Saving files to FlashDrive while running Vector off LiveDVD? +Trackpad too fast?

[topaz-2012]

Hello all,

I *Finally* got a laptop (Thinkpad R51 - Penium M - 2gb ram / 1.6 processor) that I can dedicate to Linux. (Reminder: I'm coming from a mac background)  I downloaded a few different distros now and am having a ball. So far, my favorite "look" is Vector with XFCE.

Right now, I have no hard drive - so I wanted to do a little writing in Abiword while running the liveDVD and save it to a flash drive. The system sees and mounts the flash drive. It can open files from the drive. However, I get various errors telling me I can't save to the flash drive. One error message was detailed enough to show that it didn't have permissions to save. I then took the flashdrive back to my Mac, and I changed permissions to allow all to read and write. It didn't make a bit of difference once I got back to Linux though.  

Then I thought I was smart because I right clicked (I'm not used to multi-buttons so right clicking is a big deal for me ... lol) and found "properties" for the flash drive. I see the permissions, but I can't change them. I think I have to be logged in as the root admin. How do I do that from the live DVD?

Also - last issue. On Mepis, my trackpad was a wild ride and totally a mess. On PCLinuxOS, the trackpad behaved as I'd expect. On Vector, the trackpad behaves mostly well, but I swear it anticipates a click if I hover too long - and it clicks without my intention. Is this just an issue because I'm running from the DVD? Will it resolve itself once I install the full program to a HD, or can I correct it? I found trackpad settings, but it didn't change the behavior enough that I notice a change.

Thanks in advance.

[nightflier]

There are a lot of possibilities when it comes to customizing a touchpad. In a terminal, issue command "synclient -l". If you see a long list of options, those can be changed. We usually do this from a startup script, so on a LiveCD you would have to manually do it after every boot.

The issue with your USB drive could be file system related. Was it formatted by your Mac computer?

[topaz-2012]

Thank you for replying.

re: Touchpad. I think I'll leave it alone until I do the real install. It isn't bad enough that it will make me totally crazy for the time being. (And I am a little afraid of working in the terminal yet!)

re: Flash Drive. Yes, it was formatted on my mac. I used Mac OS Extended (journaled) format. Here are the other options I can see in my disk utility on my mac:

Mac OS Extended
Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled)
Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive)
Mac OS Standard
MS-DOS File System
UNIX File System
Free Space

Would any of those work?

[topaz-2012]

PS: I found "options" for each of those formats.

It says:

Choose a partition scheme appropriate for the way you will use this disk:

GUID Partition Table
To use the disk to start up an Intel-based Macintosh computer

Apple Partition Map
To use the disk to start up a PowerPC-based Macintosh computer or to use the disk as a non-startup disk with any Mac

Master Boot Record
To use the disk to start up DOS and Windows computers, or to use with devices that require a DOS_compatible or Windows-compatible partition.


-----

I chose Unix file system
and
Master Boot Record.

It is formatting now. I'll post back and let you know if it worked.

[topaz-2012]

Oh. No.
That is worse.
Now it can't even mount the volume without errors.

Ack.

[nightflier]

If you're good with re-formatting the USB drive, I'd recommend FAT32 (MS-DOS). That should work across many platforms. If your Mac doesn't do it, try from a Windows machine, or use gparted from Linux.

[topaz-2012]

In my eyes you are now a genius. Thank you so much!

I was able to format it on my mac. I never knew fat32 was the same as MS-DOS. I wondered what it was so many times when I'd seen the term thrown around.

You've just saved me from having to use my very annoying antique macs for the rest of the week. Now I can do my writing assignments on the "new" thinkpad even without its hard drive. Hurray. Life is good.

[nightflier]

Good deal.

MS-DOS can be different from FAT32, but I figured it was the most likely one.

When running live, try to open up a terminal and give this command:

Code:

synclient MaxTapTime=0

That should turn off the tap-to-click feature. This would be a good test to see if you can control the beast.