USB hdd not accessible... [SOLVED]

[Bald Brick]

I wholeheartedly agree with hankcurt (who knows a lot more about mounting Windows partitions than I will ever learn): /media is not the ideal place for partitions that have lines in /etc/fstab (even if the ntfs partitions in your case are mounted with the option uhelper=hal, which is new to me).

Nevertheless I suspect that the drive/partition you are having trouble with isn't sda1 (which is mounted on /media/disk - a mountpoint that would typically be created on the fly by HAL). I suspect it is sdb1 and that it takes up all of an Iomega USB disk. Am I wrong?

Anyway, what happens if you simply add umask=0 to the fourth field of its line in /etc/fstab? Like this:

Code: [Select]

UUID=D27431CF7431B6D7   /media/Iomega\040HDD   ntfs-3g   defaults,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal,locale=da,umask=0   0   0.

[OleWilly]

Hi

Thank You for reply. There is no /media/disk . I edited my fstab to:

# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# <file system> <mount point>   <type>  <options>       <dump>  <pass>

#Entry for /dev/sda5 :
UUID=8864592a-6307-4d7d-af63-d97d3c7e4dc4   /   ext3   defaults   1   1
#Entry for /dev/sda7 :
UUID=4e3df53a-0042-49d2-a580-2d42abf47777   /home   ext3   defaults   1   2
#Entry for /dev/sdb1 :
UUID=D27431CF7431B6D7   /media/Iomega\040HDD   ntfs-3g   defaults,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal,locale=da   0   0
#Entry for /dev/sda1 :
UUID=FEB8E7E2B8E79803   /media/sdb1   ntfs-3g   defaults,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal,locale=da, umask=0    0   0
none   /proc   proc   defaults   0   0
#Entry for /dev/sda6 :
UUID=a37fec86-22b1-481a-ac75-49fc4c6f5562   swap   swap   defaults   0   0
none   /dev/pts   devpts   mode=0620   0   0

Still I am denied to see the content.

OW

[OleWilly]

Hi

Some mysteriously things have happened. Now I can access my external USB HDD as root but not as user !  
Under the boot process I am asked by a pop up message to check my system..: "Could not start kstartupconfig.Check your installation. " and then I am brought back to the login screen. And I can only login as root.
Also I could delete the annoying files and folders from Windoze sessions. So thanks for help. - I have ordered yes to autofsck.  

OW  

[Bald Brick]

Glad you got rid of the files you wanted to delete.

There's a problem with your edited /etc/fstab though: the space between "locale=da," and "umask=0". It shouldn't be there. A space is seen as a field separator and the umask option should be part of the fourth field.

[OleWilly]

Hi

Sorry about fstab. I did not get like You suggested. In the mean time I fumbled I was actually able to access the drive but not a folder with videos and music. I have now altered the fstab again:

# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#Entry for /dev/sda5 :
UUID=8864592a-6307-4d7d-af63-d97d3c7e4dc4   /   ext3   defaults   1   1
#Entry for /dev/sda7 :
UUID=4e3df53a-0042-49d2-a580-2d42abf47777   /home   ext3   defaults   1   2
#Entry for /dev/sdb1 :
UUID=D27431CF7431B6D7   /media/Iomega\040HDD   ntfs-3g   defaults,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal,locale=da,umask=0   0   0
#Entry for /dev/sda1 :
UUID=FEB8E7E2B8E79803   /media/disk   ntfs-3g   defaults,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal,locale=da   0   0
none   /proc   proc   defaults   0   0
#Entry for /dev/sda6 :
UUID=a37fec86-22b1-481a-ac75-49fc4c6f5562   swap   swap   defaults   0   0
none   /dev/pts   devpts   mode=0620   0   0

But now I am back to start. I am denied to open / mount the drive. 

OW

[OleWilly]

Hi

This is what fdisk reports:

[root@localhost ole]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 Gb, 500107862016 byte
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders
Units = cylindre of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xdea7dea7

    Enhed Opstart   Start         Slut     Blokke   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1       12765   102534831    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2           12766       60801   385849170    5  Udvidet
/dev/sda5           12766       14333    12594928+  83  Linux
/dev/sda6           14334       14842     4088511   82  Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda7           14843       60801   369165636   83  Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 1000.2 Gb, 1000204886016 byte
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders
Units = cylindre of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xcbce2081

    Enhed Opstart   Start         Slut     Blokke   Id  System
/dev/sdb1               1      121601   976760001    7  HPFS/NTFS
[root@localhost ole]# 

And this happens when I issue the mount command:

[root@localhost ole]# mount
/dev/sda5 on / type ext3 (rw)
none on /proc type proc (rw)
none on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,mode=0620)
/dev/sda7 on /home type ext3 (rw)
none on /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc type binfmt_misc (rw)
none on /sys/fs/fuse/connections type fusectl (rw)
[root@localhost ole]#

OW         

[Bald Brick]

I must admit I'm a bit confused.

First you added the umask=0 option to the line for UUID=FEB8E7E2B8E79803 and now you've moved it to the line for UUID=D27431CF7431B6D7. Which one is on your misbehaving USB drive. (You could try adding the option to both drives; it just gives everybody write, read and execute permissions to files, while also giving everybody access permissions to directories.)

Then, I myself have a Data partition with this simple line in /etc/fstab:

Code: [Select]

UUID=60368C4D368C265E  /home/erik/Data  ntfs-3g  defaults  0  0.

