the filesystem
>  now is set to readonly when I enter it into one of the slots.
>  Could anyone tell me what might have happened by taking a look at the
>  snip of the logfile?
>  
>  I am not allowed to do anyting but reading files. I am not allowed to
>  delete files ,remove directires
>  or write to files, even if I change to root privileges.
>  I cannot say when this started - it just happened one time when I tried
>  to backup some files to the Jet Flash.
>  Then I got the message (one example):
>   cp: cannot create regular file `/media/disk/trade/statQ': Read-only
>  file system
>  Does anyone have a clue? I'd be grateful for pointers in the right
>  direction.
>  
>  *** snip ***
>  Oct 27 11:36:30 localhost kernel: FAT: Filesystem panic (dev sdb1)  
>  [!!!!!!!! - my remark] 
An error was found on the file system that will not allow it
to
finish mounting it.

>  Oct 27 11:36:30 localhost kernel:    fat_free_clusters: deleting FAT
>  entry beyond EOF  [My remark: What does this mean? Looks like an
>  error message] 
I am guessing, but it sounds like there were clusters assigned to a
file in the FAT, but were actually after the end of the file. Or
another way to say it is that the actual file length was much
shorter then the space assigned to it.

>  Oct 27 11:36:30 localhost kernel:    File system has been set
> read-only
>  [!!!!!!! - my remark]
>  *** end snip ***
>   
There are errors in the file system that can not be automatically
fixed, so the file system is being mounted Read Only to prevent
further damage, while allowing you to recover what data you can.
If you have a Windows system, run disk check on it, and see what it
reports. You may also want to run fdisk on it under Linux, and see
what it says. You may have to backup and re-format the drive before
it will work correctly.

Mikkel
-- 

  Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for thou art crunchy and taste good with Ketchup!

[James Wilkinson]

Per Anton Rønning wrote:
>  I guess I should rephrase my question about my 4GB memory stick/pen, 
>
>  where the filesystem
>  now is set to readonly when I enter it into one of the slots.
>  Could anyone tell me what might have happened by taking a look at the  
>  snip of the logfile?
>
>  I am not allowed to do anyting but reading files. I am not allowed to  
>  delete files ,remove directires
>  or write to files, even if I change to root privileges.
>  I cannot say when this started - it just happened one time when I tried  
>  to backup some files to the Jet Flash.
>  Then I got the message (one example):
>   cp: cannot create regular file `/media/disk/trade/statQ': Read-only  
>  file system
>  Does anyone have a clue? I'd be grateful for pointers in the right  
>  direction. 
<snip>
>  Oct 27 11:36:30 localhost kernel:    fat_free_clusters: deleting FAT 
>
>  entry beyond EOF  [My remark: What does this
>                                                                            
>                                                   mean? Looks like an  
>  error message]
>  Oct 27 11:36:30 localhost kernel:    File system has been set read-only  
>  [!!!!!!! - my remark]
>  *** end snip *** 
It looks to me like this is a logical inconsistency with the filesystem
on the drive.  Did you create it, or is it as the drive came?

A number of these drives come with slightly inconsistent partitioning
and formatting – it looks like this is becoming a FAQ. It’s possible
(but rather unlikely) that a stray Linux bug or memory errors corrupted
something. It’s slightly more likely that a bug in the drive itself
corrupted something.

In any of these cases, I’d recommend backing up everything that’s on the
disk, and either:
 * fdisk it to remove and recreate any partitions, then mkfs a new
   filesystem
 * just mkfs a filesystem on the “raw” device (e.g. /dev/sdc rather than
   /dev/sdc1).

Hints: the fdisk man page recommends cfdisk or parted to the traditional
fdisk program: you might want to try the graphical gparted. If you want
to use this disk under Windows, use
mkfs -t fat32 -F 32 -n diskname /dev/sdx
where diskname is the name you want to give the disk.

And make sure you do this on the right device! There is always the
prospect with these devices, if you’re not careful, of screwing up your
hard disk!

It’s vaguely possible that this disk’s reached its maximum number of
rewrites and has no spare sectors to swap in. If this is the case, then
it’s basically dead – it just allows you to get all the data off it.
(This seems to be the most normal failure mode with Flash, and is
definitely a Good Thing).

