Can't access or eject (some) USB storage after UP 7 [SOLVED]

[uvajed]

Except for some minor boot issues, LMDE has been running fine on this laptop since I purchased it 2+ years ago. However, after applying UP 7 I am having issues with USB mass storage devices. Running LMDE + UP 7 + cinnamon.

Specifically, I can not access the storage space on multiple Android phones and tablets. USB sticks and a USB hard drive still work fine. The phones and tablets still appear in nemo but now can not be accessed - I see them listed but can not open them. They also can not be ejected/safely removed.

Sorry if this has been covered but I have not seen this mentioned, and it only became an issue after UP 7. I saw one mention of someone not being bale to eject a USB drive but no mention of anything to this extent. I am a happy LMDE user and Mint promoter since 2007 but not a developer or Linux expert, so I am sorry for not providing more relevant technical information. Any clues?

[py-thon]

I have the same problems after UP7 with Mate,
one is mentioned in
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=198&t=146167
the other in
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=198&t=146165

The interesting part is that you are using Cinnamon while I am using Mate which means that the problem is not Caja/Nautilus/Nemo, it has to be situated higher up.
Since UP7 my external drives are mounted differently. Before the appeared under /media/DRIVENAME, now they are at /media/USERNAME/DRIVENAME. The Digital Camera does not appear in /media/USERNAME at all (I think it did before in /media, but I am not sure), it only appears in Places.
Do you have the same change in Cinnamon?

[Monsta]

Specifically, I can not access the storage space on multiple Android phones and tablets. USB sticks and a USB hard drive still work fine. The phones and tablets still appear in nemo but now can not be accessed - I see them listed but can not open them. They also can not be ejected/safely removed.

I don't know for sure, but here's a couple of upstream bugs that may be relevant:

http://bugs.debian.org/716900
http://bugs.debian.org/716911

There's no fix yet other than simply downgrading gvfs to 1.12 (you can get it from wheezy repo). Downgrading is usually not recommended though, so it's at your own risk.

[palimmo]

I have the same problem, since UP7, with my Android mobile phone and its internal microSD
I connect it to the laptop, I accept the connection from my mobile phone but I cannot see it listed anywhere as a new device (and even in /media, where in the past was visible, there's no trace)...

[palimmo]

Specifically, I can not access the storage space on multiple Android phones and tablets. USB sticks and a USB hard drive still work fine. The phones and tablets still appear in nemo but now can not be accessed - I see them listed but can not open them. They also can not be ejected/safely removed.

I don't know for sure, but here's a couple of upstream bugs that may be relevant:

http://bugs.debian.org/716900
http://bugs.debian.org/716911

There's no fix yet other than simply downgrading gvfs to 1.12 (you can get it from wheezy repo). Downgrading is usually not recommended though, so it's at your own risk.

How can I do it without downgrading/removing many many packages?
I have added deb http://ftp.it.debian.org/debian wheezy main to the repo list.... but when I try to downgrade gvfs that's the situation... Too risky!

[Monsta]

Synaptic seems to fail at that. Let's use the console tools.

Before downgrading, backup your system partition with Clonezilla or some other tool, just in case.

First, find out all installed gvfs* packages:

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monsta@lmde ~ $ aptitude search '~igvfs'
i   gvfs                                                                   - userspace virtual filesystem - GIO module                                       
i   gvfs-backends                                                          - userspace virtual filesystem - backends                                         
i   gvfs-bin                                                               - userspace virtual filesystem - binaries                                         
i   gvfs-common                                                            - userspace virtual filesystem - common data files                                
i   gvfs-daemons                                                           - userspace virtual filesystem - servers                                          
i   gvfs-libs                                                              - userspace virtual filesystem - private libraries

Your list is probably the same, but who knows. Now you can downgrade them all by specifying the needed version for each package:

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sudo apt-get install gvfs=1.12.3-4 gvfs-backends=1.12.3-4 gvfs-bin=1.12.3-4 gvfs-common=1.12.3-4 gvfs-daemons=1.12.3-4 gvfs-libs=1.12.3-4

This should not remove brasero, nemo or any other package. If it still wants to do it, press 'n' to cancel the downgrade and post here the results.


If the install was successful, put these packages on hold so they won't be upgraded:

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sudo apt-mark hold gvfs gvfs-backends gvfs-bin gvfs-common gvfs-daemons gvfs-libs

Some time later you might want to unhold them (maybe when the fixed gvfs enters Testing, and you'll want to install it). Unholding is done similarly:

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sudo apt-mark unhold gvfs gvfs-backends gvfs-bin gvfs-common gvfs-daemons gvfs-libs

Yeah, and don't forget to remove Wheezy from the sources list when everything is done.

[jamsterthecool]

same problem here ! android device no longer shows up at all

[palimmo]

Synaptic seems to fail at that. Let's use the console tools.

Before downgrading, backup your system partition with Clonezilla or some other tool, just in case.

