Ubuntu can't see usb drive

[Nils Kassube]

Douglas Pollard wrote:
> On 06/06/2011 08:20 PM, Douglas Pollard wrote:
> > douglasdoug at ubuntuDoug:~$ sudo mount -t vfat /dev/sdc /mnt
> > [sudo] password for douglasdoug:
> > mount: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/sdc,

That should have been

sudo mount -t vfat /dev/sdc1 /mnt

because you can only mount partitions, not the entire disk.

> >        missing codepage or helper program, or other error
> >        In some cases useful info is found in syslog - try
> >        dmesg | tail  or so
> > 
> > douglasdoug at ubuntuDoug:~$ dmesg | tail  or so
> > tail: cannot open `or' for reading: No such file or directory
> > tail: cannot open `so' for reading: No such file or directory
> > douglasdoug at ubuntuDoug:~$

That error message is a bit misleading. IMHO it should suggest the 
command "dmesg | tail" and the "or so" on separate lines. Now please try 
the mount command above (with sdc1) and then

dmesg | tail

That should give a hint why it can't mount the partition. But beware, if 
you changed the USB disks it might be a different device now. Please 
verify with

sudo fdisk -l

that /dev/sdc is the 2TB disk.

> My wife's netbook with Ubuntu 10.04 for netbooks can't see the drive
> in PLACES. The disk utility can see it in both machines.   Since
> this is a vfat drive do you think windows xp can see it?

Yes, XP should see the drive.


Nils