USB flash drive become read-only

[Simon Slater]

On Sun, 2007-11-11 at 19:26 -0600, Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
> Simon Slater wrote:
> > G'day all,
> > 	A quick question about a USB stick that is used between FC6, F7 and
> > Win98 boxes. In the last week it has become read-only.  I can't change
> > permissions as root.  Any file or directory on it that is selected also
> > is tagged with a lock icon and is read-only.  How can it be changed to
> > read-write?
> > 
> Dumb question - is it read-only in Windows too? If so, does it have
> a little switch hidden away somewhere that makes the drive
> read-only? What does /var/log/messages how when you plug it in?
> 
> Mikkel

Not so dumb.  It is read-write in Win98.  I looked at /var/log/messages
and could not make sense of it.  Here it is:

Nov 12 12:44:30 Ipex kernel: audit(1194831868.948:26): avc:  denied
{ getattr } for  pid=1963 comm="hald" name="auto.misc" dev=dm-0
ino=457119 scontext=system_u:system_r:hald_t:s0
tcontext=system_u:object_r:automount_etc_t:s0 tclass=file
Nov 12 12:44:30 Ipex kernel: usb 1-1: USB disconnect, address 2
Nov 12 12:44:30 Ipex kernel: scsi 0:0:0:0: rejecting I/O to dead device
Nov 12 12:44:35 Ipex kernel: usb 1-1: new full speed USB device using
uhci_hcd and address 3
Nov 12 12:44:36 Ipex kernel: usb 1-1: configuration #1 chosen from 1
choice
Nov 12 12:44:36 Ipex kernel: scsi1 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage
devices
Nov 12 12:44:41 Ipex kernel:   Vendor: USB 2.0   Model: Flash Disk
Rev: 1100
Nov 12 12:44:41 Ipex kernel:   Type:   Direct-Access
ANSI SCSI revision: 00
Nov 12 12:44:41 Ipex kernel: SCSI device sda: 506880 512-byte hdwr
sectors (260 MB)
Nov 12 12:44:41 Ipex kernel: sda: Write Protect is off
Nov 12 12:44:41 Ipex kernel: sda: assuming drive cache: write through
Nov 12 12:44:41 Ipex kernel: SCSI device sda: 506880 512-byte hdwr
sectors (260 MB)
Nov 12 12:44:41 Ipex kernel: sda: Write Protect is off
Nov 12 12:44:41 Ipex kernel: sda: assuming drive cache: write through
Nov 12 12:44:41 Ipex kernel:  sda: unknown partition table
Nov 12 12:44:41 Ipex kernel: sd 1:0:0:0: Attached scsi removable disk
sda
Nov 12 12:44:41 Ipex kernel: sd 1:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg0 type
0
Nov 12 12:44:43 Ipex kernel: audit(1194831883.503:27): avc:  denied
{ getattr } for  pid=1963 comm="hald" name="auto.misc" dev=dm-0
ino=457119 scontext=system_u:system_r:hald_t:s0
tcontext=system_u:object_r:automount_etc_t:s0 tclass=file
Nov 12 12:44:50 Ipex kernel: SELinux: initialized (dev sda, type vfat),
uses genfs_contexts
Nov 12 12:44:50 Ipex kernel: audit(1194831890.474:28): avc:  denied
{ getattr } for  pid=1963 comm="hald" name="auto.misc" dev=dm-0
ino=457119 scontext=system_u:system_r:hald_t:s0
tcontext=system_u:object_r:automount_etc_t:s0 tclass=file
Nov 12 12:44:50 Ipex hald: mounted /dev/sda on behalf of uid 500
Nov 12 12:44:52 Ipex kernel: FAT: Filesystem panic (dev sda)
Nov 12 12:44:52 Ipex kernel:     fat_get_cluster: invalid cluster chain
(i_pos 0)
Nov 12 12:44:52 Ipex kernel:     File system has been set read-only

Mean anything to you?

-- 
Regards
Simon