Correct procedure for removing SD cards?

[DAP]

If I try and unmount the SD cards, this operation fails saying they are in use, even though I am not running any of the PNDs on the disk.

What is the proper procedure for removing an SD card? I hope I don't need to shut down my pandora to do so.

 

[CocoCreekFisherman]

If you are mounting/un mounting via mass storage  then you need to properly 'eject' your sd card prior to removing it. Same applies if you are using your computer's sd card slot.

If you remove your card BEFORE properly 'ejecting' then you will ge that dreaded failed operation message. If you do not 'eject' then you either have to remove> reinsert your sd card or restart your Pandora.

All computers I know of require cards to be ejected  prior to un mounting.. I know with my computer all I do to eject is drag the sd card icon to the waste basket. Also in my download window there is an option to eject. The card needs time to refill it's files so to speak.

Hope this helps. :unsure:   

 

[TrashyMG]

I just rip those suckers out when I please and let the data gods sort things out.

 

[CocoCreekFisherman]

I just rip those suckers out when I please and let the data gods sort things out.

 

But you are a pandy god and I am just a mere mortal.

 

[Trezker]

Always keep backups of the contents of your sd cards, you should do that anyway.

Then you can rip em out freely and if something should go badly you can just restore from backup.

 

[DAP]

So, it appears the answer I'm getting is that I must turn my Pandora off before removing SD cards since the "unmount" option does not work.

 

[CocoCreekFisherman]

So, it appears the answer I'm getting is that I must turn my Pandora off before removing SD cards since the "unmount" option does not work.

No you need to EJECT the card prior to umounting.

 

[TrashyMG]

I've honestly just ejected the cards when I feel like it. Of course I wait for the SD card status lights to stop blinking and such.. If I'm copying a large amount of data (200MB+ or so), I give it a minute or two to ensure all the data is moved over.

 

[CocoCreekFisherman]

Better eject than reject  :blink:  

 

[Null]

I'm another one that ejects a card as and when I feel it's necessary, though if i'm feeling particularly energetic i'll run sync before I do so.

 

[punkrockserfer]

I'm not really sure why Coco is saying to "eject" before "unmounting". That's not possible. If you eject the card, the unmount option disappears because the card itself disappears. My rule of thumb is this: I attempt to unmount (most of the time this hasn't been working lately as I get an error as well). If it works - great. If not, I do 1 of 2 things:

1) If I'm going to be copying data to the card and running other stuff for a while, I shut off the pandora before ejecting the cards.

2) If I'm in a time-crunch or simply don't have the patience to wait at the moment, I just eject them. I haven't had any data loss, though as others have said, it's a possibility.

You don't really have much of a choice other than those. Either eject without unmounting (if you get an error) or just shut down before ejecting. Short of solving the error yourself, those are the only options lol.

 

[skeezix]

They are probably 'in use' due to the system watching the SD directories for new applications to appear (pnd magic.) ie: If you write a pnd-file into /.../pandora/menu, like downlaoding from a browser or whatever, the pandora will nearly immediately pick up on it and display the application jsut like that. How it does that is... by watching your SD cards.

Depends on the filesystem as well .. FAT, for all its flaws, is relatively resilient to mass data loss that way; an ext2 wil get fried pretty fast when just yanking it out, however...

jeff

 

[DAP]

So, it appears the answer I'm getting is that I must turn my Pandora off before removing SD cards since the "unmount" option does not work.

No you need to EJECT the card prior to umounting.

When right clicking on the desktop icon, the menu items are:

Open                          (not what I want to do)

Unmount Volume        (fails)

Properties...               (not particularly usefull here)

Applications               (Also no usefull here)

There is no "Eject" option.

 

[CocoCreekFisherman]

So, it appears the answer I'm getting is that I must turn my Pandora off before removing SD cards since the "unmount" option does not work.

No you need to EJECT the card prior to umounting.

When right clicking on the desktop icon, the menu items are:

Open                          (not what I want to do)

Unmount Volume        (fails)

Properties...               (not particularly usefull here)

Applications               (Also no usefull here)

There is no "Eject" option.

No... I mean on your computer. You should eject on your computer before you unmount the card.

I really am sorry if I am confusing you or making this harder  :huh:  .

 

[Neelix]

Actually I believe you are talking about different things which is why there is such confusion.  If I've read this correctly the OP was asking about removing cards from the pandora after normal usage,  but  CocoCreekFisherman seems to be talking about turning off SD mass storage mode.  

- Neelix

 

[Binky]

I say:

eject --> physically remove the card

unplug --> disconnect pandora from a USB host device

unmount --> unmount (specify weather you mean from the USB host system or the pandora)

using 'eject' to mean 'unmount' is daft

'safely remove' is better, but 'unmount' is unambiguous

 

[CocoCreekFisherman]

I say:

eject --> physically remove the card

unplug --> disconnect pandora from a USB host device

unmount --> unmount (specify weather you mean from the USB host system or the pandora)

using 'eject' to mean 'unmount' is daft

'safely remove' is better, but 'unmount' is unambiguous

So are you saying i am daft?? :unsure:  ..it's ok I have been called worse.

 

[Neelix]

using 'eject' to mean 'unmount' is daft

'safely remove' is better, but 'unmount' is unambiguous

Only if you're familiar with the terminology... If you spoke to me of 'unmounting' a drive before I started learning my way around a linux system I wouldn't have had a clue what you were talking about....

- Neelix

 

[levi]

IIRC, the last time I used Fedora the unmount option in Thunar was labelled 'Eject' for reasons that are beyond my ken.


Unmounting (right click, select 'unmount') works for me on my Pandora. Though these days I rarely eject my cards though - just scp whatever I want from my computer to my Pandora.

 

[CocoCreekFisherman]

IIRC, the last time I used Fedora the unmount option in Thunar was labelled 'Eject' for reasons that are beyond my ken.


Unmounting (right click, select 'unmount') works for me on my Pandora. Though these days I rarely eject my cards though - just scp whatever I want from my computer to my Pandora.

So was my terminology correct or daft as Binky suggested. ??  :wacko:   :blink: