help with zip usb external drive

Hello...I have a ZIP (Iomega) 250 external USB drive. I would like to be able to use it on my laptop. I am running KNOPPIX 3.7. I read somewhere in the forum of someone who had an identical drive, hooked it up, booted his computer and the drive and icon was there on desktop and worked. No such luck in my case!

I can create new device right clicking desktop. There is a list of choices of devices and the last one is a "zip device".
When I choose it, the next screen comes up and under the "Device" tab, other than the stock choices, like for HD, cdrom, floppy, there is nothing for Zip Device. Just something called "usbdevfs (proc/bus/usb)".
That seems to be the only thing to pick. Then after that, there is a zip icon,with the little green arrow showing its 'mounted'. I noticed its mount point is "/proc/dev/usb".....So if I click on the icon, it just takes me to that folder reference /proc/dev/usb so the drive is not really mounted, just a folder opens.

I noticed on the Iomega site there is software for linux. Anyone with experience installing this type of drive under KNOPPIX? Please help....bob 8)

I know this as I had to do it everytime I reinstalled anything knoppix or kanotix. First run modconf to add the imm or ppa module . Goto the scsi drive section, a ways down the list, then to the imm section and enter through this until it says the module is installed. You can also do this with ppa to be safe if it an older computer.

Next, you have to edit the fstab with this exact entry:

/dev/sda4 /mnt/zip vfat defaults,users,rw,noauto,noexec,noatime,umask=000 0 0

After that you have to create the mount point by making the directory.

mkdir /mnt/zip

Now you can create the device and choose the /dev/sda4(/mnt/zip). You should change the ownership to yourself. Now you should be able to mount the drive and check out what is on the disk that is in. This has to be done as root. Do not mount it as root and forget to unmount it when you leave that account because it will not allow you to mount it as user. As long as you do that then the user can mount it right away.

Please post back results.

Thank you rrfish72 for help. But Please bear with me on the beginning here. You say to run modconf to add the imm or ppa module. Exactly what does this mean? Do I type in as root "modconf" and follow instructions? Is the scsi section on the same screen? Not quite sure of what to do exactly. The rest seems easy enuff......I ca nedit fstab and create mount point. I am just not familiar with modconf at all. Also there should be files on the zip disk such as .html that KNOPPIX should be able to display, otherwise do I have to format the zip disk? Thanks for your patience...bob :lol:

Yes, run modconf at root konsole. Another screen will open then use the down arrow or page down until you see the blah blah/drivers/scsi section, enter here. Then page down in this screen until you see the imm, then enter through all of this until it says installation complete. Enter to get back to original screen. Do again for ppa. After this exit by hitting enter and it will exit for you.

After all this is done it will read what is on the zip disk. No need to format because it is in a readable format.

OK rrfish72...thank you so much for help. I will attempt to do this sometime this weekend and post back what my results were. bob

Well I attempted to do the above and ran into some difficulties. First, I ran modconf using the regular 2.4 kernel. I got error in bootup saying "insmod errors can be caused by incorrect module parameters including IO or IRQ parameters"

Plus a large flow of errors also at bootup and looked at dmesg and they were there basically saying somethings wrong.
I tried again using kernel 2.6 and modconf went perfectly but still got errors in bootup. There is an icon, there is a /mnt/zip folder but even as root I cannot access the zip drive.

The error i get when i click on icon is: "could not mount device. Mount: only root can mount /dev/sda4/mnt/zip/ on vfat"

If i do "su" i still cannot mount it. If I restart and log in as root, still get same message. I edited fstab and created mount point. I can post the errors in dmesg if you think that will help. I notice that the long flow of errors during boot up seem to be repeating the same thing. I wish I saved a copy of dmesg but i can get copy and post tomorrow. As I remember when I ran modconf using kernel 2.6 i had no problems and everything went smoothly. But obviously there is a problem somewhere. I just dont know where to look. any suggestions? ? ? ? ? :cry:

Need a space between /dev/sda4 and /mnt/zip/. Can't tell if you have one but might be the problem.

