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how do i use the LS-120 drive(imation 120MB superdisk) with linux. i can detect it by probing hardware but thats it.
i am useing the USB version and suse 8.2. how can i use my drive.

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Dani AI

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Short summary and context: has an external USB LS-120 (SuperDisk). ’s advice about mounting and /etc/fstab applies to internal IDE/ATAPI LS-120s, not USB‑externals; for a USB unit the kernel’s USB mass‑storage stack and device enumeration steps are the correct path to get the drive visible and mountable. (en.wikipedia.org)

Quick, practical checks (run these while plugging/unplugging the drive):

lsusb
dmesg -w
lsmod | grep usb_storage
sudo modprobe usb-storage
lsblk
sudo fdisk -l

Use lsusb to confirm the device enumerates and dmesg (or /var/log/kern.log) to see kernel messages that show whether the usb-storage driver claimed the device and whether a /dev/sdX node was created. If usb-storage is missing, modprobe usb-storage will load it (older kernels/distributions often require this). (help.ubuntu.com)

If the device shows in lsusb but you don’t get a block device (/dev/sdX) or partitions:

  • Look at the dmesg lines for USB timeouts or error codes (these often indicate power, cable, hub, or bridge problems). Try another USB port, another cable, or a powered hub; some externals need more current or use a USB–PATA bridge that misbehaves. (unix.stackexchange.com)
  • Some old or odd bridges require kernel quirks or older vendor drivers; the kernel accepts usb-storage quirks via module options if needed. (kernel.org)

If the kernel created /dev/sdX but you can’t mount: use sudo mount /dev/sdX1 /mnt (replace X appropriately), or inspect with fdisk -l/blkid. If nothing works and the enclosure still won’t expose the drive as a standard USB mass-storage device, consider removing the enclosure and connecting the bare LS‑120 mechanism to a known-good IDE/PATA interface or a modern USB‑to‑PATA adapter to rule out a proprietary/failed bridge (many external SuperDisk products used different bridges/vendors). (en.wikipedia.org)

If these steps are done and there’s still no progress, capture and keep the lsusb and dmesg output — those lines identify vendor/product IDs and the exact kernel errors you’ll need to resolve. (help.ubuntu.com)

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Member Avatar for Dani

No experience with superdisks but my guess is you'd have to mount it first. ;)

Member Avatar for Tekmaven

I did some looking around the net, and I found the following about SuSE Linux 7.1, but should apply here:

LS-120 drives are connected to the (E)IDE port of the ocmputer and
are seen by the system as hard drives, which means that they, too,
need to be accessed by first using the mount command.

So, since they may not have any disk in them when you boot, you
don't want the kernel to auto mount them, but depending on how they
are mounted (id0-slave=hdb, id1-master =hdc, id1-slave=hdd) you
could have an empty directory called '/LS120' and an entry in
/etc/fstab of
/dev/hdx /LS120 auto noauto,user 0 0

Here is a link to where I found the message:

Edited by Dani because: Fixed formatting
Member Avatar for jabberwock486

sorry that involves the internal IDE version of this drive. I have the external USB versiion. so the IDE part will not help.
how do i get linux to detect the drive first, cant mount what it cant see( or if it doesnt have correct drivers)

so here is my question. how can i use the LS-120 external USB drive in linux. chances are instructions for other external USB devices will work.

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