Suddenly no permission to any usb devices

Support
,
1

Hi!
Can anyone pls help me gain access to all my usb storage devices again, for some reason i just cant get ownership of even the tiniest usb stick or my toshiba external drives!

I have tried a few chown commands and chmod commands i found in various posts but they either does nothing or says operation not permitted.

This usually works fine and now yesterday i cant rename, or paste anything to any device i plug in!
I t started giving issues last week, where it wouldnt show most of what i plugged in in the folder list, so that i can move files to them easily that way. Some wouldnt even show up in Disks, or if i did the command df.
Then i tried yesterday to change the setting in Removable Storage → Removable Devices (KDE Plasma 5) and tried setting the option to Automount Devies On Attach to on as well as Automaticallt automount any removable media that have never been mounted b4.
This didnt work either and it still wouldnt list them in Dolphin folder list, and the ones that remained hidden after i formatted a few usb sticks with the intention of adding some other linux dostros to test(didnt do that yet), those sticks stopped showing up afterwards and i cant add files to them.
This uaually always worked (just switched from XFCE) andnthey always popped up in the folder.

But then now my much used daily toshiba drive and other usb sticks with thinkgs like movies and music on them, i can no longer rename of paste anything into them. I tried to revert the settings i tested in Removable Devices ofc, but it still dont work! :frowning: My toshiba is listed on /usb/sdb1

My toshiba is listed on /usb/sdb1 for example if i use that slot, and ive tried the command su and replugged it, i tried chown /R myname /usb/sdb1 as well as few alterrations and noting works.
I tried some chmod stuff like chmod u+x /usb/sdba and some variations there as well, it just wont let me access them like b4 anymore:(

Thjey work on my laptops like normally, but something is messed up on this pc suddenly.
I would normlly just have done a shred and reinstall of entire pc, but since i cant paste needed content and files to any external drive to save b4 i delete it all, this is not an option. I cant even move an image to any usb device and its driving me mad cause i didnt do anything and it just does this, why? :s

Im no extert so will prob need a dumb and dumber step by step pls, cause the thins i found online to try hasnt worked so far and i really need access to these drives.

The only things that maybe affected this sudden no permission stuff was that i tried to install some AUR apps to hopefully automaount and show the various usb sticks in the Dolphin folder, which also didnt work, but maybe they messed something up so i cant even move anything to them or rename files?
I tried Automount, usbmount and simple-usb-automount, which apparently isnt programs and i cant even open those to change anything, im guessing they do some bkground stuff then.
I tried removing them but it still dont work ;(

Ty

2
  • Then use a live Manjaro to do your backups
  • Use your laptop to test whether all files in your backup are readable and healthy
  • Delete and reinstall using the live Manjaro
  • Stay safe - Manjaro
    :footprints:
3

Please provide the output of:

groups
4

Hi, It says

sys network power lp wheel alice

I dont know how to paste it so it looks like urs sry ><

5

Hmmm, mine is:

$ groups
sys ftp log http games dbus network power gamemode sambashare lxd storage optical disk audio wheel mirdarthos roccat android-sdk

So try:

sudo usermod -aG storage $USER

Let me tell you:

:bangbang: Tip: :bangbang:

When posting terminal output, copy the output and paste it here, wrapped in three (3) backticks, before AND after the pasted text. Like this:

```
pasted text
```

Or three (3) tilde signs, like this:

~~~
pasted text
~~~

This will just cause it to be rendered like this:

Sed
sollicitudin dolor
eget nisl elit id
condimentum
arcu erat varius
cursus sem quis eros.

Instead of like this:

Sed sollicitudin dolor eget nisl elit id condimentum arcu erat varius cursus sem quis eros.

Alternatively, paste the text you wish to format as terminal output, select all pasted text, and click the </> button on the taskbar. This will indent the whole pasted section with one TAB, causing it to render the same way as described above.

Thereby increasing legibility thus making it easier for those trying to provide assistance.

For more information, please see:

:bangbang::bangbang: Additionally

If your language isn’t English, please prepend any and all terminal commands with LC_ALL=C. For example:

LC_ALL=C bluetoothctl
6

It didnt do anything i think, still no acess and i got no line from it :sa:

    ~  sudo usermod -aG storage alice                                                                                     ✔ 
[sudo] password for alice: 
    ~ 

The drive is located here, if the command df is enough to show it right, on usb sdb1:

Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
dev              12G     0   12G   0% /dev
run              12G  1.5M   12G   1% /run
/dev/sda1       458G  380G   55G  88% /
tmpfs            12G  2.0M   12G   1% /dev/shm
tmpfs            12G  140K   12G   1% /tmp
/dev/sdb1       932G  483G  450G  52% /usb/sdb1
tmpfs           2.4G   84K  2.4G   1% /run/user/1000

Should not a su login in terminal and replug the usb then give me acess?
Specially when i also do chown -R alice /usb/sdb1 ?
But that just gives me operation not permitted ><

7

OH! Forgot to mention, you should relogin to get it active, so reboot and try then.

Sorry.

8

I tried rebooting and if i type groups it still says the same :s
Something did change tho as it took much longer than usual to login in and its like it rebooted twice instead of one, whether that was intended or not .

I also still cant chown it, if chown -R alice /usb/sdb1 is the right way to do that, operation not permitted on any of the files on it ;(

9

AFAIK that won’t work. You first have to mount it, with root, and then change ownership of the contents if it’s incorrect.