Hello again.....well i added the space between /dev/sda4 /mnt/zip in /etc/fstab but i get this error when i add space:

"could not mount device. the reported error was mount: can't find vfat in /etc/fstab or /etc/mtab"

Here is the portion of my /etc/fstab showing the flow of errors relating to the zip drive:

scsi1 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices
Vendor: IOMEGA Model: ZIP 250 Rev: 31.G
Type: Direct-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 02
EFS: 1.0a - http://aeschi.ch.eu.org/efs/
Attached scsi removable disk sda at scsi1, channel 0, id 0, lun 0
SCSI device sda: 196608 512-byte hdwr sectors (101 MB)
sda: Write Protect is on
sda:ip_tables: (C) 2000-2002 Netfilter core team
SCSI disk error : host 1 channel 0 id 0 lun 0 return code = 8000002
Current sd08:00: sns = 70 7
ASC=30 ASCQ=80
Raw sense data:0x70 0x00 0x07 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x12 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x30 0x80 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
I/O error: dev 08:00, sector 0
SCSI disk error : host 1 channel 0 id 0 lun 0 return code = 8000002
Current sd08:00: sns = 70 7
ASC=30 ASCQ=80
Raw sense data:0x70 0x00 0x07 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x12 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x30 0x80 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
I/O error: dev 08:00, sector 2
SCSI disk error : host 1 channel 0 id 0 lun 0 return code = 8000002
Current sd08:00: sns = 70 7
ASC=30 ASCQ=80
Raw sense data:0x70 0x00 0x07 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x12 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x30 0x80 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
I/O error: dev 08:00, sector 4
IPv6 v0.8 for NET4.0
SCSI disk error : host 1 channel 0 id 0 lun 0 return code = 8000002
Current sd08:00: sns = 70 7
ASC=30 ASCQ=80
Raw sense data:0x70 0x00 0x07 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x12 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x30 0x80 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
I/O error: dev 08:00, sector 6
IPv6 over IPv4 tunneling driver
SCSI disk error : host 1 channel 0 id 0 lun 0 return code = 8000002
Current sd08:00: sns = 70 7
ASC=30 ASCQ=80
Raw sense data:0x70 0x00 0x07 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x12 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x30 0x80 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
I/O error: dev 08:00, sector 0
ip6_tables: (C) 2000-2002 Netfilter core team
SCSI disk error : host 1 channel 0 id 0 lun 0 return code = 8000002
Current sd08:00: sns = 70 7
ASC=30 ASCQ=80
Raw sense data:0x70 0x00 0x07 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x12 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x30 0x80 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
I/O error: dev 08:00, sector 2
SCSI disk error : host 1 channel 0 id 0 lun 0 return code = 8000002
Current sd08:00: sns = 70 7
ASC=30 ASCQ=80
Raw sense data:0x70 0x00 0x07 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x12 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x30 0x80 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
I/O error: dev 08:00, sector 4
SCSI disk error : host 1 channel 0 id 0 lun 0 return code = 8000002
Current sd08:00: sns = 70 7
ASC=30 ASCQ=80
Raw sense data:0x70 0x00 0x07 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x12 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x30 0x80 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
I/O error: dev 08:00, sector 6
unable to read partition table
WARNING: USB Mass Storage data integrity not assured
USB Mass Storage device found at 2


Any help would be appreciated....dont know why the zip drive will not work. bob

WOOPS....In reference to above post, I copied and pasted my DMESG above, not FSTAB! Sorry my mistake. Also I noticed in DMESG it says : sda: Write Protect is on

Do you think this is causing errors? I write protected the zip disk in drive when i use it on my work machine. bob

How about the mass storage module in modconf? And my write protect is off on my zip/machice. Don't know how but might be something with checking all the boxes in the permissions except the last column and setting owner to yourself.

OK I will run modconf again later tonite and look for "mass storage module". I assume if I find that, I install the module? OK and I can take the write protect off the disk on my Windows machine here at work. As far as the check boxes in permissions, I have never been able to change them. They are muted grey. I tried logging on as root, doing "su" but it still cant change them. That may be all I need to get this drive to work....so I will try to monkey around with it later today and post results. bob :shock:

Hello again! Well I am getting a TINY bit further.....I disabled the write protect from the zip disk and when I re started computer I no longer get the long string of errors at boot up. I checked if the module for mass storage was installed and it is. So now the problem remaining is a mount error, like before.
If i put a space in fstab like below:

/dev/sda4 /mnt/zip I get following error when I try to mount drive:

Could not mount device. The reported error was: Mount: can't find vfat in /etc/fstab or /etc/mtab.

Here is the line I added to fstab: /dev/sda4 /mnt/zip vfat defaults,users,rw,noauto,noexec,noatime,umask=000 0 0

I looked in /etc/mtab and there is no reference to the zip drive. Actually I am not familiar with what should be in the mtab file. What does error mean by not being able to find "vfat"? In /etc/fstab there is a reference to that word in the new line i put in there! Well if you still have any patience left maybe you can suggest something .....otherwise I may have to put the zip drive away for now!!!!! bob

Is the device actually referred to as sda4? I know mine is and usaully they get that when zips are installed. Maybe it is sda1, 2 ,3, ...... Check that to see if it is correct. Also, this is all being done as root, correct?