Re: Can't access USB thumbdrives

At Sat, 06 Jun 2026 21:43:13 +0100 Chris Ramsden <[email protected]> wrote:

> 
> At Sat, 06 Jun 2026 20:38:36 +0100 Chris Ramsden <[email protected]> wrote:
> > 
> > > 
> > > Asus Zenbook
> > > Debian 13 Trixie
> > > Mate DE
> > > 
> > > I have just noticed that this computer has stopped recognising USB
> > > thumbdrives.
> > > 
> > > They are listed in lsusb, but do not appear in my file browser
> > > (caja),
> > > nor in df.
> > > 
> > > The same machine sees the same USB thumbdrives when booted into
> > > windows, so it appears not to be faulty hardware.
> > > 
> > > I can't say when this started happening; I haven't plugged in any
> > > USB
> > > thumbdrives for a few weeks.
> > > 
> > > Despite all this the machine boots from an external USB-connected
> > > SSD.
> > > It's using wired ethernet via a Startech multi function USB hub, so
> > > it's obvious that the USB is largely working. I have tried
> > > connecting
> > > the thumbdrives directly into the computer's USB ports (i.e. not
> > > via
> > > external USB hubs) and no change.
> > > 
> > > Any suggestions? Any other info required?
> > > 
> > > Chris
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> On Sat, 2026-06-06 at 16:32 -0400, Robert Heller wrote:
> > Do you have a disk mounter thingy in your panel?  Can you mount them
> > that way?
> > 
> > It *sounds* like your system has stopped *auto* mounting the
> > thumbdrives.
> > 
> > One other possibility: the thumbdrives are not FAT32, but are exFat
> > or NTFS 
> > and you don't have the FS infrasture needed installed (or something
> > like 
> > that).  Are these *large* thumbdrives (>= 64Gig)?
> 
> I have tried with both large (256 GB) and small (4 GB). The small drive
> is definitely FAT32. Both have worked in this computer in the past.  
> 
> I have also just found it treats a USB CD/DVD drive in the same way;
> appears in lsusb but not in df or in the file browser. This is really
> annoying because the reason for plugging in the thumbdrive was to burn
> a CD. 
> 
> This DE doesn't appear to have a disk mounter. 

You probably don't have it in you panel -- it might not be a default applet, 
but if you have mate-applets installed, it is available -- right click on the 
panel and select "add to panel", and you should get a list of applets to add 
and the disk mounter should be in that list.

(There are all sorts of reasons *not* to automount disks.)

> 
> Chris. 
> 
> 
>