Knoppix on iPod?

[jb_davis]

I would like to save my configurations to my iPod (currently empty FAT32 partitioned) however when I use knoppix-->Configure-->Create Persistent Knoppix Home Directory I see 4 drives marked sda1 through sda4. There is only 1 iPod connected by USB. When I select any of them it says "sda* is not a valid block device." Do I need to reformat them in Knoppix first. I don't plan on using the iPod for anything else.

Im probably missing something, but I just don't know what I am doing wrong.

Can it be done, using the iPod for knoppix? If possible, what I would really like to do is just install knoppix on the iPod HD and use that to run the whole OS. Can that be done?

[fingers99]

What you suggest may be possible, whether it's wise on something as flakey as an iPod is quite another question. I'd make sure that you keep a backup somewhere else.

To me, the mount issue suggests that the iPod may not be powered up.

I get similar messages from my (vastly superior!) Neuros if:

the battery is flat and/or it's not plugged into the transformer

I've mounted another usb device and not re-booted (someone posted a work around for this, but I've forgotten it).

[jb_davis]

Power is not an issue. The iPod reads as having a full battery, and it doesn't even take power from the battery when it is plugged into a power outlet. I have a cable with 2 ends, one USB and 1 firewire that connects the to firewire power adaptor, that it then plugged into the wall. The iPod has full power.

The iPod is the only other storage device that I have that is large enough to work with.

For a temporary fix, I tried saving my settings to a floppy diskette to preserve them between reboots. It doesn't want to do that either. I insert a blank floppy, run Knoppix-->Configure-->Save KNOPPIX configuration and after pointing it to my floppy drive with a blank floppy returns this error "umount: /mnt/floppy: not found".

[fingers99]

Ah, that error.

/mnt/floppy doesn't exist!

If you change the entry to

/floppy

you should be OK.

FWIW, my /etc/fstab entry looks like:

/dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1 vfat noauto,users,exec,sync,umask=000 0 0

(the sync entry prevents all kinds of crazy errors)

I'm a bit puzzled as to why you get 4 sda entries: if you're using a multi-card reader or hub or somesuch it might be worthwhile trying a single usb port.

[jb_davis]

Ah, that error.

/mnt/floppy doesn't exist!

If you change the entry to

/floppy

you should be OK.

FWIW, my /etc/fstab entry looks like:

/dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1 vfat noauto,users,exec,sync,umask=000 0 0

(the sync entry prevents all kinds of crazy errors)

I'm a bit puzzled as to why you get 4 sda entries: if you're using a multi-card reader or hub or somesuch it might be worthwhile trying a single usb port.

I don't understand. What am I supposed to change? Going to Knoppix-->Configure-->Save Knoppix configuration I am presented with a gui menu asking me to select what configurations I want to change then asks me where to save it. I have only two choices /mnt/floppy and /mnt/sda . Selecting floppy closes the gui box and that's it, I never have the choice to change anything. Where do I change something? If I do it in the konsole I get the /mnt/floppy not found error.

The iPod is not on a hub, it's connected to a single USB port and I have tried it from all the USB ports on my computer (all 6). Same results.

[GdB]

Hi,

This seems to be the same problem I had with my USB memory stick. Four partitions on it, sda1 - sda4.

I did it the hard way: dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda

Create one new partition on sda, FAT type

Format as FAT

Ready.

I don't remember the details, but with a lot 'apropos' (or was it 'man -k'?) I found out how to do these steps. Of course you cannot do anything else anymore with your iPod. (Or you make a backup first? dd if=/dev/sda of=/your_file_somewhere)

HTH

GdB

[jb_davis]

Wait, I wont be able to anything else with my iPod ever? Or I just wont be able to do anything unless I reformat it for music again?

[jb_davis]

Hi,

This seems to be the same problem I had with my USB memory stick. Four partitions on it, sda1 - sda4.

I did it the hard way: dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda

Create one new partition on sda, FAT type

Format as FAT

Ready.

I don't remember the details, but with a lot 'apropos' (or was it 'man -k'?) I found out how to do these steps. Of course you cannot do anything else anymore with your iPod. (Or you make a backup first? dd if=/dev/sda of=/your_file_somewhere)

HTH

GdB

So I will have to reformat the iPod from Knoppix? How exactly do I use that command?

[c123]

Have you mounted the iPod? If not then there's no way in hell you're going to be able to use it!

What version if Knoppix are you uysing? I'd hasard a guess at 3.4, as the iPod seems to be recognised already... (with 3.3 you have to run a script like rescan-scsi-bus.sh to get firewire drives - iPod included - recognised).

"mount" will list all the partitions you currently have mounted; "sudo fdisk -l" will list all recognised harddrives and the partiions on them.

HTH

p.s. Neuros better than the iPod? <lol> I appreciate the fact that users on this board have a sense of humour ;)

[fingers99]

p.s. Neuros better than the iPod? <lol> I appreciate the fact that users on this board have a sense of humour ;)


I appreciate the fact that iPod buyers have more money than sense (except, maybe, fashion sense) :wink:


I don't understand. What am I supposed to change? Going to Knoppix-->Configure-->Save Knoppix configuration I am presented with a gui menu asking me to select what configurations I want to change then asks me where to save it.

Ah, gotcha. Look at /etc/fstab

vim (gvim, or whatever) /etc/fstab

edit the line

/dev/fd0 /floppy vfat defaults,user,noauto,showexec,umask=022 0 0

to point to /mnt/floppy

(make sure that a directory called /mnt/floppy exists!)

save it

then do

mount -a

and all should be well.

I'm doing this from a HD install so can't actually check it.

[jb_davis]

Ok, I got the floppy to work and I can now save the config to it. That's taken care of.

Now, when I type "sudo fdisk -l" into the konsole I get this:

knoppix@ttyp0[knoppix]$ sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 10.0 GB, 10000005120 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1215 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 5 40131 0 Empty
/dev/sda2 * 6 1215 9719325 b W95 FAT32

Disk /dev/hda: 122.9 GB, 122942324736 bytes
240 heads, 63 sectors/track, 15881 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 15120 * 512 = 7741440 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 15881 120060328+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

So it looks (to me) that it can see the iPod, but when I try and save the home dir to it tells me "The KNOPPIX configuration could not be saved: mount: wrong FS type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/sda, or too many mounted file systems."

[fingers99]

Hmmmm. I'm still confused by the umpteen sda(?)entries.

Apple are strange folk, but is the disk really 4 seperate partitions? How does it appear in other OSs?

My Neuros appears as 1 partition with a number of seperate directories ( a flat structure, except for the /music which has seperate sub directories).

[jb_davis]

I don't know how many it is in XP (how do I check that?). It does show up as 1 drive F: in WinXP though.

[fingers99]

Yeah, I meant one drive (with one partition). If all the directories you expect are on that drive, that would seem to be what it is.

I wonder if Knoppix isn't picking up your usb hub correctly?