topic Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive in Tech Help - Software/Hardware etc

Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

shutter — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 15:04:10 GMT

LInux Mint 20.2 Mate ( up to date ) . Both machines same install and level of updates

Trying to copy a few files across from my 12 inch laptop, to my main machine... copy and pasting to a usb stick..

Everything I try to paste results in a "dimmed out" paste command... on checking the "properties" and then "permissions"... it says I am not the owner, and cannot change the permissions... however.. if I put same usb stick in my main laptop.. it shows that I can change permissions..

another weird thing,... Again, on the 12 inch laptop.. I format a USB stick,... and give it a title... such as RED USB then format it using Disks and it then says Cannot Mount SDC1 ... and when I put that same usb stick in the main machine, it does not appear in the Computer listings under Devices...

What is happening , and how can I resolve it please ? ?

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

Gel — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 16:36:13 GMT

Perhaps run REVO UNINSTALLER on the USB to thoroughly wipe?

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

Mook — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 17:08:19 GMT

As these are both Linux machines you don't need to bother with a USB stick to copy files, there are various options open to you but here's one of the most popular.

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

shutter — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 18:23:04 GMT

@Gel Never heard of that. (Like most things with Linux ! ! ! ) .. Just googled it, and it seems like a WINDOWS program... not sure if it would run on Linux Mint....

Apart from that... the big problem is, the when I plug in the TWO usb sticks... on either machine... they do not appear in the Devices listings.

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

Dan_the_Van — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 18:27:58 GMT

FileZilla is a FTP GUI based program which may suit. Available via software manager.

It is possible using File Manager to open a folder with root permissions, right click the folder you should see

Have you tried Gparted for format the USB drives?

Dan.

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

shutter — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 18:32:57 GMT

@Mook I bow to your experience of Linux ! .. but... I am not running servers... and the two machines are not connected to each other... so I don`t understand how you can transfer anything between them....

Note also... I cannot COPY and PASTE to ANY USB memory sticks that I have, from the Toshiba Satellite Pro 12 inch laptop, Even one`s that have already got stuff on them, it will not Copy and Paste from the HDD to the USB in that machine.

Nor...as mentioned to Gel, do either of the recently formatted USB memory sticks show up on either machine in the Devices listings. when inserted in a USB slot.

Because I cannot "copy and paste" to ANY USB memory stick, it means that I cannot save files for backup to a memory stick, or for transfer to any other machine. in another location ( say) a friends house or the like.

And also... Why does the "12inch" machine say that I am not the owner of the usb stick so cannot change the permissions, yet the Asus ROG says I can ...( on the same working usb stick )

Which I think is the source of the problem of not being able to copy and paste to ANY stick...

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

shutter — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 18:57:18 GMT

Right-0h... a bit of confusion caused by my wrong use of terminology..

the two USB sticks do not "MOUNT" when inserted ( my term was the do not "show" } as can be seen by this pic

Other USB sticks DO "show" in Devices... ( i.e. "Mount " )... but still cannot copy and paste to them... due to the "permissions" business reported in my previous postings... saying I am not the owner.... etc...

However.. the two in question, DO SHOW in other aspects... such as when using lsusb... as shown in the highlighted line on this pic,

and again on the "Disks" option of the menu .. here...

BUT on that section... "actions" are "dimmed" out and unusable. as shown in the next two pics.

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

MisterW — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 19:38:21 GMT

There's no filesystem on those drives, so they dont automount and appear in devices. You need to create a partition on them and format it.

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

shutter — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 19:44:05 GMT

@MisterW Thanks for your input... but how do I do that ? the third pic of my previous posting, all the menu items on there, Including Edit Partition..... Edit Filesystem ... Edit Mount Options... are all " Dimmed out" so not available.

If using anything like Gparted....or another way,...... can you give me some step by step instrs to follow please.

Thanks.

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

Dan_the_Van — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 19:50:24 GMT

Click on the + to the left of the cog wheels

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

shutter — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 20:39:43 GMT

@Dan_the_Van Yeee haaaaagh ! .. now I see it "mounted" under Devices .

Then I went to USB stick Formatter... and made it FAT32 format

However... I still can`t copy and paste to it from the HDD.

"Properties" is still showing "Owner root " and a note at the bottom saying I am not the owner so cannot change the permissions.

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

Dan_the_Van — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 21:25:17 GMT

@shutter

A thought, do you by chance still have a windows PC, I'd try formatting the USB drive on it.

I am confused, I have not encountered this issue before.

Dan

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

shutter — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 21:37:42 GMT

@Dan_the_Van No, I don`t have windows pc, I do have windows 7 pro running in a Virtual Box on my main machine. so could try it there.

