Seagate 500GB USB drive

Topic

OS is Mint 22.  Have Seagate 500GB usb drive that seems to be unrecognized by system.  This disk unused for some time.  With any other external drives, once connected the OS adds an item to the left column of the Directories page, highlights the installed drive, and on request displays its contents.  A right-click menu offers various options including safe removal.  But with this drive connected, there is no response from the OS.  It is not listed in the media folder.

This drive lights up when connected, but unknown whether it is actually running.  IIRC it has no data, but if it’s usable I’d like to know.

Replies

What do you see in gnome-disk-utility?
(In the launcher menu, you can find it as “Disks” in the Accessories category.)

If if has no data at all, perhaps it has no partition. If the disk utility can see it and it is functional then you should be able to use that to create a partition and format it.

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Slowpoke47

This disk is the third item in the left column, shows a single partition:

But if it isn’t listed on the Directories screen, cannot add files to it.

Looks like the disk should be fine and just has no partition. The availability of the + button while the Free Space is selected means you can create a partition and format it. Once that process is finished you should be able to use the drive.

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Slowpoke47

If you wish to use that drive to store secure/sensitive data, now would be a good opportunity to format it as an encrypted LVM drive to safeguard data therein.

Once done, just plug the drive in and mount the drive, type in your chosen decryption password followed by an admin password for access.
That’s an option at this moment in time, all done within the gnome-disk-utility.
I’ve done this on a few external HDD’s for Linux only devices.

NOTE: Just ensure you pick the correct drive when formatting

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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Slowpoke47

Thanks, I don’t currently have a specific use for it, but at some point it’s likely.  Can a partition be 100%?

 

Yes!

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Slowpoke47

Just formatted a 100% partition on this disk, now listed in left column on Directory screen, able to stop drive w/ right click menu.  But no recollection of having to format other usb drives before entering data, they are listed in that left-side Directories column when connected.  Perhaps because this drive previously had data entered, now deleted?

 

Thanks to all who posted.