USB stick and some help with it. [SOLVED] The usb stick is in the trash now.

[Thomas Mueller]

from Warren Block:

> Okay.  Just to review:

> When having trouble writing to a USB stick on FreeBSD, the first thing to
> suspect is old partition metadata.  That can be removed with 'gpart destroy'.

> After that, suspect USB quirks and then hardware problems, in that order.

> Very little besides gpart(8) and dd(1) should be needed.  Maybe usbconfig(8)
> for USB quirks.

> I have not found a Linux utility similar to gpart in capability and ease of
> use.  Some Linux utilities can be useful, but don't reach for them until you
> have tried what is available in FreeBSD.  And please be careful about applying
> Linux remedies in FreeBSD, because they are not identical systems.

rodsbooks.com/gdisk

I like Rod Smith's gdisk for GPT partitioning, more versatile in creating different partition types: can run on modern MS-Windows, Mac, Linux, and is in FreeBSD ports.

I wouldn't give up on a USB stick, unless it's physically broken as happened to me once, until trying it with Linux, one useful version being System Rescue CD (sysresccd.org).

I've had USB sticks, including a discontinued Kingston Data Traveler model, that were not readable/writable on NetBSD until a fix, then became not readable/writable on FreeBSD.

These USB sticks are OK with Linux (System Rescue CD), and you can even install and boot FreeDOS on one of these USB sticks.

Tom