Need recommendation for USB Thumb Drive

HI All,

Cent OS 5 (RHEL 5 Clone).

My imation swivel drive corrupts everytime I copy something
large to it with either "cp" or "rsync". I like the drive because it
has
a "write protect" switch. (It goes into a lot of infected Windows
machines and Windows' viruses now will jump to thumb drives.)
But if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. The partition table even
gets corrupted. My other non-switch thumb drive do not corrupt.

Can anyone recommend me a 4 GB USB thumb drive that:

1) won't corrupt with "cp" or "rsync", AND
2) has a write protect switch?

Many thanks,
-T

At Sun, 10 Jun 2007 16:22:46 -0700 ToddAndMargo-at-verizon.net wrote:

>
> HI All,
>
> Cent OS 5 (RHEL 5 Clone).
>
> My imation swivel drive corrupts everytime I copy something
> large to it with either "cp" or "rsync". I like the drive because it

Are you properly unmounting the drive before pulling it off the
connector? Unlike mess-windows, Linux does file system cacheing and may
not write all buffers out until you dismount the file system.

> has
> a "write protect" switch. (It goes into a lot of infected Windows
> machines and Windows' viruses now will jump to thumb drives.)
> But if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. The partition table even
> gets corrupted. My other non-switch thumb drive do not corrupt.
>
> Can anyone recommend me a 4 GB USB thumb drive that:
>
> 1) won't corrupt with "cp" or "rsync", AND
> 2) has a write protect switch?
>
> Many thanks,
> -T
>
>

--
Robert Heller -- 978-544-6933
Deepwoods Software -- Linux Installation and Administration
http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Web Hosting, with CGI and Database
heller-at-deepsoft.com -- Contract Programming: C/C++, Tcl/Tk

> Are you properly unmounting the drive before pulling it off the
> connector? Unlike mess-windows, Linux does file system cacheing and may
> not write all buffers out until you dismount the file system.

Hi Robert,

Oh yes. I am very careful about my mounts and unmounts.
My backup drives are external SATA and I am REALLY
careful before pulling them out. I am very, very use to it.

Do you know of a stick that meets my specifications?

-T

p.s. If you would like to see a corruption in action (this
would be rsync). Keep in mind that my other non-imation
sticks work fine:

Drivers/LendersToolbox/LTBSetup-8.2.exe
Drivers/MediaPlayer/
Drivers/MediaPlayer/10.0-XP/
Drivers/MediaPlayer/10.0-XP/MP10Setup.exe
rsync: writefd_unbuffered failed to write 32768 bytes [sender]: Broken
pipe
(32)
rsync: write failed on
"/mnt/MyCDs/./Drivers/MediaPlayer/10.0-XP/MP10Setup.exe": Input/output
error
(5)
rsync error: error in file IO (code 11) at receiver.c(258)
[receiver=2.6.9]
rsync: connection unexpectedly closed (40801 bytes received so far)
[generator]
rsync error: error in rsync protocol data stream (code 12) at
io.c(453)
[generator=2.6.9]
rsync: connection unexpectedly closed (13244 bytes received so far)
[sender]
rsync error: error in rsync protocol data stream (code 12) at
io.c(453)
[senderDrivers/LendersToolbox/LTBSetup-8.2.exe
Drivers/MediaPlayer/
Drivers/MediaPlayer/10.0-XP/
Drivers/MediaPlayer/10.0-XP/MP10Setup.exe
rsync: writefd_unbuffered failed to write 32768 bytes [sender]: Broken
pipe
(32)
rsync: write failed on
"/mnt/MyCDs/./Drivers/MediaPlayer/10.0-XP/MP10Setup.exe": Input/output
error
(5)
rsync error: error in file IO (code 11) at receiver.c(258)
[receiver=2.6.9]
rsync: connection unexpectedly closed (40801 bytes received so far)
[generator]
rsync error: error in rsync protocol data stream (code 12) at
io.c(453)
[generator=2.6.9]
rsync: connection unexpectedly closed (13244 bytes received so far)
[sender]
rsync error: error in rsync protocol data stream (code 12) at
io.c(453)
[sender=2.6.9]
=2.6.9]

At Sun, 10 Jun 2007 17:54:05 -0700 ToddAndMargo-at-verizon.net wrote:

>
> > Are you properly unmounting the drive before pulling it off the
> > connector? Unlike mess-windows, Linux does file system cacheing and may
> > not write all buffers out until you dismount the file system.
>
> Hi Robert,
>
> Oh yes. I am very careful about my mounts and unmounts.
> My backup drives are external SATA and I am REALLY
> careful before pulling them out. I am very, very use to it.
>
> Do you know of a stick that meets my specifications?

No. My understanding that the USB Mass Storage drivers are pretty
stable and the USB Mass Storage protocol is pretty standardized, which
suggests that *any* USB Mass Storage device should work out-of-the-box.