First, find out all installed gvfs* packages:

Code: Select all

monsta@lmde ~ $ aptitude search '~igvfs'
i   gvfs                                                                   - userspace virtual filesystem - GIO module                                       
i   gvfs-backends                                                          - userspace virtual filesystem - backends                                         
i   gvfs-bin                                                               - userspace virtual filesystem - binaries                                         
i   gvfs-common                                                            - userspace virtual filesystem - common data files                                
i   gvfs-daemons                                                           - userspace virtual filesystem - servers                                          
i   gvfs-libs                                                              - userspace virtual filesystem - private libraries

Your list is probably the same, but who knows. Now you can downgrade them all by specifying the needed version for each package:

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get install gvfs=1.12.3-4 gvfs-backends=1.12.3-4 gvfs-bin=1.12.3-4 gvfs-common=1.12.3-4 gvfs-daemons=1.12.3-4 gvfs-libs=1.12.3-4

This should not remove brasero, nemo or any other package. If it still wants to do it, press 'n' to cancel the downgrade and post here the results.


If the install was successful, put these packages on hold so they won't be upgraded:

Code: Select all

sudo apt-mark hold gvfs gvfs-backends gvfs-bin gvfs-common gvfs-daemons gvfs-libs

Some time later you might want to unhold them (maybe when the fixed gvfs enters Testing, and you'll want to install it). Unholding is done similarly:

Code: Select all

sudo apt-mark unhold gvfs gvfs-backends gvfs-bin gvfs-common gvfs-daemons gvfs-libs

Yeah, and don't forget to remove Wheezy from the sources list when everything is done.

Thanks a lot, Monsta! It works like a charm.

Well..... In the future I should just check if a new version comes... And this I could discover only manually, am I right? (If I have held it, it won't upgrade anymore...)

[Monsta]

Well..... In the future I should just check if a new version comes... And this I could discover only manually, am I right? (If I have held it, it won't upgrade anymore...)

You can use [url=http://packages.debian.org/search?suite=jessie&keywords=gvfs]packages.debian.org[/url] to find out if there's a new version available in Testing, for example.

And use

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apt-cache policy gvfs

to get the list of all currently installed and available versions in your repositories.

Side note: if you'll need to install gvfs-fuse or some other not currently installed gvfs* package, you might need to specify its version (=1.12.3-4) because of the dependencies.

[palimmo]

Well..... In the future I should just check if a new version comes... And this I could discover only manually, am I right? (If I have held it, it won't upgrade anymore...)

You can use [url=http://packages.debian.org/search?suite=jessie&keywords=gvfs]packages.debian.org[/url] to find out if there's a new version available in Testing, for example.

And use

Code: Select all

apt-cache policy gvfs

to get the list of all currently installed and available versions in your repositories.

Side note: if you'll need to install gvfs-fuse or some other not currently installed gvfs* package, you might need to specify its version (=1.12.3-4) because of the dependencies.

excellent!

[uvajed]

Thanks a million Monsta, this worked great for me! I had no idea where to turn. Thanks also to Palimmo and Py-thon. I haven't had a ton of issues with either Mint main or LMDE, but the knowledgeable, friendly folks here have just about always been able to help! Now if I could only get my stupid P.O.S. Toshiba laptop to boot without killing all input devices (sometimes!), I'd have no real problems whatsoever.

So, to summarize, it seems the new version of gvfs included with UP7 was causing issues with some types of USB storage for some of us . Specifically, I could not properly mount/eject SD cards attached to Android devices or when inserted directly into my laptop, while USB sticks and external hard drives still worked fine. Downgrading gvfs-related packages fully solved this.

[jamsterthecool]

This is like a very messy method and not ideal for people whom need an efficient machine to get work done . Anyway when I enter

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sudo apt-get install gvfs=1.12.3-4 gvfs-backends=1.12.3-4 gvfs-bin=1.12.3-4 gvfs-common=1.12.3-4 gvfs-daemons=1.12.3-4 gvfs-libs=1.12.3-4

I get

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E: Version '1.12.3-4' for 'gvfs' was not found
E: Version '1.12.3-4' for 'gvfs-backends' was not found
E: Version '1.12.3-4' for 'gvfs-bin' was not found
E: Version '1.12.3-4' for 'gvfs-common' was not found
E: Version '1.12.3-4' for 'gvfs-daemons' was not found
E: Version '1.12.3-4' for 'gvfs-libs' was not found

Probably missing some steps ?.

[jamsterthecool]

As well as adding the wheezy repo you'll also need to make sure the 'Backported packages' option is selected .This can be very simply done via the update manager/ software sources /linuxmint software tab .

[jhallenb]

A faster solution to this seems to be to just

sudo apt-get install gnome-disk-utility

It worked for me.

[palimmo]

A faster solution to this seems to be to just

sudo apt-get install gnome-disk-utility

It worked for me.

Does it work automatically when you mount a new device.. without any further step?

[dezo]

Downgraded gvfs and works like a charm now! Good job!

[palimmo]

Downgraded gvfs and works like a charm now! Good job!

waiting for a fix

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~ $     apt-cache policy gvfs
gvfs:
  Installed: 1.12.3-4
  Candidate: 1.16.3-1
  Version table:
     1.16.3-1 0
        500 http://mirror.rts-informatique.fr/linuxmint/debian/latest/ testing/main amd64 Packages
 *** 1.12.3-4 0
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

[jjaythomas]

May want to try...

had issue of cds and dvds not showing up. Installed package 'udisks-glue'. Its a daemon so test it by running (I use alt+F2) and see if works for your needs. Then can put it in the 'startup apps list' (as a custom command works)

J.Jay
Seems to plague me in most recent Debian (derived) tracking testing/Jessie.

[palimmo]

Should we wait till the next UP to have this bug solved? That's a bit crappy!

[palimmo]

Should we wait till the next UP to have this bug solved? That's a bit crappy!

ehy! any news?