I don't need any other options and it's mounted at boot.

Have you tried simplifying your /etc/fstab instead of adding options to it?

I see that you've posted while I was typing. I'll be back when I've read your last post.

[Bald Brick]

Are the mountpoints for both your ntfs partitions permanent? Or does the option uhelper=hal in /ec/fstab mean that they are created on the fly by HAL? (I've never used that option, so I have to find out what it does. I do know, though, that it really isn't necessary for mounting a partition - if the mountpoint specified in /etc/fstab exists when the partition is mounted, or in your case at boot.)

[OleWilly]

Hi blackbird

Things are getting worse. Now the system detects no USB hdd at all.

I do not think that I understand Your question, sorry.

And neither is it recognized in Windoze.

OW

[Bald Brick]

Hi blackbird

Things are getting worse. Now the system detects no USB hdd at all.

I do not think that I understand Your question, sorry.

OW

A mountpoint is just a directory (folder) where you mount a partition.

If you mount the partition with the mount command or automatically at boot via a line in /etc/fstab the mountpoint has to exist before you or the system does the mounting.

On the other hand, if the partition does not have a line in /etc/fstab, HAL can handle the mounting, creating a mountpoint on the fly under /media.

Now, "uhelper=hal" is a relatively new option in /etc/fstab and I don't know what it achieves. So I suspected that it also makes HAL create mountpoints on the fly. But this is just a guess. (I've googled for "uhelper" and found lots of bugs related to it but so far no explanation as to what one would need it for. Just give me some time.)

But if you create a permanent mountpoint, i.e. a directory where you always want to mount a certain partition, and then write the line in /etc/fstab so that it is mounted there, you don't need HAL. So my question actually meant: do the mountpoints exist all the time or are they created on the fly by the system?

You could try one of two things: either comment out the line for your USB drive in /etc/fstab, i.e put a hash (#) in front of it, and see if HAL can handle it.

Or check that the mountpoint folder exists when the partition is not mounted. If it doesn't, create it. (And possibly somewhere else than under /media, which has been more or less taken over by HAL.)

And then, possibly, simplify the line in /etc/fstab. Reduce the number of option to an absolute minimum. (See the line from my fstab.) If it doesn't work add one option at a time.

[hankcurt]

Hi Blackbird,

I found a manual page for umount that contains a reference to the uhelper mount option.  It appears that uhelper is used to specify a helper program to allow an unprivileged user to unmount a partition not specified in fstab, so this option really does not belong in any fstab entry, but it appears that dynamically mounted partitions have this added to their mtab entries so that they can be successfully unmounted by non-admin users.

Here is the link to the manpage (see the NOTES section ).
http://linux.die.net/man/8/umount

I think you are on the right track about simplifying the fstab entry for the usb hard drive.  It would be interesting to see if HAL would automatically mount the drive properly if the fstab entry were commented out. 

OleWilly, if you try eliminating the fstab entry, I just want to be sure that you know that you will have to go into konqueror in the Storage Media section and click on the drive to get HAL to mount it before you will see the contents, unless you plug the drive in after you are logged into KDE and use the pop up dialog box to mount it.

[OleWilly]

Hi

Thanks for all Your help. I got lost in all the editing not really understanding what went on so I chose to make a reinstall. - I reinstalled PCLinuxOS 2009.2 and all went well. Immediately after this I accessed the usb hdd and I could see everything and go into any folder.
Then I made a full update. Rebooted and accessed the usb hdd drive. I still can acess it but in my video and music folder I can not see anything. - That is the way it all started. That tells me that something in the update process made all the trouble !? I can still access everything in Win XP Pro.

OW  

[Bald Brick]

Hi

Thanks for all Your help. I got lost in all the editing not really understanding what went on so I chose to make a reinstall. - I reinstalled PCLinuxOS 2009.2 and all went well. Immediately after this I accessed the usb hdd and I could see everything and go into any folder.
Then I made a full update. Rebooted and accessed the usb hdd drive. I still can acess it but in my video and music folder I can not see anything. - That is the way it all started. That tells me that something in the update process made all the trouble !?

It seems so.

I can still access everything in Win XP Pro.

I'm sorry for all your trouble. Reinstalling was a bit extreme as we could have tried a few quite simple changes to your setup one by one.

Is your new fstab similar to the first one you posted? And am I right in supposing that your USB drive is the one with only one partition?


And Hankcurt, thanks for your info. It saved me hours, if not days, of googling.

[OleWilly]

Hi blackbird

The fstab now:

# Entry for /dev/sda5 :
UUID=8864592a-6307-4d7d-af63-d97d3c7e4dc4 / ext3 defaults 1 1
# Entry for /dev/sda7 :
UUID=4e3df53a-0042-49d2-a580-2d42abf47777 /home ext3 defaults 1 2
none /proc proc defaults 0 0
# Entry for /dev/sda6 :
UUID=a37fec86-22b1-481a-ac75-49fc4c6f5562 swap swap defaults 0 0
none /dev/pts devpts mode=0620 0 0

My usb hdd has only 1 partition. Could I overcome future troubles by repartition the drive ?

gparted gives a warning that it can not find a mount point.

OW

[hankcurt]

Hi OleWilly,

Could you mount the usb hdd and then post the contents of /etc/mtab.  This will tell us what options it is being mounted with.

Also, do I understand correctly that you are getting it mounted, and can see the folders on the drive, but cannot see the contents inside the folders?

Thanks.