Startup disc creator

[mc4man]

While the new method never fails it seems to create a disk that becomes difficult to format back to a plain storage device. Disks has issues, gparted also inc. totally mis reading the size.
Maybe there is a trick to simply format the device back to let's say fat32, if so I've not found
Some various images attached, first gparted is after attempting to format in Disks, 2nd gparted is on a fresh disc never opened in Disks

[sudodus]

1. Use mkusb's wipe menu

2. Use gparted. Often it works if you start in gparted to create a fresh partition table. Sometimes it helps to start by wiping the first megabyte (which is part of the recipe of mkusb/wipe).

3. You may also need to unplug and replug the pendrive for it to be recognized by the kernel.

[sammiev]

1. Use mkusb's wipe menu

2. Use gparted. Often it works if you start in gparted to create a fresh partition table. Sometimes it helps to start by wiping the first megabyte (which is part of the recipe of mkusb/wipe).

3. You may also need to unplug and replug the pendrive for it to be recognized by the kernel.

+1 I was getting the same results and wiping the first megabyte with mkusb worked for me.

I followed it up by formating it Fat32.

[mc4man]

Yeah, using gparted to make a fresh partition table is what I've been doing, (stumbled across the first time this came up.
I guess my concerns are -
sdc does not document how users can format the usb drive once finished with
Disks seems incapable of doing this or if it can not even remotely obvious. However Disks is the default & only partitioning app supplied.

[sudodus]

In standard Ubuntu Xenial live, the SDC (usb-creator-gtk), Disks (gnome-disks) and gparted are provided.

Different flavours come with different tools, but I think all Ubuntu flavours have gparted in the live session (but not in the installed system).

But you should also remember, that you need not worry about the previous content of the pendrive, if you intend to flash a new iso file into it. That process (by dd, mkusb, Disks and now also SDC) will overwrite it anyway. It is only if you want to use the pendrive in another way, that you need reformatting.

I agree that it should be mentioned in the standard documents, but there are wiki/help pages already, for example

mkusb#Re-use_the_pendrive

mkusb/wipe

Win32DiskImager/iso2usb/FormatHelp

[ELD]

This has actually been an issue for quite some time (long before 16.04, possibly even 15.04). I was wondering why all my USB drives had issues with wrong sizes, not mounting etc. All of them had been made as boot disks using that tool.

So, I can confirm it's still an issue in the current version in 16.04.

I think it needs to be made into a bigger issue, as people can end up thinking their USB drives are broken (as I have done, ended up buying more at a total waste of money!).

[mc4man]

I did file a bug as there should be some mention/directions or what not as to how to deal with seeing as though Disks will bork on formatting these drives & there is nothing provided to actually make the drive useful as a storage device post install.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...r/+bug/1549603

[sudodus]

You still say 'there is nothing'. But there is something, but not enough, for example the links to the Ubuntu wiki/help pages shown in post #5.

Where do you want this information? Via a button on the Startup Disk Creator's window?

Maybe it would be better to have a tool via that button, (integrated in the Ubuntu Startup Disk Creator like it is in mkusb).

[mc4man]

You still say 'there is nothing'. But there is something, but not enough, for example the links to the Ubuntu wiki/help pages shown in post #5.

Where do you want this information? Via a button on the Startup Disk Creator's window?

Maybe it would be better to have a tool via that button, (integrated in the Ubuntu Startup Disk Creator like it is in mkusb).

I would like this info/a warning in the package description for sdc & in the sdc dialog prior to creating the disk.
Best would be to provide a means in sdc to format the device if Disks can't be improved to do the job. ( though that's unlikely, at least for 16.04

Slightly off-topic maybe gparted should be in default install though it's package description is somewhat deficient as doesn't show in Dash with some common terms like 'format' & 'disk'

[MikeMecanic]

First, SDC was not working before and now it works. SDC is a dedicated ISO maker made for Ubuntu and is the most user friendly app that I ever seen. There is no choice to deal with because it makes only one thing: Build an ISO image of any Ubuntu flavors. Once the ISO image have been created you must keep it in case (for n reasons) you need to do a fresh install.

It's Disk that needs correction now. For Gparted, it is in all Ubuntu Installers. Every time I do a fresh install, I always pass by Try Ubuntu and search Gparted in Dash to delete Ubuntu partitions. That way, I always do a fresh install on an empty hard drive disk.

Cheers,