Formatting USB drive

[KBD]

Sure. You might just missed the point. A newbie wants his stick back, after having installed e.g. MX Linux,
- just a plain freshly formated data-stick. I explain him how to use gparted, and next day he calls me, he just has formated is hd with gparted, with just one click. And he ask me to help him to get MX Linux back, nice job

That is a bit confusing lol!

[sdibaja]

Agreed, Gparted is not the proper tool for simple cleanup.
I find Gparted simple and powerful, I use it a lot... but super overkill for a novice to use for cleanup.

We have in Test-repo a newbie-proof usb formater in place. Gparted is not the right tool for new linux users just to format an usb stick. They could only destoy the stick but not the system with such a simplistic looking usb-formater. I would even not mention to newbies that they could use gparted to format usb sticks. Just give them a simple tool. As this is the most common questions I got ask from my newbies: "Can you make my stick usable again, as I can't use them anymore ..?"

Agreed, totally! A nice simple point-and-click formatter is what a newbie needs, and what the mintstick application supplies. Newbie-proof, scared technophobic kid-proof.

I have used MintStick a lot, simple and "kinda foolproof", unless an external USB drive is mounted... then OOPS!!

GParted does have plenty of documentation, although it has not been updated for several years. Some simple directions for new users could be useful, will look at drafting
something.

FYI: Gparted versions in Debian as of 23-06-2018
Stretch and Buster have Version 0.25.0-1+b1
Sid has version 0.30.0-3
I have Sid on a couple machines, but have not noticed any differences.

[turtlebay777]

One thing that Mint 17.xxx and 18.xxx have is in Accessories, one tool is called ' USB Image Writer' and another called 'USB Stick Formatter', which are so easy to use and would be ideal for Fehlix's newbie. I don't want to knock MX as I love it and prefer it to those other distros, but these tools would really enhance MX in my opinion.

When you click on 'USB Stick Formatter' you get a box that pops up asking for your password, then you fill in the boxes of USB drive and what type of format you want, the only options offered are FAT 32 (default), NTFS or EXT 4. Dead simples!

[rokytnji.1]

I guess one app and do it well is not a lot of posters preferences here.

Hence why I stated I did not want something that destroys/formats a embedded usb drive or sd card by mistake.
Hence why I prefer gparted because it fits that one app and do it well druther that I have.

But. If included. I might or might not use it. We'll see I guess.

[sdibaja]

One thing that Mint 17.xxx and 18.xxx have is in Accessories, one tool is called ' USB Image Writer' and another called 'USB Stick Formatter', which are so easy to use and would be ideal for Fehix's newbie. I don't want to knock MX as I love it and prefer it to those other distros, but these tools would really enhance MX in my opinion.

When you click on 'USB Stick Formatter' you get a box that pops up asking for your password, then you fill in the boxes of USB drive and what type of format you want, the only options offered are FAT 32 (default), NTFS or EXT 4. Dead simples!

That would be MintStick
http://ftp.tku.edu.tw/Linux/LinuxMint/l ... .4_all.deb

launch codes:

Code: Select all

mintstick -m iso

(write ISO)

Code: Select all

mintstick -m format

(format USB)

PS: version 1.3.4 works for me... version 1.3.5 seems to be unreliable.

[chrispop99]

One thing that Mint 17.xxx and 18.xxx have is in Accessories, one tool is called ' USB Image Writer' and another called 'USB Stick Formatter', which are so easy to use and would be ideal for Fehix's newbie. I don't want to knock MX as I love it and prefer it to those other distros, but these tools would really enhance MX in my opinion.

When you click on 'USB Stick Formatter' you get a box that pops up asking for your password, then you fill in the boxes of USB drive and what type of format you want, the only options offered are FAT 32 (default), NTFS or EXT 4. Dead simples!

As I pointed out to the OP earlier in this thread, the Mint USB utilities have been available to install from the Package Installer for some time.

Chris

[dreamer]

I think we have to identify two groups of users:

1. Users who are interested in computers and Linux. They install MX Linux themselves, check the User Manual and think HDDs and partitions are very exciting! You can find these people in this forum. For them Gparted is great.

2. The other group you won't find on this forum. Someone else has installed MX Linux for them. They aren't keen to learn, because computers and Linux don't interest them. They just want to have a working OS. For them a simple USB formatter like Mintstick would be better.

Since I'm making a MX iso for my dad I thought about installing Mintstick, but it comes with a lot of dependencies so I won't.

Cheat: If you use Rufus in Windows, you can just delete the files from your MX USB and it's as good as new. I don't know if the MX USB tools work like this. If you use "dd" or your tool uses "dd" your files won't be available or so I have heard and I have had Linux isos do that to my USB sticks so I had to format them. Normally you don't need to format USB sticks, just delete the files.

[tascoast]

If only Mint's usb Stick Formatter, without the Mint Live usb Image Writer and Disks tools, was available? I have looked at them all and can appreciate the simplicity of the Formatter, although it's not immediately clear that the user password is required and the progress indicator stops short. If I had to format USB sticks regularly I might use it.

It is really an issue common to most distros, although MX has many other unique custom tools, offsetting many Linux characteristics new or basic users might otherwise struggle with, find difficult or time-consuming to configure themselves.

I certainly appreciate that formatting a USB can stump one initially, having migrated from xp myself. I didn't need to format a usb for some time, until I began using a Live USB and experienced a glitch in creating a stick. I think this might be a relatively common scenario for most users, given formatting a usb may not be a regular task for the general user. As such, the GParted and Live USB portions of the user manual seem convenient places to reference formatting USB storage devices. Adding a Mint tools option might require additional disclaimers and notes to avoid new user mishaps or confusion?

[Jerry3904]

It might be a good idea to add "mintstick" menu: (USB Stick Formatter) to the next MXUM, thanks.

[fehlix]

... If only Mint's usb Stick Formatter, without the Mint Live usb Image Writer and Disks tools, was available?

This could easily be set this as such, that only the mint-usb-formater is available..

... although it's not immediately clear that the user password is required and the progress indicator stops short.

The progress-indicator is just a bug within current MXPI provvided mint-usb-formater. As I have a fixed version running, I might provide the package team an indication to set this up, without this 'short" stopper.

We just could redefine by a simple changing of an option within a polikit-rule, that a user would not need to enter a password for USB-formating.