WHY? is it so hard to get Linux to work?

[#1]

Yay... it worked OOB in the windows system..... and I expected the same with Linux.... as previous stick did not need anything doing to it...
ah well.... it is working fine now, and I am transferring my vids over to the linux laptop, as I write this...
have a nice day..... I am ! ! ! 

[#2]

I'm not , I still have to work for a living!!

[#3]

That`s why I`m a pirate.... work when I feel the need !!! ..

[#4]

OK.... minor glitch with the 2GB cruzer stick.....
boot into Linux Mint 11.... plug in stick.... appears on desktop, and I can transfer files ...
after two or three transfers (eject from Mint laptop, and safely remove from windows laptop each time). on the 4th insertion to the Mint laptop. nothing appears... either on Computer or Desktop.... the only way I can " see " it or access it, is to leave it plugged in, and Restart.....
then it appears and the above happens all over again.!..
(fortunately it only takes about 2 mins from switching off to being able to use the laptop  properly including password protection ======= unlike my windoze laptop    )
any ideas. how to make the stick work all the time without re-booting..?

[#5]

Can you post the dmesg output for when it works and for when it doesn't. Hopefully we can see what the difference is and that will give us a clue what's happening.

[#6]

There`s yards of it... how much do you want? 

[#7]

Just the last few lines ( in each case ) starting with the 'new USB device' as in post 80.

[#8]

OK just had a freeze up... changing over the mouse , so had to restart..... this is the "working" dmesg
(will have to wait a while for the "non working".....
[   85.188081] usb 1-1: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 3
[   85.385420] usbcore: registered new interface driver uas
[   85.430766] Initializing USB Mass Storage driver...
[   85.430962] scsi2 : usb-storage 1-1:1.0
[   85.432700] usbcore: registered new interface driver usb-storage
[   85.432706] USB Mass Storage support registered.
[   86.436696] scsi 2:0:0:0: Direct-Access     SanDisk  U3 Cruzer Micro  7.01 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 CCS
[   86.437180] scsi 2:0:0:1: CD-ROM            SanDisk  U3 Cruzer Micro  7.01 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0
[   86.443516] sd 2:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0
[   86.444306] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdb] 3924607 512-byte logical blocks: (2.00 GB/1.87 GiB)
[   86.446046] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
[   86.446055] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 45 00 00 08
[   86.446059] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
[   86.447673] sr1: scsi3-mmc drive: 48x/48x tray
[   86.447973] sr 2:0:0:1: Attached scsi CD-ROM sr1
[   86.448709] sr 2:0:0:1: Attached scsi generic sg3 type 5
[   86.449409] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
[   86.450297]  sdb: sdb1
[   86.453243] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
[   86.453254] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk
gerry-Inspiron-2200 gerry #



and here is a "non working" dmesg

[  992.674361] usb 1-1: USB disconnect, address 4
[ 1012.324104] usb 1-1: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 5
[ 1012.467766] scsi4 : usb-storage 1-1:1.0
[ 1013.476687] scsi 4:0:0:0: Direct-Access    SanDisk  U3 Cruzer Micro  7.01 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 CCS
[ 1013.479650] scsi 4:0:0:1: CD-ROM            SanDisk  U3 Cruzer Micro  7.01 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0
[ 1013.481064] sd 4:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0
[ 1013.481149] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] 3924607 512-byte logical blocks: (2.00 GB/1.87 GiB)
[ 1013.481654] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
[ 1013.481660] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 45 00 00 08
[ 1013.481665] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
[ 1013.484415] sr1: scsi3-mmc drive: 48x/48x tray
[ 1013.484732] sr 4:0:0:1: Attached scsi CD-ROM sr1
[ 1013.484957] sr 4:0:0:1: Attached scsi generic sg3 type 5
[ 1013.485148] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
[ 1013.486402]  sdb: sdb1
[ 1013.488421] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
[ 1013.488429] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk
gerry-Inspiron-2200 gerry #

[#9]

Strange that shutter :-[. It looks to be detecting it correctly both times, its just not automounting it for some reason on the 'failed' occasion.
I'll see if I can find any info on 'automount' issues.
Edit: when it fails to mount , can you see it using the disc utility. If so try selecting it and see if there a 'mount volume' option.
See attached screen shot

[#10]

Yeah, it is really weird..... sometimes I get a message box just after pluggin in the stick,  something like..... unable to mount 2gb  U3 system already mounted..... then the icon appears on the desktop, but no U3 icon.... when I restart, I get both on the desktop.  
when it does not appear at all. I cannot find a way to see if it has "just got lost"   as it does not show up on the computer listing.....
it is plugged in now, but not on the desktop... the usb stick is flashing like a belisha beacon ,  on and off at even and regular period....
It`s a minor problem, really, that I can "just about" live with.... cos I haven`t got a lot left to transfer over.  just a niggly thing !..

Even weirder...!....
have had the thing plugged in for about 5 mins before I started this reply.... and just now,... it has "shown up" on the desktop.... some 3 or 4 mins after starting to  type... so about 8 or 10 mins plugged in and flashing , before being "recognised"...

[#11]

Just timed it...... from plugging in to the usb port..... to showing on the desktop..... 15 minutes !

[#12]

Do you have access to a bog-standard USB stick?
It should take < 2 seconds!
BTW When I use a USB stick it only flashes when it seems reasonable that you have actual I/O taking place (you can never actually know for sure because of buffering etc).

[#13]

Strange you should be asking that..... cos I was using an "outdated" version of MINT  (Mint 9 ) and I could get the wireless router to work with that..... so there was some guidance with MINT 9 with instructions to download Broadcom B43... not very clear....but I remembered it ....so because I could not get my 2gb (BRAND NEW)  memory stick....... NOR my 3 wireless Dongle, to work with MINT 9, I upgraded to MINT 11..expecting it to at least recognise the need for wireless communication... (even if the chip is out of date.... it still works, and the information about B43 AND an installer should have been prominent "somewhere" for me to action.... (like in the "NETWORK MANAGER"  ? ? ? ? )  What an failure to leave something as important as that out of an update...
it seems the reason I could not get my wireless router to work with Linux,  is because my wireless chipset is out of date with MINT 11.... and of course one would expect a brand new 2gb memory stick to be able to work OOB with the latest version of MINT 11... ? 
in other words some stuff that is old works with the new Linux, but some old stuff works better with updated linux, but some stuff brand new  needs to be changed by an expert in Linux before a newbie like me, can get it to work...
and then when it takes a while to be "seen" the advice is to keep MINT 11. but find an old memory stick to work with it...
The 2gb cruzer stick I have, DOES indeed get seen within about 15 seconds on first insertion... it is just weird that it does not get "seen" after a couple of inserts and ejects.... and if I have to wait 15 minutes to get it "seen" , then it is quicker for me to do a restart... (2 mins)... to continue to use it...

[#14]

@shutter,
I think it may well be the U3 partition getting in the way and not being handled too well by Mint 11. Do you want to use the U3 software at all ?, its only useable on a Windows system anyway. If not I suggest you disable it and see if that makes any difference.
You can disable it on the Mint system by installing the u3-tools package and running

Quote

sudo u3-tool -p 0 /dev/<the device>

( the device you can obtain from the dmesg output and looks to be sdb1 but check in dmesg before you run it )
OR you can disable it in windows http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2550/~/removing-u3-launchpad-on-a-pc
Either way will probably reformat the writeable partition and destroy any data you have on it.

[#15]

Yes given that the only real difference between yours and a "normal" usb stick is the U3 cr*p then if you don't use it remove it I say.  (It works well with s/w but not h/w for me  ::))