In any case, and as a general principle, never trust any disk too much.
If you haven’t got multiple copies of a piece of data (in multiple
locations), you haven’t really got it.

Hope this helps,

James.

-- 
E-mail:     james@ | Telsa ruthlessly depopulates the cuddly toy pile. There
aprilcottage.co.uk | is only room for so many penguins in any one house. Alan
                   | wakes. Telsa throws cuddly toys down the stairwell. Alan
                   | is struck by a blinding flash of penguin.
                   |     -- Telsa Gwynne’s Diary.

[Per Anton Rønning]

Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
>  Per Anton Rønning wrote:
>    
> > Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> >     
> >> Double check that you are accessing the correct device. USB drives
> >> do not always get "assigned" the same device. (It might get assigned
> >> /dev/sdd instead of /dev/sdc for example.) If you are interested in
> >> the reasons for this, it should probably be a separate thread...
> >>
> >> Mikkel
> >>   
> >>       
> > Oh yes, my processor is slow now. a df command shows this:
> > [root@localhost trade]# df
> > Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
> > /dev/mapper/VolGroup00-LogVol00
> >                     718841144   8123212 674202912   2% /
> > /dev/sda1               194442     44177    140226  24% /boot
> > tmpfs                  1943548        48   1943500   1% /dev/shm
> > /dev/ram0                15863       728     15135   5% /mnt/rd
> > /dev/sdf1              3985612     53992   3931620   2% /media/disk
> >
> > The JetFlash pen is assigned to sdf1. But do I have to assign it to sdc1
> > for it to work??
> > What consequences does this have?
> >
> > Brgds PAR
> >
> >     
>  Nope - but you have to use /dev/sdf instead of /dev/sdc if you want
>  fdisk to tell you anything about the drive. This is why you were
>  getting the unable to open /dev/sdc error message from fdisk.
>
>  Mikkel
>     
Of course!
And this is what now comes out of the woodwork:
fdisk /dev/sdf1 -l
Disk /dev/sdf1: 4089 MB, 4089428992 bytes
126 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1022 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 7812 * 512 = 3999744 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x69737369

This doesn't look like a partition table
Probably you selected the wrong device.

     Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdf1p1   ?      239347      260940    84344761   69  Unknown
Partition 1 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(68, 13, 10) logical=(239346, 6, 42)
Partition 1 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(288, 115, 43) logical=(260939, 87, 25)
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sdf1p2   ?      217809      457169   934940732+  73  Unknown
Partition 2 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(371, 114, 37) logical=(217808, 54, 38)
Partition 2 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(366, 32, 33) logical=(457168, 73, 4)
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sdf1p3   ?           1           1           0   74  Unknown
Partition 3 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(371, 114, 37) logical=(0, 41, 32)
Partition 3 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(372, 97, 50) logical=(0, 41, 31)
Partition 3 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sdf1p4          369391      369398       26207+   0  Empty
Partition 4 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(0, 0, 0) logical=(369390, 104, 25)
Partition 4 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(0, 0, 0) logical=(369397, 67, 49)
Partition 4 does not end on cylinder boundary.

Partition table entries are not in disk order
-----------------
This seems to be a mess. Is it mendable?

Brgds
PAR

[Rick Stevens]

