2nd External HDD No Longer Working-Mint-Cinnamon

[all_spice]

So. Noob with Linux Mint Cinnamon. Refugee from Win7. I have two external Toshiba HDDs. Both working great with Linux. Then one day, problems.

Both are still recognized. But I can't open one. I thought there was something wrong with the drive. Maybe because I am dualing with Windows still. But it turns out, depending on which loads first, it cancels the second one out. So then I cannot access those files. It will show the drive as completely empty.

I have tried switching USB ports, restarting, switching cables, mount, unmount, Terminal commands, everything.

Every time I do an internet search, the results I get are "installing Linux on an external drive". That is NOT what I am doing. I just want access to both drives' files.

Thank you.

[kukamuumuka]

What tells terminal-commands

Code: Select all

sudo parted -l
inxi -po

[all_spice]

Should I post it all here?

Code: Select all

 all_spice ~ $ sudo parted -l
[sudo] password for balut: 
Model: ATA ST1000LM048-2E71 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 1000GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/4096B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags: 

Number  Start   End     Size    Type      File system     Flags
 1      1049kB  106MB   105MB   primary   ntfs            boot
 2      106MB   108GB   108GB   primary   ntfs
 3      108GB   983GB   875GB   primary   ext4
 4      983GB   1000GB  16.8GB  extended                  lba
 5      983GB   1000GB  16.8GB  logical   linux-swap(v1)


Model: TOSHIBA External USB 3.0 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdb: 3001GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 4096B/4096B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags: 

Number  Start   End     Size    Type     File system  Flags
 1      1049kB  3001GB  3001GB  primary  ntfs         boot


Model: TOSHIBA External USB 3.0 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdc: 1000GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags: 

Number  Start  End     Size    Type     File system  Flags
 1      106MB  1000GB  1000GB  primary  ntfs


Model: Linux device-mapper (crypt) (dm)
Disk /dev/mapper/cryptswap1: 16.8GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/4096B
Partition Table: loop
Disk Flags: 

Number  Start  End     Size    File system     Flags
 1      0.00B  16.8GB  16.8GB  linux-swap(v1)


all_spice ~ $ inxi -po
Partition: ID-1: / size: 803G used: 716G (94%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda3
           ID-2: /home/balut size: 803G used: 716G (94%) fs: ecryptfs dev: N/A
           ID-3: /media/balut/TOSHIBA EXT size: 932G used: 26G (3%) fs: fuseblk dev: /dev/sdc1
           ID-4: /media/balut/TOSHIBA EXT1 size: 2.8T used: 2.7T (97%) fs: fuseblk dev: /dev/sdb1
           ID-5: swap-1 size: 16.78GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/dm-0
Unmounted: ID-1: /dev/sda1 size: 0.10G
           fs: NTFS label: System Reserved uuid: 98BE3C6DBE3C45D2
           ID-2: /dev/sda2 size: 108.02G
           fs: NTFS label: N/A uuid: 8E3441043440F0AF
           ID-3: /dev/sda5 size: 16.78G
           fs: swap label: N/A uuid: 2845341d-0d2a-416f-9639-984f74176104 

[Unsaturated]

Should I post it all here?

I'd post in in <code> tags, or upload a text file, to prevent the text from being searched by Google.

In terms of basic troubleshooting, can you access either drive when it is the only one connected to the system? If yes, this rules-out a defect with either of the drives and puts focus on the problem being an issue of not recognizing and using more than one drive at a time.

Also pay attention to where you are plugging these drives into, as USB ports do go bad, and if you aren't aware of this, you might assume a drive works intermittently (drive problem) instead of failing to work when connected to a particular USB port(s) (USB port problem).

Also remove all other USB devices from the system during troubleshooting, on the chance that some 3rd device (not the HD's and not the computer) is causing the problem).

[all_spice]

Should I post it all here?

I'd post in in <code> tags, or upload a text file, to prevent the text from being searched by Google.

In terms of basic troubleshooting, can you access either drive when it is the only one connected to the system? If yes, this rules-out a defect with either of the drives and puts focus on the problem being an issue of not recognizing and using more than one drive at a time.