>
> -T
>
> p.s. If you would like to see a corruption in action (this
> would be rsync). Keep in mind that my other non-imation
> sticks work fine:
>
> Drivers/LendersToolbox/LTBSetup-8.2.exe
> Drivers/MediaPlayer/
> Drivers/MediaPlayer/10.0-XP/
> Drivers/MediaPlayer/10.0-XP/MP10Setup.exe
> rsync: writefd_unbuffered failed to write 32768 bytes [sender]: Broken
> pipe
> (32)
> rsync: write failed on
> "/mnt/MyCDs/./Drivers/MediaPlayer/10.0-XP/MP10Setup.exe": Input/output
> error
> (5)
> rsync error: error in file IO (code 11) at receiver.c(258)
> [receiver=2.6.9]
> rsync: connection unexpectedly closed (40801 bytes received so far)
> [generator]
> rsync error: error in rsync protocol data stream (code 12) at
> io.c(453)
> [generator=2.6.9]
> rsync: connection unexpectedly closed (13244 bytes received so far)
> [sender]
> rsync error: error in rsync protocol data stream (code 12) at
> io.c(453)
> [senderDrivers/LendersToolbox/LTBSetup-8.2.exe
> Drivers/MediaPlayer/
> Drivers/MediaPlayer/10.0-XP/
> Drivers/MediaPlayer/10.0-XP/MP10Setup.exe
> rsync: writefd_unbuffered failed to write 32768 bytes [sender]: Broken
> pipe
> (32)
> rsync: write failed on
> "/mnt/MyCDs/./Drivers/MediaPlayer/10.0-XP/MP10Setup.exe": Input/output
> error
> (5)
> rsync error: error in file IO (code 11) at receiver.c(258)
> [receiver=2.6.9]
> rsync: connection unexpectedly closed (40801 bytes received so far)
> [generator]
> rsync error: error in rsync protocol data stream (code 12) at
> io.c(453)
> [generator=2.6.9]
> rsync: connection unexpectedly closed (13244 bytes received so far)
> [sender]
> rsync error: error in rsync protocol data stream (code 12) at
> io.c(453)
> [sender=2.6.9]
> =2.6.9]
>

This looks like some sort of hardware problem. Are you sure your thumb
drive is not in fact 'broken' somehow?

>

--
Robert Heller -- 978-544-6933
Deepwoods Software -- Linux Installation and Administration
http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Web Hosting, with CGI and Database
heller-at-deepsoft.com -- Contract Programming: C/C++, Tcl/Tk

On Sun, 10 Jun 2007 16:22:46 -0700, ToddAndMargo wrote:

> HI All,
>
> Cent OS 5 (RHEL 5 Clone).
>
> My imation swivel drive corrupts everytime I copy something
> large to it with either "cp" or "rsync". I like the drive because it
> has
> a "write protect" switch. (It goes into a lot of infected Windows
> machines and Windows' viruses now will jump to thumb drives.) But if it
> doesn't work, it doesn't work. The partition table even gets corrupted.
> My other non-switch thumb drive do not corrupt.
>
> Can anyone recommend me a 4 GB USB thumb drive that:
>
> 1) won't corrupt with "cp" or "rsync", AND 2) has a write protect
> switch?

I am using a 4 GB Kingston DataTraveler USB stick for backing up
essential stuff using rsync, and so far it is working like a champ. I
don't think it comes with a write protect switch though. On the plus
side, Linux is explicitly listed in its compatibility table.

A while ago I got a SanDisk Cruzer Mini for the same purpose. It
got foobarred after a single back up. I got in touch with the SanDisk
people and they said, sorry, Linux is not supported - which of course
means that SanDisk won't be getting my business any time soon.

On Sun, 10 Jun 2007 16:22:46 -0700, ToddAndMargo wrote:

> Can anyone recommend me a 4 GB USB thumb drive that:
>
> 1) won't corrupt with "cp" or "rsync", AND
> 2) has a write protect switch?

I would tell you, but I have a policy that forbids me helping any drooling
fool who posts to Usenet from Google Groups.

Sorry.

--
"Ubuntu" -- an African word, meaning "Slackware is too hard for me".

> This looks like some sort of hardware problem. Are you sure your thumb
> drive is not in fact 'broken' somehow?

It is clearly a bad drive. I will return it for refund.

Do you know any drives with write protect switches (not imation)?

> I would tell you, but I have a policy that forbids me helping any drooling
> fool who posts to Usenet from Google Groups.

I can not find an NNTP server that is reliable. Which one do you use?

--The "Drooling Fool"

Zap! Dang! Keyboard just shorted out, again.

ToddAndMargo-at-verizon.net wrote:
>> I would tell you, but I have a policy that forbids me helping any drooling
>> fool who posts to Usenet from Google Groups.
>
> I can not find an NNTP server that is reliable. Which one do you use?
>
> --The "Drooling Fool"
>
> Zap! Dang! Keyboard just shorted out, again.
>

Okay,

I am now on news.verizon.net. See if it works any better.

Do you know the answer to my question or where you
just making a protest against Google Groups?

-T (A.K.A. The "Drooling Fool")

> I am using a 4 GB Kingston DataTraveler USB stick for backing up
> essential stuff using rsync, and so far it is working like a champ. I
> don't think it comes with a write protect switch though. On the plus
> side, Linux is explicitly listed in its compatibility table.
>
> A while ago I got a SanDisk Cruzer Mini for the same purpose. It
> got foobarred after a single back up. I got in touch with the SanDisk
> people and they said, sorry, Linux is not supported - which of course
> means that SanDisk won't be getting my business any time soon.


Kingston makes great stuff. No one can touch their customer
service either. But, no switch.

I sent their tech support a link to the latest virus
that jumps from stick to stick (M$ problem, not Linux).
They were a bit shocked, so we may be seeing switches on
some of their models in the future.

-T