You also have to simply mount it before you can access the contents on it. It should be visible in your file manager which will allow you to mount it so you can access it…

10

it is mounted yes, and this toshiba device shows up in the file manager. Like the other usb sticks (some still wont show in file manager) i can aces it, i can watch the movie or open the file, but i cant rename anything, i cant copy past or move anything new to the remote devices at all, which leaves me paralysed so i cant even just reinstall and start over cause i cant save any files anywhere, and id also rather find out what causes this ofc so it dont happen again.
Some posts says something about the command fstab, which i get nothing out of either.

One of the usb mount apps i tried yesterday had option to change mount location, i also tried that to like /home/alice/devices and it still didnt work, but it did say something about fstab change location, so i think that fstab is there somehwere. Dont know if this is related or important.

11

I honestly have N0 idea where to go from here or what to do, sorry.

:sob:

12

ok ty anyway:)
I hope someone else can help instead then, i rather not reinstall as ill loose so much and i cant just copy it anywhere else but to these external drives, my ADD and frustration over this is not permitting much other than despair and hair pulling right now :frowning:

i have unplugged it, done su, plugged it in, done chown -R alice /usb/sdb1 and i get operation not permmitted, i cant figure this out myself :s

13

You can allow writing by regular users. Check it out here: USB storage devices - ArchWiki

# mount -o gid=users,fmask=113,dmask=002 /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usbstick
14

I am not familiar with the use of /usb/sdb1 as a mount point. I am curious if you have installed something which is interfering with the standard auto-mount process. My USB drives automatically mount to /run/media/<my_username>/<drive_label>

15

I can see that you’re somewhat lost, however, the workaround for your issue has already been given in post#2, which I have pasted here for you again.

To restate that post in different words, and with a few additions:

  • Boot with your Manjaro Live installer and perform your backups from there. Move everything you want to keep to a safe location. Because you’re doing this from the Manjaro Live installer DVD/USB it should not be affected by any permission issues.
  • You mentioned that they are fine on another machine. Verify the files are still readable, etc., if you need to.
  • Perform a fresh Manjaro install. I recommend downloading the latest ISO file.

Is this clear enough? Cheers.

1 Like
16

omg at the help on these manjaro forums, honestly?!?

Can someone pls tell me how to revert this command as given by another user earlier to try, which just made my pc even harder to use because i cant freaking log in anymore cause it keeps going to safe mode and i cant get out of it, and it wasnt untill i plugged in the external drive that i was only just now able to get bk on my pc!

sudo usermod -aG storage $USER

this comand to try earlier ■■■■■■ evrything up, how do i get it bk to normal, pls dont add stuff like this without a way to revert it another time, but i appreciate the help u tried to give.
But now i cant start up my pc normally unless i plug in this device form the start! :frowning:

Also, pls stop giving replies on booting with a live manjaro to solve this isseu, first because i dont know what alive manjaro is or means, i alr wrote i dont knwów much about these things, so giving all thsee suggestions without a revert or xplanation, is both useless and damaging.
Secondly, i dont want to just reinstall and i my ADD cant comprehend having to do all this xtra stuff now, just because it removed my permission to my own usb drives suddenly.
I want to find out why and revert it, so i can rename and add important files, music, movies etc to my usb devices, like i could 2 days ago.
There is prob a simple command to find out this stuff, but isntead i get tehse answers instead ??
I dont get the manjaro help forums sometimes, u always just make it worse, or give some obnoxious response like reinstall windows etc.

This is not helping!
I need access to my usb drives, and chown etc, what little knowledge i have of it and have googled my way to, does not work.

So if anyone actually knows this and can help me by finding the path and commands to fix this, b4 i just delete everything in frustration and loose it all, pls do so:(

And tell me pls, how do i leave this bloody safe mode thing so i can boot up my pc without having the drives plugged in ><
I only use them when i need to, not permanently and i just spent an hour trying to start up my pc and entering some black screen safe mode stuff where nothing i typed got me in, untill i plugged in that device! ;(

Ty

17

Hmm i dont know sry, on my pc its always been showing up there, as far as im aware and remember.
I did a fresh install 2 weeks ago form XFCE to KDE because of Steam issues, and im loving it so far apart form this use device nightmare stuff so i cant dl or sve anything anymore to xternal drives :s

I did try yesterday to install aome AUR stuff from the add/remove software app, some automounter and other mount ones that looked like the might be able to get the usb sticks to show up in the file manager, which they didnt. I removed those again but now its no longer giving me permission on my own devices and usb sticks i plug in, to rename, copy paste etc, which is why id like to find out what caused this so i dont do it again on a fresh install.
I dont know all the command stuff, only what i search teh duck pond for :s

And i dont know how to change path and such to it if even posible.

18

This seems to be turning into a rant.

In any case, the OP seems in no frame of mind to receive any assistance, whether it be due to lack of understanding or some other factor we’re not aware of.

The OP is certainly not doing themselves any favours by contradicting themselves and crapping on the forum community in general.

That is all.

19

Hi,

# mount -o gid=users,fmask=113,dmask=002 /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usbstick

did nothing, i still cant change anything on the drives and usb sticks :frowning:
Also pls do not redirect me to wiki, i am not that gd and my ADD cant handle spending another 5 hours trying stuff, when i just need acess to my drives that my pc just decided to block me out of.
This is not helping, u only add to my frustration by just telling me to go look at wiki or manman, i am not that gd.

20

i dont know why but i predicted u might reply with something like this, u always do on manjaro forums.

I will take help that can actually help me, not just a redicret to wiki, a command that ends up causing more damage than gd and no word of how to revert it, or knowitalls that dont actually give an answer, just more questions.

Telling me to just reinstall to solve the issue of suddenly not having permissions to my own storage devices is NOT an answer, and if u think so u shouldnt pls just not reply at all anymore, u do more harm than gd.

Im here to find out why it did this and how to resolve it, not for u to tell me to just bkup my files and reinstall lol, get real!