Per Anton Rønning wrote:
>  Rick Stevens wrote:
> > Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> >> Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> >>> Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> >>>  
> >>>> Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> >>>>  
> >>>>> Double check that you are accessing the correct device. USB drives
> >>>>> do not always get "assigned" the same device. (It might get
> assigned
> >>>>> /dev/sdd instead of /dev/sdc for example.) If you are interested in
> >>>>> the reasons for this, it should probably be a separate thread...
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Mikkel
> >>>>>         
> >>>> Oh yes, my processor is slow now. a df command shows this:
> >>>> [root@localhost trade]# df
> >>>> Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
> >>>> /dev/mapper/VolGroup00-LogVol00
> >>>>                     718841144   8123212 674202912   2% /
> >>>> /dev/sda1               194442     44177    140226  24% /boot
> >>>> tmpfs                  1943548        48   1943500   1% /dev/shm
> >>>> /dev/ram0                15863       728     15135   5% /mnt/rd
> >>>> /dev/sdf1              3985612     53992   3931620   2% /media/disk
> >>>>
> >>>> The JetFlash pen is assigned to sdf1. But do I have to assign it to 
> >>>> sdc1
> >>>> for it to work??
> >>>> What consequences does this have?
> >>>>
> >>>> Brgds PAR
> >>>>
> >>>>     
> >>> Nope - but you have to use /dev/sdf instead of /dev/sdc if you want
> >>> fdisk to tell you anything about the drive. This is why you were
> >>> getting the unable to open /dev/sdc error message from fdisk.
> >>>
> >>> Mikkel
> >>>   
> >> Of course!
> >> And this is what now comes out of the woodwork:
> >> fdisk /dev/sdf1 -l
> >> Disk /dev/sdf1: 4089 MB, 4089428992 bytes
> >> 126 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1022 cylinders
> >> Units = cylinders of 7812 * 512 = 3999744 bytes
> >> Disk identifier: 0x69737369
> >>
> >> This doesn't look like a partition table
> >> Probably you selected the wrong device.
> >
> > /dev/sdf1 is a partition.  /dev/sdf is the device.  Try:
> >
> >     # fdisk -l /dev/sdf
> >
> > (that's "dash ell", by the way).  That should show you the partition
> > table on drive /dev/sdf.
>  Sorry,  my mistake. I don't do these things too often.
>  
>  
>  [root@localhost par]# /sbin/fdisk -l /dev/sdf
>  
>  Disk /dev/sdf: 4089 MB, 4089445376 bytes
>  33 heads, 63 sectors/track, 3841 cylinders
>  Units = cylinders of 2079 * 512 = 1064448 bytes
>  Disk identifier: 0x7ef87cc2
>  
>    Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
>  /dev/sdf1               1        3842     3993583    b  W95 FAT32
>  
>  But I cannot see any message here that points out what goes wrong -
>  why it is set to readonly. 
There's nothing wrong with the partition from what I can see.

I'm afraid I've purged the previous messsages in this thread (stupid, I
know), but I do have a few questions.  I'm sure you've answered them
before, but I don't have the data handy.  Bear with me.

1. When you plug the device in, does it automount?

2. If it does automount, run "mount" as root and post the line
regarding that device.  It should start with "/dev/sdf1".

3. The system should mount it somewhere in the /media directory.
If it does, did the system choose the mountpoint name or did you
create a directory that it mounts as?

I can try to help you off-list if you wish.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Rick Stevens, Systems Engineer                      ricks(a)nerd.com -
- AIM/Skype: therps2        ICQ: 22643734            Yahoo: origrps2 -
-                                                                    -
-   UNIX is actually quite user friendly.  The problem is that it's  -
-              just very picky of who its friends are!               -
----------------------------------------------------------------------

[Per Anton Rønning]