Also pay attention to where you are plugging these drives into, as USB ports do go bad, and if you aren't aware of this, you might assume a drive works intermittently (drive problem) instead of failing to work when connected to a particular USB port(s) (USB port problem).

Also remove all other USB devices from the system during troubleshooting, on the chance that some 3rd device (not the HD's and not the computer) is causing the problem).

Thank you. Yeah, when they are plugged in, they are both recognized. Wait, it wants me to manually mount one now, via right click in Computer. And I can open both. But one will have no files listed. I currently have had them plugged in the same way for days, and they take turns on who is going to work. My ancient USB ports are pretty sensitive. I just tightened they prongs on them and that fixed 2/3 of them. The 3rd I only use for the mouse. So when I sneeze or put down my coffee, only my mouse goes out. Ha ha. The other 2 are good as new now.

I should also point out, when I am in Win7, which is currently allowed to live at the moment, for games, the drives work 100%.

And the HDDs USED to work on Mint, and only recently started acting up.

Maybe I installed something I should not have?

[Unsaturated]

You are missing my point regarding troubleshooting.
It does not give us any useful information to know that both HD's when booted together have problems.
The first step is to determine if "the problem" is with either one, or the other HD, or with the computer itself.
In order to determine this, you boot the system with just one HD attached and see if it behaves normally.
Then boot the system, with just the other HD attached, behaves normally.

If it works with one, but not the other, you've found where your problem is.
If it doesn't work with either, that implies the computer, and not the HD's, are the problem.
If it works with either, then it's safe to assume that it's a software problem with the computer, and that both HD's are good.

[Unsaturated]

Also, in addition to the possibility that the USB port(s) on the computer may be bad, power to the HD's, and the USB cords, could also be the problem.

[all_spice]

You are missing my point regarding troubleshooting.
It does not give us any useful information to know that both HD's when booted together have problems.
The first step is to determine if "the problem" is with either one, or the other HD, or with the computer itself.
In order to determine this, you boot the system with just one HD attached and see if it behaves normally.
Then boot the system, with just the other HD attached, behaves normally.

If it works with one, but not the other, you've found where your problem is.
If it doesn't work with either, that implies the computer, and not the HD's, are the problem.
If it works with either, then it's safe to assume that it's a software problem with the computer, and that both HD's are good.

Hmmm... not sure I know what you mean.

[all_spice]

Also, in addition to the possibility that the USB port(s) on the computer may be bad, power to the HD's, and the USB cords, could also be the problem.

I don't get it?

[all_spice]

If it helps at all, when I try to mount it in the Terminal, I get the following:

Code: Select all

Mount is denied because the NTFS volume is already exclusively opened.
The volume may be already mounted, or another software may use it which
could be identified for example by the help of the 'fuser' command.

[Unsaturated]

Also, in addition to the possibility that the USB port(s) on the computer may be bad, power to the HD's, and the USB cords, could also be the problem.

I don't get it?

I don't know how much more clear I can make it. From what I understand, you are saying that you boot with two external hard drives to a linux o/s, they both used to work and now they don't. I got the idea you think that something needs to be done with Linux. I'm asserting the possibility that the problem is with the hardware, as in it's broke somehow.

One bad HD can "sort of" work, and that broken hard drive can make the other one malfunction. Any bad hardware on any system can cause problems that aren't necessarily specific to that hard drive. There could be an open, or a short, in the USB cord. The power to the external drive can be bad (low power, no power, intermittent power, bad (open, or short) power cord).

Before going on a big hunt in the Linux software, it's a basic troubleshooting step to make certain that all the hardware is good. Meaning you verify that each hard drive works, all by itself, without anything else connected to the system. If one hard drives works by itself, and the other one does not, and both hard drives have problems, it's not a Linux problem, it's a "broken hard drive problem", with "broken hard drive" including the drive itself, the power cord to the broken hard drive, the USB cable to the hard drive, and the USB port the broken hard drive is connected to. USB ports (the socket the USB cable connects to) can go bad. I've seen problems like this, where the solution is to simply connect the hard drive to a different USB port.

If you have a hardware problem, no amount of tweaking Linux is going to fix it. Before messing with Linux, I'd verify that both hard drives are good, along with all the associated hardware mentioned (cables, power supply, USB ports, whatever).

