iomega zip 250 USB won't mount

[darkhaste]

I've been looking all around the forum and scouring Google: Linux (http://www.google.com/linux) for a solution to my problem, but i still haven't found one that i haven't tried.

I would really like to get my drive setup ASAP so i have a quick way of transfering files between my computers (i don't have a network between computers, YET)

The drive in question is a Iomega zip 250 external USB-powered drive (the popular little see-through blue one)

When my linux box (using slackware 9.1) starts up, it recognises it straight away, and when the box is logged in, i type 'lstab' and it recognises that the drive is there, but when i try to run a command to mount it to the computer for use, it returns "access denied" or mount position does not exist.

here is the commands i have used so far:

'mount -t vfat /dev/sda4 /mnt/removable'
'mount -t vfat /dev/sda4 /zip250'
'mount /dev/sda4 /zip -t vfat'

can somebody please tell me where i'm going wrong, as most guides tell me how to get up to the point of running the mount command and they say it should instantly work, but it just doesnt for me! I'm very confused.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[mdwatts]

Originally posted by darkhaste
IWhen i try to run a command to mount it to the computer for use, it returns "access denied" or mount position does not exist.

here is the commands i have used so far:

'mount -t vfat /dev/sda4 /mnt/removable'
'mount -t vfat /dev/sda4 /zip250'
'mount /dev/sda4 /zip -t vfat'


What does it have in /etc/fstab for your Zip drive?

You must use a existing mountpoint or create a new one yourself. Does /mnt/removable or /zip250 or /zip exist? If there is a entry in /etc/fstab for the Zip, you will see what mountpoint it should use and then mount the Zip using

mount <mountpoint>

If you are getting access denied, then you do not have the correct permissions to mount the device. First try as root

su -
<root password>

mount <mountpoint>

Lots of previous threads here on mounting permissions. Search the JL forums for 'mount vfat permission'.

[darkhaste]

i'm already logged in as root, thats what's conjfusing me, how do i create a mount position, can u point to a place that tells me how?

[jme]

This is what I did to get my internal Zip drive to work.

As root go into /mnt directory and
mkdir zip

Then all you have to do is run
mount -t ext3 /dev/hdc /mnt/zip

Change the file system type and /dev/X to suite.

If you them cd into the /mnt/zip directory you should see the files on your zip drive

I would asume that this should work for you.

HTH

Jamie

EDIT: you will have to mount as root unless you change the permissions of the /mnt/zip directory to allow other users to mount the drive.

[darkhaste]

bah i just did that, and it STILL doesnt work!

maybe it has something to do with the disk has been formatted to work on windows? but that is gonna be the main use of the disk, so it needs to be able to read things written to it using windows. as windows is the operating systyem i am using to connect to the internet.

[jme]

Is the disk empty at the moment. If it is you could try formating it with ext3 just to see if it is the fact that the zip wont read the vfat file system.

I think that you should be able to do this without mounting the disk.

Try:
mke2fs -j /dev/hdX

This will format it in ext3. Then try mounting it as above.

Let us know what happens.

Jamie

[mdwatts]

Originally posted by mdwatts
What does it have in /etc/fstab for your Zip drive?


So do you have anything in /etc/fstab for your Zip?

If so, could you post it here? (thought I had better ask that too)

[keywi]

Hey, I formatted the zip disk to ext3. Now i can read the disk. But I thought i could read msdos format or vfat format in linux if specified as that. Do this also apply for the floppy disk drive that i can't read?

Thx,

William

www.keywi.org

:D

[MMYoung]

No you can read DOS formatted disks. You didn't have to format the Zip to ext3 in order to read it. What you DO have to have is a mount point and a way to tell linux what filesystem you want to mount at that mount point.

1. You don't mount the device you mount the filesystem on the device.
2. You have to specify the mount point.

Example:
I have a directory in /mnt called zip (for my Zip 100 USB). If you don't have one you can create it by opening a terminal then su to root and type in:

mkdir /mnt/zip

I have a line in my fstab (/etc/fstab) that reads as follows:

/dev/sda4 /mnt/zip vfat noauto,users,rw 0 0

This specifies the actual device (/dev/sda4), the mount point (/mnt/zip) the filesystem that is to be mounted (vfat) that I don't want it automounted (noauto) that anyone in the users group can mount the filesystem (users) that it is to mounted in read-write mode (rw) and I can't remember what the 0 0 is for right now:confused:.

Now when I open a terminal, put a zip disk in and wait for it to "spin up", I can type in:

mount /mnt/zip

The filesystem is mounted and ready for use. If you are using the GNOME desktop you can right click on the desktop and select Disks and then Zip and it will automount it and an icon for the drive will pop up on the desktop so you can access it via GNOME's filemanger.

HTH
MMYoung

[keywi]

Well, i have configure this and also slackware install configured it that way also, but i would always get the classic message:

mount: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/fd0,
or too many mounted file systems
Please check that the disk is entered correctly.

no matter if i was root or user.