Rick Stevens wrote:
>  Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> > Rick Stevens wrote:
> >> Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> >>> Rick Stevens wrote:
> >>>> Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> >>>>> Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> >>>>>> Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> >>>>>>  
> >>>>>>> Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> >>>>>>>  
> >>>>>>>> Double check that you are accessing the correct device.
> USB 
> >>>>>>>> drives
> >>>>>>>> do not always get "assigned" the same device.
> (It might get 
> >>>>>>>> assigned
> >>>>>>>> /dev/sdd instead of /dev/sdc for example.) If you are 
> >>>>>>>> interested in
> >>>>>>>> the reasons for this, it should probably be a separate
> thread...
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> Mikkel
> >>>>>>>>         
> >>>>>>> Oh yes, my processor is slow now. a df command shows this:
> >>>>>>> [root@localhost trade]# df
> >>>>>>> Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use%
> Mounted on
> >>>>>>> /dev/mapper/VolGroup00-LogVol00
> >>>>>>>                     718841144   8123212 674202912   2% /
> >>>>>>> /dev/sda1               194442     44177    140226  24%
> /boot
> >>>>>>> tmpfs                  1943548        48   1943500   1%
> /dev/shm
> >>>>>>> /dev/ram0                15863       728     15135   5%
> /mnt/rd
> >>>>>>> /dev/sdf1              3985612     53992   3931620   2% 
> >>>>>>> /media/disk
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> The JetFlash pen is assigned to sdf1. But do I have to assign
>
> >>>>>>> it to sdc1
> >>>>>>> for it to work??
> >>>>>>> What consequences does this have?
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> Brgds PAR
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>     
> >>>>>> Nope - but you have to use /dev/sdf instead of /dev/sdc if you
> want
> >>>>>> fdisk to tell you anything about the drive. This is why you were
> >>>>>> getting the unable to open /dev/sdc error message from fdisk.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Mikkel
> >>>>>>   
> >>>>> Of course!
> >>>>> And this is what now comes out of the woodwork:
> >>>>> fdisk /dev/sdf1 -l
> >>>>> Disk /dev/sdf1: 4089 MB, 4089428992 bytes
> >>>>> 126 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1022 cylinders
> >>>>> Units = cylinders of 7812 * 512 = 3999744 bytes
> >>>>> Disk identifier: 0x69737369
> >>>>>
> >>>>> This doesn't look like a partition table
> >>>>> Probably you selected the wrong device.
> >>>>
> >>>> /dev/sdf1 is a partition.  /dev/sdf is the device.  Try:
> >>>>
> >>>>     # fdisk -l /dev/sdf
> >>>>
> >>>> (that's "dash ell", by the way).  That should show you the
> partition
> >>>> table on drive /dev/sdf.
> >>> Sorry,  my mistake. I don't do these things too often.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> [root@localhost par]# /sbin/fdisk -l /dev/sdf
> >>>
> >>> Disk /dev/sdf: 4089 MB, 4089445376 bytes
> >>> 33 heads, 63 sectors/track, 3841 cylinders
> >>> Units = cylinders of 2079 * 512 = 1064448 bytes
> >>> Disk identifier: 0x7ef87cc2
> >>>
> >>>   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
> >>> /dev/sdf1               1        3842     3993583    b  W95 FAT32
> >>>
> >>> But I cannot see any message here that points out what goes wrong -
> >>> why it is set to readonly.
> >>
> >> There's nothing wrong with the partition from what I can see.
> >>
> >> I'm afraid I've purged the previous messsages in this thread (stupid, I
> >> know), but I do have a few questions.  I'm sure you've answered them
> >> before, but I don't have the data handy.  Bear with me.
> >>
> >> 1. When you plug the device in, does it automount?
> >>
> >> 2. If it does automount, run "mount" as root and post the line
> >> regarding that device.  It should start with "/dev/sdf1".
> >>
> >> 3. The system should mount it somewhere in the /media directory.
> >> If it does, did the system choose the mountpoint name or did you
> >> create a directory that it mounts as?
> >>
> >> I can try to help you off-list if you wish.
> > Of course I'll bear with you, I make more than a fair share of 
> > mistakes myself.
> > My replies:
> > 1) Yes, it automounts.
> > 2) No manual mount is necessary
> > 3) It mounts in the directory /media/disk - I have not done anything 
> > to bring this about, it's automatic.
>
>  And yet /media/disk is mounted read-only.  This is very odd.
>
> > I have unplugged the Jet Flash device, and replugged it again, and 
> > this is  the system log:
> > --------------- snip ----------------------
> > Oct 30 09:21:28 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: USB disconnect, address 6
> > Oct 30 09:21:28 localhost hald[2162]: forcibly attempting to lazy 
> > unmount /dev/sdf1 as enclosing drive was disconnected
> > Oct 30 09:21:29 localhost gnome-keyring-daemon[2721]: removing 
> > removable location: volume_uuid_7A22_FF86
> > Oct 30 09:21:29 localhost hald: unmounted /dev/sdf1 from 
> > '/media/disk' on behalf of uid 0
> >
> > [I guess the logging of the replug starts here]
> > Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: new high speed USB device 
> > using ehci_hcd and address 7
> > Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: configuration #1 chosen 
> > from 1 choice
> > Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: scsi10 : SCSI emulation for USB 
> > Mass Storage devices
> > Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: New USB device found, 
> > idVendor=058f, idProduct=6387
> > Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: New USB device strings: 
> > Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
> > Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: Product: Mass Storage Device
> > Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: Manufacturer: JetFlash
> > Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: SerialNumber: TCC95547
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: scsi 10:0:0:0: Direct-Access     
> > JetFlash TS4GJF185        8.07 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] 7987198 512-byte 
> > hardware sectors (4089 MB)
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Write Protect is 
> > off
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Assuming drive 
> > cache: write through
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] 7987198 512-byte 
> > hardware sectors (4089 MB)
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Write Protect is 
> > off
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Assuming drive 
> > cache: write through
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sdf: sdf1
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Attached SCSI 
> > removable disk
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic 