[Unsaturated]

Yeah, when they are plugged in, they are both recognized. Wait, it wants me to manually mount one now, via right click in Computer.

If you were experiencing these problems "live" while making this post, where it worked and suddenly stopped, that sounds like an intermittent problem to me. Could be anything, but a bad cable, bad power or bad hard drive would be the first things to look at, and check. It's very doubtful that Linux can see two hard drives, then suddenly it can't, and have the problem be with the Linux operation system. That sounds more like hardware to me.

[all_spice]

Also, in addition to the possibility that the USB port(s) on the computer may be bad, power to the HD's, and the USB cords, could also be the problem.

I don't get it?

I don't know how much more clear I can make it. From what I understand, you are saying that you boot with two external hard drives to a linux o/s, they both used to work and now they don't. I got the idea you think that something needs to be done with Linux. I'm asserting the possibility that the problem is with the hardware, as in it's broke somehow.

One bad HD can "sort of" work, and that broken hard drive can make the other one malfunction. Any bad hardware on any bad system can cause problems that aren't necessarily specific to that hard drive. There could be an open, or a short, in the USB cord. The power to the external drive can be bad (low power, no power, intermittent power, bad (open, or short) power cord).

Before going on a big hunt in the Linux software, it's a basic troubleshooting step to make certain that all the hardware is good. Meaning you verify that each hard drive works, all by itself, without anything else connected to the system. If one hard drives works by itself, and the other one does not, and both hard drives have problems, it's not a Linux problem, it's a "broken hard drive problem", with "broken hard drive" including the drive itself, the power cord to the broken hard drive, the USB cable to the hard drive, and the USB port the broken hard drive is connected to. USB ports (the socket the USB cable connects to) can go bad. I've seen problems like this, where the solution is to simply connect the hard drive to a different USB port.

If you have a hardware problem, no amount of tweaking Linux is going to fix it. Before messing with Linux, I'd verify that both hard drives are good, along with all the associated hardware mentioned (cables, power supply, USB ports, whatever).

Well a hardware issue should already be well ruled-out.

[all_spice]

Yeah, when they are plugged in, they are both recognized. Wait, it wants me to manually mount one now, via right click in Computer.

If you were experiencing these problems "live" while making this post, where it worked and suddenly stopped, that sounds like an intermittent problem to me. Could be anything, but a bad cable, bad power or bad hard drive would be the first things to look at, and check. It's very doubtful that Linux can see two hard drives, then suddenly it can't, and have the problem be with the Linux operation system. That sounds more like hardware to me.

I don't see how it could be a hardware issue at all.

[Unsaturated]

I don't see how it could be a hardware issue at all.

Did you follow the instructions I gave you on how to know for certain that one, the other, or both hard drives are either good or bad?

[all_spice]

I don't see how it could be a hardware issue at all.

Did you follow the instructions I gave you on how to know for certain that one, the other, or both hard drives are either good or bad?

Not sure what they were...

But how can all my hardware be broke only on Linux?

[all_spice]

OK. So I THINK I fixed it. After searching thousands of web pages, fruitlessly, trying line after line of code, probably making things worse, getting even more confused trying to decipher the kind advice here, I modified something, I probably should not have.

My 3TB external was somehow flagged as "Boot". I did not think that was right, so I unflagged it. After a restart, both drives are working perfectly fine, the Linux is lightening fast, I can see thumbnails and file sizes, and my CPU is at 57c, which is normal for an old i3.

So... Did I really fix it? Or was it just coincidence?

I am still confused about the whole Linux can't use a 3TB HDD on an old computer thing... Anyway, it is working now like it was.

Oh, but now the restart function is gone! I have to completely shutdown and then reboot.

[Unsaturated]

But how can all my hardware be broke only on Linux?

You never said they worked just fine in Windows.

[all_spice]

But how can all my hardware be broke only on Linux?

You never said they worked just fine in Windows.

No? Maybe I did on the other thread? Or maybe I thought it and forgot to type it...

Either way, got it working.

Anyone have any idea how my external was flagged as "Boot" and how unflagging fixed everything?