An update for 10.5.x: Whether you plug the drive in before booting to single-user mode or after, the drive doesn't seem to show up in /dev here. It DOES in 10.6.x.
What worked for me in 10.5.8 was to load kernel extensions after plugging in the drive:
mount -uw /
launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.kextd.plist
[WAIT approx 30 seconds: various log messages scroll by; after the 'kernel link data' error re: /var/run/mach.sym existing already, I continued:]
mkdir /Volumes/usb
mount -t msdos -v /dev/disk1s1 /Volumes/usb
This was on a MacBook with no other disks present, so disk0 was the internal HDD, and I had already determined that disk1 was the flash drive. disk1s1 was the single MS-DOS FAT16 data partition on that drive; hence the '-t msdos' parameter, above. Refer to the man page for mount for other options relevant to other file systems.
If you're on a system with multiple internal disks, you may want to review the disks present in /dev before loading the kexts:
ls /dev/disk*
Then load the kexts as above, then rerun
ls /dev/disk*
and compare to learn the disk ID of your flash (or other) drive.
Note also that the 'root' of each physical disk appears as disk0, disk1, disk2, etc. Those entries are not mountable or accessible. They are the command-line designation of the top-most entry of a disk as listed in Disk Utility's GUI, beneath which the disks data partitions are displayed. Data partitions are labeled e.g. disk0s1, disk0s2, disk1s1, etc.
One more note: you can in fact continue typing your command despite being interrupted by new log messages that crop up (e.g. diskarb errors). It can be tough to keep track of where you are in your command, but if you continue to type it correctly, it will execute.
In 10.6.x, if the drive is connected prior to booting into single-user mode, you need only mount it as usual ('mkdir' and 'mount' lines, above, modified to reflect the ID of your drive).
An aside: the reason I wanted to mount a flash drive here was to be able to run a shell script that reset a clean install after initial setup/login/updates back to 'out-of-box' no-users, Apple Setup Assistant state. See my comment to '10.5: How to reset Leopard back to the setup assistant' here: http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=2007110800450816 (can't seem to pin down the link: code syntax, sorry!).
What worked for me in 10.5.8 was to load kernel extensions after plugging in the drive:
mount -uw /
launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.kextd.plist
[WAIT approx 30 seconds: various log messages scroll by; after the 'kernel link data' error re: /var/run/mach.sym existing already, I continued:]
mkdir /Volumes/usb
mount -t msdos -v /dev/disk1s1 /Volumes/usb
This was on a MacBook with no other disks present, so disk0 was the internal HDD, and I had already determined that disk1 was the flash drive. disk1s1 was the single MS-DOS FAT16 data partition on that drive; hence the '-t msdos' parameter, above. Refer to the man page for mount for other options relevant to other file systems.
If you're on a system with multiple internal disks, you may want to review the disks present in /dev before loading the kexts:
ls /dev/disk*
Then load the kexts as above, then rerun
ls /dev/disk*
and compare to learn the disk ID of your flash (or other) drive.
Note also that the 'root' of each physical disk appears as disk0, disk1, disk2, etc. Those entries are not mountable or accessible. They are the command-line designation of the top-most entry of a disk as listed in Disk Utility's GUI, beneath which the disks data partitions are displayed. Data partitions are labeled e.g. disk0s1, disk0s2, disk1s1, etc.
One more note: you can in fact continue typing your command despite being interrupted by new log messages that crop up (e.g. diskarb errors). It can be tough to keep track of where you are in your command, but if you continue to type it correctly, it will execute.
In 10.6.x, if the drive is connected prior to booting into single-user mode, you need only mount it as usual ('mkdir' and 'mount' lines, above, modified to reflect the ID of your drive).
An aside: the reason I wanted to mount a flash drive here was to be able to run a shell script that reset a clean install after initial setup/login/updates back to 'out-of-box' no-users, Apple Setup Assistant state. See my comment to '10.5: How to reset Leopard back to the setup assistant' here: http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=2007110800450816 (can't seem to pin down the link: code syntax, sorry!).
When I plugged in my external hard drive it showed up in my drive in Disk. I could not mount my hard drives and it would not let me repair,. I just installed Parallels for Mac with Windows 10 and ca't figure out how to mount USB devices. For example, I have a USB card reader for photo cards that need to be read by a PC program, but I can't get that card mounted while in Parallels/Windows 10.
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Memory sticks, commonly referred to as flash or thumb drives, use a USB connection to transfer and receive data from computers. The benefits for businesses who use USB memory sticks stem from their size; you are able store large amounts of easily accessible data without sacrificing portability and you can access that data on any PC or Mac with an available USB port.
1.Connect the memory stick in an available USB port on your Mac. If using the memory stick for the first time, your Mac will install the necessary driver software. A USB icon will appear on your Mac display.
2.Double click the icon. You can also Click “Finder” to open the Finder window and choose the USB icon under Devices. The contents of the memory stick will display in a separate window.
3.Save open documents or software to your memory stick by clicking the USB icon and clicking “Save.” You can also click and drag an open document or program to the USB icon and selecting “Save.”
4.Click the file you want to view or the software you want to open and click “Open.” Your software will open and the file will open in its default program. Properly remove your memory stick from your Mac by clicking the USB icon and selecting “Eject” from the File menu. You can also click “Finder” and click the upward-pointing arrow to eject the memory stick from your Mac.
5.
Delete files and programs from your Mac by clicking the file or program from the list and dragging it to “Trash.” Press and “Ctrl” and “Trash” to delete the selected content. To select more than one file from the memory stick to delete, push and hold the “Apple” key on the keyboard and click and drag the cursor over the files you want to remove. You can then drag the cursor over the files you want to delete to select them.
Warning
- Eject your external device before unplugging it from your Mac.
References (1)
About the Author
A.J. Andrews' work has appeared in Food and Wine, Fricote and 'BBC Good Food.' He lives in Europe where he bakes with wild yeast, milks goats for cheese and prepares for the Court of Master Sommeliers level II exam. Andrews received formal training at Le Cordon Bleu.
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Andrews, A.J.. 'How to Use a USB Memory Stick on a Mac.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/use-usb-memory-stick-mac-53666.html. Accessed 11 November 2019.
Andrews, A.J.. (n.d.). How to Use a USB Memory Stick on a Mac. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/use-usb-memory-stick-mac-53666.html
Andrews, A.J.. 'How to Use a USB Memory Stick on a Mac' accessed November 11, 2019. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/use-usb-memory-stick-mac-53666.html
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