How to save a conf file to a USB

Zelt · n00b Joined: 07 Jul 2014 Posts: 72

As simple as this maybe, it is not turning out simple for me to do, Rather getting irritated with it.

I insert a USB, run the following

fdisk -l - (to learn usb drive name = /dev/sdd)
mkdir /usb
mount /dev/sdd /usb
cp /boot/grub/grub.conf /usb
mv /usb/grub.conf /dev/sdd
umount /dev/sdd
umount /usb

Upon detaching the USB drive and checking contents on another PC, the grub.conf file is nowhere to be seen.
_________________
k.

The Doctor · Moderator Joined: 27 Jul 2010 Posts: 2678

You need a partition. If the usb was properly formated it should have a single partition which would have been recognized as /dev/sdd1

To find the drive it would have been easer to simply ls /dev/sd* and look for the new device.
_________________
First things first, but not necessarily in that order.

Apologies if I take a while to respond. I'm currently working on the dematerialization circuit for my blue box.

Zelt · n00b Joined: 07 Jul 2014 Posts: 72

dmpogo · Advocate Joined: 02 Sep 2004 Posts: 3267 Location: Canada

Irrespectively to your problem, this sequence

DONAHUE · Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2014 5:21 pm Post subject:

Some usb flash drives come with weird factory stuff installed, if useful for its intended purpose do not format such a flash drive.

fdisk -l - (to learn usb drive name = /dev/sdd) --> Did this output include a partition? At least /dev/sdd1 should appear, if not the usb drive needs formatting and a filesystem.
mkdir /usb --> this is ok, custom would be to use /mnt/usb as the mount point
mount /dev/sdd /usb --> mount /dev/sdd1 /usb would work if sdd1 existed and had a filesystem
cp /boot/grub/grub.conf /usb --> Should work to copy /boot/grub/grub.conf to directory /usb on the hard drive's / filesystem
mv /usb/grub.conf /dev/sdd --> no good
umount /dev/sdd --> not mounted
umount /usb --> nothing mounted

if needed, format a usb flash drive, create a partition, and install a filesystem (Usually fat32 is the choice for universal usability.)
mount a partition on the usb, nominally /dev/sdd1 : mount /dev/sdd1 /usb
copy the file : cp /boot/grub/grub.conf /usb
_________________
Defund the FCC.

Zelt · n00b Joined: 07 Jul 2014 Posts: 72

NeddySeagoon · Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2014 7:29 pm Post subject:

Zelt,

USB drives can be formatted like floppies - no partitions, or like hard drives, with a partition table.
As pen drives get bigger, the latter is becoming more common.

Your mounting the entire drive is correct for the first type.
For the second type, you must mount a partition. Be warned that Windows (XP anyway) can only see the first partition.
_________________
Regards,

NeddySeagoon

Computer users fall into two groups:-
those that do backups
those that have never had a hard drive fail.