> > sg6 type 0
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost hald: mounted /dev/sdf1 on behalf of uid 500
> > Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost gnome-keyring-daemon[2721]: adding 
> > removable location: volume_uuid_7A22_FF86 at /media/disk
> > Oct 30 09:21:52 localhost gconfd (root-10214): starting (version 
> > 2.22.0), pid 10214 user 'root'
> > Oct 30 09:21:52 localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
> > "xml:readonly:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory" to a read-only 
> > configuration source at position 0
> > Oct 30 09:21:52 localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
> > "xml:readwrite:/root/.gconf" to a writable configuration source at 
> > position 1
> > Oct 30 09:21:52 localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
> > "xml:readonly:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.defaults" to a read-only 
> > configuration source at position 2
> > ------------------- snip end ----------------------
> > It says
> > localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
> > "xml:readwrite:/root/.gconf" to a writable configuration source at 
> > position 1
> > localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
> > "xml:readonly:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.defaults" to a read-only 
> > configuration source at position 2
> >
> > I'm not sure what the position designation means - but position 1 has 
> > a writeable config (it says)
> > whereas position 2 is readonly.
> > Perhaps "position" means the USB slot? I am not sure.
> >
> >
> > I would not mind off-list help if you think the problem is of limited 
> > public interest.
>
>  I don't know if it is, I just tend to offer to address specific issues
>  off-list.  However, this may have more broad appeal.
>
>  I've never really understood all the "xml:readwrite" stuff that Gnome
>  does, but I've never really taken the time to read up on it.  I don't
>  get such messages.  Here's a /var/log/messages transcript of what I see
>  when I plug in a 16GB FLASH drive on a F9 machine:
>
>  Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: new high speed USB device 
>  using ehci_hcd and address 6
>  Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 
>  choice
>  Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: scsi6 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass 
>  Storage devices
>  Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: New USB device found, 
>  idVendor=154b, idProduct=000d
>  Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, 
>  Product=2, SerialNumber=3
>  Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: Product: USB 20 DISK
>  Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: Manufacturer: PNY Technologies
>  Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: SerialNumber: AA04012700008042
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: scsi 6:0:0:0: Direct-Access     PNY USB 
>  2.0 FD       1638 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 CCS
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] 31457280 512-byte 
>  hardware sectors (16106 MB)
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: 
>  write through
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] 31457280 512-byte 
>  hardware sectors (16106 MB)
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: 
>  write through
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sdb: sdb1
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI 
>  removable disk
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 
>  type 0
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 hald: mounted /dev/sdb1 on behalf of uid 500
>  Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 gnome-keyring-daemon[13027]: adding removable 
>  location: volume_uuid_D439_4564 at /media/USB 20 DISK
>
>  The output of dmesg that corresponds is:
>
>  usb 2-1: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 6
>  usb 2-1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
>  scsi6 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices
>  usb-storage: device found at 6
>  usb-storage: waiting for device to settle before scanning
>  usb 2-1: New USB device found, idVendor=154b, idProduct=000d
>  usb 2-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
>  usb 2-1: Product: USB 20 DISK
>  usb 2-1: Manufacturer: PNY Technologies
>  usb 2-1: SerialNumber: AA04012700008042
>  usb-storage: device scan complete
>  scsi 6:0:0:0: Direct-Access     PNY      USB 2.0 FD       1638 PQ: 0 
>  ANSI: 0 CCS
>  sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] 31457280 512-byte hardware sectors (16106 MB)
>  sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
>  sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 43 00 00 00
>  sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
>  sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] 31457280 512-byte hardware sectors (16106 MB)
>  sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
>  sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 43 00 00 00
>  sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
>   sdb: sdb1
>  sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk
>  sd 6:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0
>  SELinux: initialized (dev sdb1, type vfat), uses genfs_contexts
>
>  The output from "mount" referring to the device is:
>
>  /dev/sdb1 on /media/USB 20 DISK type vfat 
>  (rw,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal,shortname=lower,uid=500)
>
>  So, this looks to be some weird Gnome muckup on your machine.  I don't
>  know of a clean way to reset Gnome to a default setting for a given user
>  shy of:
>
>  1. Find some spare space and make a tar archive of the user's home
>  directory tree.  Make sure you keep permissions and SElinux context.
>
>  2. Find out the UID and GID of the user involved
>
>  3. Delete the user and the home directory ("userdel -r username")
>
>  4. Recreate the user ("useradd -u UID -g GID -m username")
>
>  5. Restore the user's files from the tar archive, but make sure you
>  use the "-k" option so you don't overwrite existing files in the new
>  home directory (you want the fresh Gnome-related files, not the ones
>  from the archive).
>
>  I SURE hope someone else has a better idea, because this one is a right
>  pain in the arse! 
I have done some experimenting. First I logged on to KDE, but the
device 
was still readonly.
Then I fired up my old computer (running F5 & KDE), in order to erase 
all directories in the
JetFlash pen,  hoping to resolve things by creating the directories 
again and running backup
to them.
But the same thing happened: I was not permitted to delete anything, the 
system was still set to readonly.