Here`s another "weirdo"... I`m messing about with a 4gb usb stick at the moment trying to sort out what is, or what isn`t happening.. so I`m also doing a bit of googling about stuff, and managed to find out how to change the permission from Root to gerry... Sudo ( name of file manager ) for Mate it is CAJA.. so sudo caja enter password.....

this then shows a list of devices ... select the 4gb device then go to the top of the window where it shows as sdc1.. click on permissions and then you can change the permission from root,.. from a drop down menu ( my name appeared in that ) so I chose it... but then....... You cannot change the permissions message appears.

OK... bear that in mind.. still in "root" as permission so I am not the "owner" of this 4gb stick

Remove the stick from the small laptop.. and put it in the main one... select the device and then sdc1 again, then permissions... and lo and behold.... gerry has all the permissions !..

dong a file system check on the Disks section of the main menu.. shows that the file system is good.. and when it tried to repair it .. it reported it did not need repairing

Another weirdo.... I can copy and paste TO the 4gb usb from my main laptop.. and it appears in the file listings on the usb stick

BUT... cannot copy FROM the usb stick to the small laptop.. ( checking the permissions, again.. it shows "root" as the owner.

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

RobPN — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 22:09:03 GMT

Can't you just 'Network' the two computers @shutter ?

Then you could forget messing about with the USB sticks and transfer the files across your LAN - less time consuming and hassle.

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

shutter — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 22:25:51 GMT

@RobPN yeah... easy to do.... if you know how to, and what you are doing, to start with... me ? ain`t got a clue,......

meanwhile.... stumbling about... I put the 4gb in the main laptop... then went to "DISKS" and reformatted it to NTFS ... put it in the small laptop... and.... YAY ! i can write to it and read from it.... and it shows as "mounted" on the Devices listing

It also works the same in my main laptop....

Tried to reverse that,... by formatting again... to FAT32 and it did... revert back to not being able to copy and paste to it.on the small laptop... so did another formatting as NTFS and all seems to be working fine...

Will leave it at that...then... ! ! ! ... however... it does look as though my other usb sticks will have to be reformatted to NTFS because they are not accepting copy and paste ....

AH well... as the saying goes....

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

Mook — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 07:37:18 GMT

I never asked you to run servers @shutter. With both of these machines on can they access the Internet? If yes, then they can connect to each other.

OK, you may need to run the SSH daemon, on them but that's not the end of the works and with it running you'll be able to copy to / from each machine.

It maybe a bit late now, but the last picture in post #7 shows the Format Disk... option, you should have used that to format the disks to make them mountable.

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

shutter — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 08:19:29 GMT

@Mook No, you didn't.... but the linky was referring to servers, ... so I dismissed it, as I don`t know anything about them... and it just seemed to be talking about complicated stuff. !... ( don`t forget,.. I am a novice with Linux terminology and don`t understand half of what I am reading ! ! ! ) ....

Yes both machines do connect to the internet... but my problem was about copying and pasting to a USB stick.

The problem was not apparent for the past couple of weeks, as I was using that small laptop all tday long, and the same usb sticks ( all pre formatted with FAT32 ).... suddenly, yesterday...they started to refuse the transfer,... and it seems that the "ownership" had changed, BUT ONLY ON THAT MACHINE.. putting the same USB sticks into the ASUS ROG , .... they presented properly, and had all permissions granted...

I did use the "DISKS" to format the usb`s and also the "usb formatter" in the menu...

It wasn`t until I decided to try and format with NTFS that the problem "seems" to be resolved... but it`s weird that it happened in the first place, as I had changed nothing.. apart from the usual updates ( to both machines at the same time, side by side )

It`s also weird that the recommended format system for use on Windows and Linux is FAT32 and it did not work... but NTFS did !.

Maybe something has corrupted on the Linux MInt 20.2 Mate.. so I `ll do a re-install today...( got nowt else to do ! ! ! )

Thanks to all for the help and suggestions.. Learning more every day !

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

Mook — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 08:44:50 GMT

@shutter wrote:

Maybe something has corrupted on the Linux MInt 20.2 Mate.. so I `ll do a re-install today...( got nowt else to do ! ! ! )

You're not dealing with Windows. You do not, should not, need to re-install. I suspect what you experienced here was a pebcak.

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

shutter — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 09:03:43 GMT

No... I don`t think so... its more of a pbuas

Re: Problems copy/paste to a USB Drive

Dan_the_Van — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 11:07:17 GMT

@shutter

Not sure I fully understand your problem, do you have a screen shot of the permission issue?

BTW ntfs is not supported by Apple products which may make sharing stuff difficult.

Regarding ssh and FTP it really is relatively easy

as a root

apt-get install openssh -server -y

The take a look at https://filezilla-project.org/index.php

You can use FTP to transfer to a remote USB device.

Nice to have a work around though.

Dan