My silly first stab at being a linux user --- .. help? (trying to mount usb drive)

[limpbiskit]

i'm using Damn Small Linux 4.4.2 running as a disk image under vmware player under windows 2k..

i've never used linux before but ive googled a bit. all im trying to do is to get my linux to see my usb pen drive. I haven't been able ot mount it -- ive been stuck at the need to input a root user password (which didn't come with the disk image). I've been following these instructions :-
Cool Solutions: Manually Mounting a USB Flash Drive in Linux
And trying to mount it to use it just once..

Does any one have any guidance?

I'm also open to suggestions if people want to help me learn something simpler to do.

Need someone to hold my hand

[L4Linux]

Is there any particular reason you use Damn Small Linux? Because it is an Ultra-lightweight distribution, so it is not as easy as Ubuntu for example. If your PC has 512MB of ram i suggest Ubuntu. If you have a very old PC you can try Puppy Linux, which is easier than Damn Small Linux (and auto-mounts usb, if i remember correctly)

[limpbiskit]

well -- i sort of decided to use damn small linux because its a lot smaller and my hdd is too packed out with stuff to fit ubuntu.

but --> the GOOD NEWS is that I managed to make progress. I managed to get most of the instructions on the website I cited earlier to work. The big problem was getting the virtual machine to see the drive. It turned out the windows machine and the virtual linux machine are not allowed to see the USB drive simultaneously. You need to reboot one or the other to see the drive alone.

Anyway -- I am still stuck. Linux says the format of the command I am using highlighted in red at the bottom of this screenshot is not acceptable. The command I use is :-
"mount -t vfat -o uid=dsl,gid=users /dev/sda /home/dsl/flash"



I feel I am really close to figuring out how to access the USB stick, so any help is much appreciated...

Thanks !

[_madman_]

Hey, the mounting of devices as simple as a flash drive (a floppy in the old days) in Linux can be a real pain. Unless everything is set up properly, then it is as easy as those other two OS's.

Did you try just entering:

mount /dev/sda1 /home/dsl/flash

?...note the "one" after "sda". Some flash drives file systems are setup like this, some are just "sda", "sdb" etc. like you were trying.

Also, try mounting some other vfat/dos-like device and see if that works. That will at least let you know whether or not your kernel is setup to read the file alocation table. Kernel usually needs "codepage 437" , "iso-8859-1" , and sometimes "udf".

[limpbiskit]

Another STEP Forward!! Thanks to _madman_!!!

Yes ! - It was the use of sda1 instead of sda which allowed me to actually mount the device. As shown in the screen shot below -- It confirms the monting but now -- won't let me open the subdirectory on the device "Green Snake Soundtrack".

Very strange that it would need sda1 when it already confirmed the device at sda using the "dmesg" command....

I tried using the file browser in DSLinux and it said "Permissions denied" when I tried to open the mounted device under directory "flash".

I mat need to try Puppy Linux after all if its easier but -- any suggestions welcome..! I'll see if I keep pottering with it to allow me to see the files in the mount.

[_madman_]

Glad I could help. "sda" is the device, "sda1" is the partition on the device, like a hard-drive.

As for your next problem, You need to type in the command like so:

cd Green\ Snake\ Soundtrack

..."Escaping" the spaces with backslashes. You could also enclose the name in double-quotes (ie. "File Name With Spaces").

Now would also be a good time to bring up "TAB Completion". As soon as you have typed in enough significant characters of a file, directory, etc. you can press [TAB] to have the rest of it typed for you. Or press it twice before that and get a list of possibilities. In your case you can just type:

cd [tab]

...because there is nothing else, so no characters are needed.

[limpbiskit]

VICTORY !!! _madman_ was quite correct and thanks to everyone who followed us too :P

I did think about it and realised that "Green Snake .." was a directory name with spaces - something OSes soemtimes have toruble with. so i changed the directory name and files names to remove all spaces and YES! it works !

Then I read _madman_'s reply and I have to thank him for showing me how to navigate spaces in name s:P fabulous ! And also forexplaining about partiitions specified as sda1, sda2 and so on..!

So there I have it -- my very first meaningful LINUX SUCCESSFUL command execution ! I wonder if Puppy Linux is easier... Now my next little project: Seeing if DSLinux can play those mp3 files in virtual mode o_O

-----> glad to try any other little projects people feel like recommending i'll post screenshot test results ! ^^

[Bojingles]

I'm still a greenhorn to linux myself, but, have had simlier past problems as what you've had, sooo.... for what it's worth, I found some resolve with obtaining the Paragon Hard Disk Manager, which you can set up your P.C. for Repartitioning, with duel boot options, backups, and resizing of your hard disk.
I think I even remember seeing a copy of the "retail" version, on utorrent, anyway, The "Partition Manager" can resize, compress, add boot features, backup hard disk, and give you up to 4 Primary O.S. to boot into upon a any bootin... More info on this on the web of course...:-}
Of course Linux O.S. can do much of the above too..:-}
Good luck my friend, Bo........