Success -> USB Memory Key to Store Knoppix Configuration

[AerosSaga]

I was having the same problem with my Sony Microvault 256. It appeared fine under Windows, but under Knoppix it had the four sd devices as everyone else has mentioned. I could only mount/write to sda4 which would not work for me since I am booting flonix from this drive and thus had to be sda1. Firstly, Backup any info that you will need that is on the drive!! It will be erased!! You are forwarned. What I did was:

1) fdisk the drive in Knoppix. Put in all sorts of wacky numbers in the partition table. This will corrupt it forcing a clean fat16 format in windows.

2) Boot into windowsXP, 2000 may have this feature as well, not sure. After your in XP you can explore your drives and you will see that it sees your thumbdrive, but cannot read it. Great!, this is what we wanted!

3) Go to Administrative Tools->Computer Management->Disk Management. Locate your flashdrive rightclick format or make partition, can't remember which and oila!. Now your drive will be mountable as sda1 and only show the one partition. I hope this helps I beat my head against the wall for about four hours tryn to solve this one.

Regards,

Aeros

[esor_ekim]

I thought I should post a reply as the info in this thread has been very useful. One of my users has had the same problem with a noname 256MB key flash thingumy. Can only mount as /dev/sda and there are 4 sillyl partitions on the usb device.

He tried formatting the thing on this Windows computer at home (FAT 16) and that seemed to do nothing - one assumes Windoze lied about reformatting the device.

I then did:

fdisk /dev/sda
deleted all 4 partitions
created one primary partition
changed the type of the primary partition to FAT 16
exit fdisk and save
mkfs.vfat /dev/sda1 (this is VERY quick, and I did actually wonder if it had worked)
mount -t vfat /dev/sda1 /usb
touch /usb/test
echo "HURRAH IT WORKED" > /usb/readme
ls -l /usb works rather well.

Then put this into /etc/fstab
/dev/sda1 /usb auto noauto,owner,user 0 0
for the happy user

I stuck the usb flash key into a Windoze 2000 computer and it worked fine and dandy.

If this is the manufacturers of flash devices using FA12 then they are total numpties and I have to wonder why Windoze computers can actually work with these devices when they have such odd partition tables and file systems.

[lunat1k]

I believe that Linux simply doesn't deal with FAT12 correctly, this would explain why FAT12 memory devices are not a problem on Windows, but are a problem on Linux (Show up as having 4 partitions). The reasons FAT12 is commonly used on flash devices are:
A) Microsoft is enforcing patents involving FAT16/32 and Long File Names
B) Most devices don't need the extra storage FAT16 provides

From one of the prior posts, it sounds like the windows format utilities don't always work to reformat the devices as FAT16, that's best done using the flash vendor utility or Linux utilities like fdisk and mkfs.

I filed a Knoppix bug about this, but I believe it's more of a kernel issue.

[outanet]

I have been trying this for a week now, (cyberkey and a gigabyte mb) with no hope, ive installed both flonix (which seems to have lost documentation) and Runt. It wont go any further than the boot floppy, however i can mount the key on sda1 in my HDKnoppix. I guess its a case of some you win some you wont, Im gonna try on other equipment.