dmesg will tell you how the device got detected; typically it'll be /dev/sdb or similar sudo mkdir /media/usb sudo mount /dev/sdb /media/usb If you want ordinary users to have r/w access, you will want to throw in some options with that, such as; sudo mount /dev/sdb /media/usb -o umask=0 <div class="gmail_quote">(read/write access for everybody!) 2008/4/30 Sid Bachtiar <<a href="mailto:sid.bachtiar@gmail.com">sid.bachtiar@gmail.com</a>>: <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">I think there are two ways that I'm aware of ... both using /etc/fstab (<a href="http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=283131" target="_blank">http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=283131</a>) - One is to allow users to use pmount command to mount the drive - Another is to set the mounting to auto which would mount the drive automatically when the system boot I'm a newbie myself so I don't have the details on top of my head. <div><div></div><div class="Wj3C7c"> On Wed, Apr 30, 2008 at 2:29 PM, Johann Schoonees <<a href="mailto:j.schoonees@irl.cri.nz">j.schoonees@irl.cri.nz</a>> wrote: > I've googled and searched the archives but I'm getting swamped with >  marginally related "USB drive does not mount" hits.  Here goes: > >  When I log into the kubuntu Feisty desktop, there is an icon showing >  that my external USB drive is connected and mounted. > >  However, cron runs a nightly back-up script for me at 3 am when no-one >  should be logged in, but after migrating from Fedora to Feisty, it fails >  at the point where I try to mount the external USB drive: > >  MOUNT_OK=no >  for DISK in $DISK_LABELS >  do >  # mount -w "$MOUNT_POINT/$DISK" 2> /dev/null >  mount -w "$MOUNT_POINT/$DISK" >  MOUNT_RES=$? >  if [ "$MOUNT_RES" = "0" ]; then >  MOUNT_OK=yes >  break >  fi >  done > >  results in: > >  mount: can't find /media/backup_0 in /etc/fstab or /etc/mtab >  mount: can't find /media/backup_1 in /etc/fstab or /etc/mtab >  mount: can't find /media/backup_2 in /etc/fstab or /etc/mtab >  ... > >  even when a disk with label backup_1 (or 2 etc.) is connected. > >  There is no entry for /dev/sdb1 in /etc/fstab.  There is one in etc/mtab >  when someone is logged into the desktop, but not when not.  It looks >  something like this: > >  /dev/sdb1 /media/backup_1 ext3 rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev,sync,data=ordered 0 0 > >  Under Fedora it used to look like this: > >  /dev/sdb1 /media/backup_1 ext3 rw,nosuid,nodev 0 0 > >  The exact mount point depends on the disk label.  I have more than one >  back-up disk, each with a unique label. > >  Under Fedora there used to be an entry in fstab like this: > >  /dev/sdb1 /media/backup_1 ext3 pamconsole,exec,noauto,managed 0 0 > >  which changed automatically (apparently under control of something >  called fstab-sync which I don't see in kubuntu) according to the label >  of the connected drive. > >  In short, how should my script detect and mount a connected USB external >  drive when no-one is logged in? > >  Any help appreciated, >  Johann > >  -- >  ubuntu-nz mailing list >  <a href="mailto:ubuntu-nz@lists.ubuntu.com">ubuntu-nz@lists.ubuntu.com</a> >  <a href="https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-nz" target="_blank">https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-nz</a> > -- ubuntu-nz mailing list <a href="mailto:ubuntu-nz@lists.ubuntu.com">ubuntu-nz@lists.ubuntu.com</a> <a href="https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-nz" target="_blank">https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-nz</a> </div></div></blockquote></div>