Then I think it must be a reasonable conclusion that the problem lies in 
the device itself, and not in Gnome.
So then I should buy a new one and discard the present one as damaged.

Brgds
PAR

[Rick Stevens]

Per Anton Rønning wrote:
>  Rick Stevens wrote:
> > Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> >> Rick Stevens wrote:
> >>> Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> >>>> Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> >>>>> Per Anton Rønning wrote:
> >>>>>  
> >>>>>> Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> >>>>>>  
> >>>>>>> Double check that you are accessing the correct device. USB
> drives
> >>>>>>> do not always get "assigned" the same device. (It
> might get 
> >>>>>>> assigned
> >>>>>>> /dev/sdd instead of /dev/sdc for example.) If you are
> interested in
> >>>>>>> the reasons for this, it should probably be a separate
> thread...
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> Mikkel
> >>>>>>>         
> >>>>>> Oh yes, my processor is slow now. a df command shows this:
> >>>>>> [root@localhost trade]# df
> >>>>>> Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted
> on
> >>>>>> /dev/mapper/VolGroup00-LogVol00
> >>>>>>                     718841144   8123212 674202912   2% /
> >>>>>> /dev/sda1               194442     44177    140226  24% /boot
> >>>>>> tmpfs                  1943548        48   1943500   1% /dev/shm
> >>>>>> /dev/ram0                15863       728     15135   5% /mnt/rd
> >>>>>> /dev/sdf1              3985612     53992   3931620   2%
> /media/disk
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> The JetFlash pen is assigned to sdf1. But do I have to assign it
>
> >>>>>> to sdc1
> >>>>>> for it to work??
> >>>>>> What consequences does this have?
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Brgds PAR
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>     
> >>>>> Nope - but you have to use /dev/sdf instead of /dev/sdc if you want
> >>>>> fdisk to tell you anything about the drive. This is why you were
> >>>>> getting the unable to open /dev/sdc error message from fdisk.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Mikkel
> >>>>>   
> >>>> Of course!
> >>>> And this is what now comes out of the woodwork:
> >>>> fdisk /dev/sdf1 -l
> >>>> Disk /dev/sdf1: 4089 MB, 4089428992 bytes
> >>>> 126 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1022 cylinders
> >>>> Units = cylinders of 7812 * 512 = 3999744 bytes
> >>>> Disk identifier: 0x69737369
> >>>>
> >>>> This doesn't look like a partition table
> >>>> Probably you selected the wrong device.
> >>>
> >>> /dev/sdf1 is a partition.  /dev/sdf is the device.  Try:
> >>>
> >>>     # fdisk -l /dev/sdf
> >>>
> >>> (that's "dash ell", by the way).  That should show you the
> partition
> >>> table on drive /dev/sdf.
> >> Sorry,  my mistake. I don't do these things too often.
> >>
> >>
> >> [root@localhost par]# /sbin/fdisk -l /dev/sdf
> >>
> >> Disk /dev/sdf: 4089 MB, 4089445376 bytes
> >> 33 heads, 63 sectors/track, 3841 cylinders
> >> Units = cylinders of 2079 * 512 = 1064448 bytes
> >> Disk identifier: 0x7ef87cc2
> >>
> >>   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
> >> /dev/sdf1               1        3842     3993583    b  W95 FAT32
> >>
> >> But I cannot see any message here that points out what goes wrong -
> >> why it is set to readonly.
> >
> > There's nothing wrong with the partition from what I can see.
> >
> > I'm afraid I've purged the previous messsages in this thread (stupid, I
> > know), but I do have a few questions.  I'm sure you've answered them
> > before, but I don't have the data handy.  Bear with me.
> >
> > 1. When you plug the device in, does it automount?
> >
> > 2. If it does automount, run "mount" as root and post the line
> > regarding that device.  It should start with "/dev/sdf1".
> >
> > 3. The system should mount it somewhere in the /media directory.
> > If it does, did the system choose the mountpoint name or did you
> > create a directory that it mounts as?
> >
> > I can try to help you off-list if you wish.
>  Of course I'll bear with you, I make more than a fair share of mistakes 
>  myself.
>  My replies:
>  1) Yes, it automounts.
>  2) No manual mount is necessary
>  3) It mounts in the directory /media/disk - I have not done anything to 
>  bring this about, it's automatic. 
And yet /media/disk is mounted read-only.  This is very odd.