How would i format it back to vfat? So that i can get this small problem worked out in my small
brain. :)

Thx,

William

www.keywi.org

[MMYoung]

Originally posted by keywi
mount: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/fd0,
or too many mounted file systems
Please check that the disk is entered correctly.
That error message is saying that your floppy disk (/dev/fd0):
1. Has a filesystem on it that is different from the one specified in the mount command or listed in /etc/fstab (wrong fs type)
2. That the disk might be bad (bad superblock), or
3. That it is already mounted elsewhere, or by some other user (too many mounted filesystems).

If I was a betting man, I would figure that the floppy is bad or is getting that way quick.

How would i format it back to vfat? So that i can get this small problem worked out in my small brain. :)
I'm not sure how to format your Zip in Linux ( I've never had a need to do that yet so I don't know the commands, sorry ) but you can format the floppy by using the GNOME or KDE Floppy Formatting utility. Or you can open a terminal, su to root and type in:

fdformat /dev/fd0u1440

I just did a quick Google for the commands for formatting a ZIP back to the DOS filesystem and didn't come up with anything right off, so maybe someone else can help with that command and we'll both learn it :D .

Later,
MMYoung

[keywi]

you were right. i think it was a bad disk or format. I took the diskette out and put it in my XP machine and reformatted it and now it works. Weird.

Hey, I just tried "mkdosfs -F 32" for the zip drive. I was able to mount it as root. But users is not able to view contents.

Anyway, thanks to an old linux command book, I think i have figured it out.

Except for the Konqueror, i can't access or view content of drives after being mounted as su.

mount
/dev/hda1 on / type reiserfs (rw)
/dev/hda2 on /home type reiserfs (rw)
/dev/hda3 on /var type reiserfs (rw)
devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,gid=5,mode=620)
proc on /proc type proc (rw)
usbfs on /proc/bus/usb type usbfs (rw)
/dev/fd0 on /mnt/floppy type vfat (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)
/dev/hdb4 on /zip250 type vfat (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)

I did the mount command and this is what i get.

William

www.keywi.org (home)
www.tcworks.com (work)
www.tcworks.net (work)

:cool:

[MMYoung]

If you are mounting any of those as root, do you unmount them before you log out and log in as a user? If you don't unmount the filesystem as root first then you won't be able to mount them as a user later.

The command is:

umount /mnt/mountpoint

Later,
MMYoung

[darkhaste]

right sorry about my brief absence, i'm back, and had another go at getting my zip drive to work, it still doesn't work. i tried all the above, and i just can't seem to get it to work. here's the contents of the fstab

/dev/hda2 swap swap defaults 0 0
/dev/hda1 / reiserfs defaults 1 1
/dev/hda3 /usr/local reiserfs defaults 1 2
/dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom iso9660 noauto,owner,ro 0 0
/dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy auto noauto,owner 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts gid=5, mode=620 0 0
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0


*has a hunch that it's not recognising the zip drive, even tho it says it has found it when Linux is starting up!*

[mdwatts]

Have you tried adding a entry in /etc/fstab for your zip drive?

http://www.linux-usb.org/USB-guide/x498.html

Are the scsi emulation modules loaded including usb-storage?

[darkhaste]

how do i create an entry in the fstab?

(i'm a very inexperienced linux user)

[mdwatts]

Originally posted by darkhaste
how do i create an entry in the fstab?

(i'm a very inexperienced linux user)

From above...


Example:
I have a directory in /mnt called zip (for my Zip 100 USB). If you don't have one you can create it by opening a terminal then su to root and type in:

mkdir /mnt/zip

I have a line in my fstab (/etc/fstab) that reads as follows:

/dev/sda4 /mnt/zip vfat noauto,users,rw 0 0

This specifies the actual device (/dev/sda4), the mount point (/mnt/zip) the filesystem that is to be mounted (vfat) that I don't want it automounted (noauto) that anyone in the users group can mount the filesystem (users) that it is to mounted in read-write mode (rw) and I can't remember what the 0 0 is for right now.

Now when I open a terminal, put a zip disk in and wait for it to "spin up", I can type in:

mount /mnt/zip

The filesystem is mounted and ready for use.


Use any text editor (commandline or gui) to edit /etc/fstab as root.

[darkhaste]

wow it worked! thankyou so much!

so i have to unmount it before i change discs right? or just when i shut the system down?

unmount command is "umount /mnt/zip" right?

[mdwatts]

Yes you MUST umount any removable device (floppy, cdrom, zip etc.) before removing the media or shutting down.

[darkhaste]

right thanks a lot.

is there and easier way of umounting the zip drive, other than going into the command line?

[mdwatts]

Create a desktop device for the Zip so you can right click and select either 'eject' (which will umount) or 'Unmount'.

[darkhaste]

i hate sounding like a noob, but how do i do that/give me a link to a guide?

[mdwatts]

With KDE I just right click on the desktop and select 'Create New' and then select one of the devices. If it doesn't have the correct device, I just select i.e. floppy and then change the properties to point to the device I want and change the icons etc.

[darkhaste]

thanks very much, again!