Something has gone very wrong ...

[Jay Car]

Screenshot from 2014-07-18 19:25:12.pngScenario:
I use Ubuntu 13.04 on my desktop.
I have a 3 year old, 7" Samsung Android tablet.
I have several 32GB microSD cards that I add to the tablet, some are for photography trips, some are for general files like MP3s, etc. I swap them in and out, depending on what I need for the day.

I use a usb plug with a microSD convertor to plug the MicroSD into my desktop to move the photos or other files onto (or off of) the MicroSD card, which I then put back into the tablet. In all these years I've never had a problem with this method of moving and organizing the files on the MicroSD ... Until today.

Suddenly every Microsd card has become write protected. I cannot move the files, delete them, or rename them. My old standby for these situations (which haven't happened to me in years!) is gksudo nautilus ...

It doesn't work! I've Googled and read till my eyes are crossed to find a way to change the write protection. I thought maybe it was just one of the MicroSD cards had gone bad, but I've tried 3 of them so far and the write protection has gotten them all. What in the world has happened? What am I going to do with these useless MicroSD cards that won't even let me rename the photos? This is crazy.

I am soooo frustrated. If anyone would like to try to help, I'd be very appreciative.

[coldcritter64]

Hi Jay Car, I found --this link-- that may be of some help. There are a couple of suggestions as to what can cause it ... the one that seems most likely in your case with 3 cards not working is the second answer, it could possibly be dust in the reader slot.

Good luck, coldcritter64

[Jay Car]

I'm heading over to read the link right now.

[slooksterpsv]

Its not like the microSD to SD converter card is it? If so, is the SD Card write protected? Some of them have the little white slider where you can lock the cards or not. Where you said USB I'm not sure if what I posted helps, but worth a shot right?

[Jay Car]

OK, I've read through the posts on the excellent link you gave me (thank you for that, it was one I hadn't seen). I am sure the problem isn't dust, I just don't know why this started so suddenly. One of the posts on that link says this: "There is an option to Take Ownership in Nautilus" but I'm absolutely unable to get Nautilus to do any such thing ... apparently gksudo nautilus no longer works.

I'll fuss with it a bit more tomorrow. Maybe I just need to sleep ... Thanks for helping.


file:///home/rch/Desktop/Screenshot%20from%202014-07-18%2019:25:12.png

[Jay Car]

Its not like the microSD to SD converter card is it? If so, is the SD Card write protected? Some of them have the little white slider where you can lock the cards or not. Where you said USB I'm not sure if what I posted helps, but worth a shot right?

I have an "All-in-one card reader/writer" with a built in usb cable. I use a Sandisk MicroSD convertor that fits into the All-in-One card reader. It's worked perfectly for years. I even tried a brand new All-in-One reader with the same results. I cannot express the sense of frustration I'm feeling. I don't know what changed, I don't understand why it changed, and I don't understand why I can't figure out how to fix it.

I'm feeling really tired and stupid right now.

[slooksterpsv]

On the Sandisk Micro SD Convertor, on the left hand side there's a black slider (it's in the notch), make sure that's slid to the top I believe. It could be white as well, see pic attached:
SDCard-Tut.png

[Jay Car]

On the Sandisk Micro SD Convertor, on the left hand side there's a black slider (it's in the notch), make sure that's slid to the top I believe. It could be white as well, see pic attached:
SDCard-Tut.png

Hi slooksterpsv,
Yes, I checked it, it is at the top. I also got a new one, just to make sure it wasn't because the old one was failing. Is it possible that the first one WAS failing and it corrupted the MicroSDs, so the new converter just read it as write protected? I WAS able to copy all the files off of all the MicroSDs, tho I couldn't "cut" them or delete them off of the MicroSD, and I can't format the MicroSDs. Maybe they are just lost and I need to toss them and get new ones?

Sometimes I wish I'd spent more money on whiskey ... (just kidding)

[tgalati4]

If your power supply is failing, it is possible you are not getting a full 5VDC in your USB port and that is causing write errors and thus the file system is marked as "unclean" and thus not write-able.

Check voltages of your power supply in BIOS or with a voltmeter. It is suspicious that all 3 cards would go at once. Check your dmesg for write errors:

dmesg | more

spacebar to page forward, "q" to quit.

[slooksterpsv]

Hmm... it's possible that the locking mechanism is jammed and not functioning correctly. We can limit it down to a few possibilities:
1. It's Ubuntu, if you have another machine to test them in, if it works fine, then it's more than likely Ubuntu
2. The SD Card Reader/MicroSD Card Converter has a locking jam
3. USB controller issue.
4. Converter not compatible.