>  I have unplugged the Jet Flash device, and replugged it again, and
> this 
>  is  the system log:
>  --------------- snip ----------------------
>  Oct 30 09:21:28 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: USB disconnect, address 6
>  Oct 30 09:21:28 localhost hald[2162]: forcibly attempting to lazy 
>  unmount /dev/sdf1 as enclosing drive was disconnected
>  Oct 30 09:21:29 localhost gnome-keyring-daemon[2721]: removing removable 
>  location: volume_uuid_7A22_FF86
>  Oct 30 09:21:29 localhost hald: unmounted /dev/sdf1 from '/media/disk' 
>  on behalf of uid 0
>  
>  [I guess the logging of the replug starts here]
>  Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: new high speed USB device 
>  using ehci_hcd and address 7
>  Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: configuration #1 chosen from 
>  1 choice
>  Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: scsi10 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass 
>  Storage devices
>  Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: New USB device found, 
>  idVendor=058f, idProduct=6387
>  Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: New USB device strings: 
>  Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
>  Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: Product: Mass Storage Device
>  Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: Manufacturer: JetFlash
>  Oct 30 09:21:35 localhost kernel: usb 1-8: SerialNumber: TCC95547
>  Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: scsi 10:0:0:0: Direct-Access     
>  JetFlash TS4GJF185        8.07 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2
>  Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] 7987198 512-byte 
>  hardware sectors (4089 MB)
>  Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Write Protect is off
>  Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Assuming drive 
>  cache: write through
>  Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] 7987198 512-byte 
>  hardware sectors (4089 MB)
>  Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Write Protect is off
>  Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Assuming drive 
>  cache: write through
>  Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sdf: sdf1
>  Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: [sdf] Attached SCSI 
>  removable disk
>  Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost kernel: sd 10:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg6 
>  type 0
>  Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost hald: mounted /dev/sdf1 on behalf of uid 500
>  Oct 30 09:21:41 localhost gnome-keyring-daemon[2721]: adding removable 
>  location: volume_uuid_7A22_FF86 at /media/disk
>  Oct 30 09:21:52 localhost gconfd (root-10214): starting (version 
>  2.22.0), pid 10214 user 'root'
>  Oct 30 09:21:52 localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
>  "xml:readonly:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory" to a read-only 
>  configuration source at position 0
>  Oct 30 09:21:52 localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
>  "xml:readwrite:/root/.gconf" to a writable configuration source at 
>  position 1
>  Oct 30 09:21:52 localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
>  "xml:readonly:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.defaults" to a read-only 
>  configuration source at position 2
>  ------------------- snip end ----------------------
>  It says
>  localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
>  "xml:readwrite:/root/.gconf" to a writable configuration source at 
>  position 1
>  localhost gconfd (root-10214): Resolved address 
>  "xml:readonly:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.defaults" to a read-only 
>  configuration source at position 2
>  
>  I'm not sure what the position designation means - but position 1 has a 
>  writeable config (it says)
>  whereas position 2 is readonly.
>  Perhaps "position" means the USB slot? I am not sure.
>  
>  
>  I would not mind off-list help if you think the problem is of limited 
>  public interest. 
I don't know if it is, I just tend to offer to address specific issues
off-list.  However, this may have more broad appeal.

I've never really understood all the "xml:readwrite" stuff that Gnome
does, but I've never really taken the time to read up on it.  I don't
get such messages.  Here's a /var/log/messages transcript of what I see
when I plug in a 16GB FLASH drive on a F9 machine:

Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: new high speed USB device using 
ehci_hcd and address 6
Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 
choice
Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: scsi6 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass 
Storage devices
Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: New USB device found, 
idVendor=154b, idProduct=000d
Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, 
Product=2, SerialNumber=3
Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: Product: USB 20 DISK
Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: Manufacturer: PNY Technologies
Oct 30 11:27:35 golem3 kernel: usb 2-1: SerialNumber: AA04012700008042
Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: scsi 6:0:0:0: Direct-Access     PNY 
USB 2.0 FD       1638 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 CCS
Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] 31457280 512-byte 
hardware sectors (16106 MB)
Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: 
write through
Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] 31457280 512-byte 
hardware sectors (16106 MB)
Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: 
write through
Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sdb: sdb1
Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable 
disk
Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0
Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 hald: mounted /dev/sdb1 on behalf of uid 500
Oct 30 11:27:40 golem3 gnome-keyring-daemon[13027]: adding removable 
location: volume_uuid_D439_4564 at /media/USB 20 DISK

The output of dmesg that corresponds is:

usb 2-1: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 6
usb 2-1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
scsi6 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices
usb-storage: device found at 6
usb-storage: waiting for device to settle before scanning
usb 2-1: New USB device found, idVendor=154b, idProduct=000d
usb 2-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
usb 2-1: Product: USB 20 DISK
usb 2-1: Manufacturer: PNY Technologies
usb 2-1: SerialNumber: AA04012700008042
usb-storage: device scan complete
scsi 6:0:0:0: Direct-Access     PNY      USB 2.0 FD       1638 PQ: 0 
ANSI: 0 CCS
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] 31457280 512-byte hardware sectors (16106 MB)
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 43 00 00 00
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] 31457280 512-byte hardware sectors (16106 MB)
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 43 00 00 00
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
  sdb: sdb1
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk
sd 6:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0
SELinux: initialized (dev sdb1, type vfat), uses genfs_contexts

The output from "mount" referring to the device is:

/dev/sdb1 on /media/USB 20 DISK type vfat 
(rw,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal,shortname=lower,uid=500)

So, this looks to be some weird Gnome muckup on your machine.  I don't
know of a clean way to reset Gnome to a default setting for a given user
shy of:

1. Find some spare space and make a tar archive of the user's home
directory tree.  Make sure you keep permissions and SElinux context.

2. Find out the UID and GID of the user involved

3. Delete the user and the home directory ("userdel -r username")

4. Recreate the user ("useradd -u UID -g GID -m username")

5. Restore the user's files from the tar archive, but make sure you
use the "-k" option so you don't overwrite existing files in the new
home directory (you want the fresh Gnome-related files, not the ones
from the archive).

I SURE hope someone else has a better idea, because this one is a right
pain in the arse!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Rick Stevens, Systems Engineer                      ricks(a)nerd.com -
- AIM/Skype: therps2        ICQ: 22643734            Yahoo: origrps2 -
-                                                                    -
- Life:  That which happens while you search for the remote control. -
----------------------------------------------------------------------

[Mikkel]

Per Anton Rønning wrote:
>  Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> > Nope - but you have to use /dev/sdf instead of /dev/sdc if you want
> > fdisk to tell you anything about the drive. This is why you were
> > getting the unable to open /dev/sdc error message from fdisk.
> >
> > Mikkel
> >   
>  Of course!
>  And this is what now comes out of the woodwork:
>  fdisk /dev/sdf1 -l
>  Disk /dev/sdf1: 4089 MB, 4089428992 bytes
>  126 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1022 cylinders
>  Units = cylinders of 7812 * 512 = 3999744 bytes
>  Disk identifier: 0x69737369
>  
>  This doesn't look like a partition table
>  Probably you selected the wrong device.
>   
I thought I covered this on an earlier message - /dev/sdf is the
entire drive, and what fdisk needs to look at. /dev/sdf1 is a
partition, and does NOT have the partition table. This is what fdisk
is trying to tell you.

On a side note - you normally put the option first, and then the
device. In this case, it does not matter, but with some programs it
does.

Mikkel
-- 

  Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for thou art crunchy and taste good with Ketchup!