How to copy a file from USB drive

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You specify the filesystem type with the -t option. As described in man mount:

   -t, --types fstype
          The argument following the -t is used to indicate the filesystem
          type.  The filesystem types which are currently supported depend
          on the running  kernel.   See  /proc/filesystems  and  /lib/mod‐
          ules/$(uname  -r)/kernel/fs  for a complete list of the filesys‐
          tems.  The most common are ext2, ext3, ext4, xfs,  btrfs,  vfat,
          sysfs, proc, nfs and cifs.

So, to mount a FAT32 (vfat) drive, you would run:

sudo mount -t vfat /dev/sdc /media/usb

However, you don't mount devices, you mount partitions. What you're after is probably:

 sudo mount /dev/sdc1 /media/usb

Or, if it still complains:

sudo mount -t vfat /dev/sdc1 /media/usb

For more details, update your question with the output of sudo fdisk -l /dev/sdc.

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Sartheris Stormhammer
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Sartheris Stormhammer

Updated on September 18, 2022

Comments

  • Sartheris Stormhammer
    Sartheris Stormhammer over 1 year

    How can I copy, or just access a file on the USB drive from Ubuntu Server? This answer here does not work, I am getting

    mount: you must specify the filesystem type
    

    which no one explained how to solve. This happens after I type

    sudo mount /dev/sdc /media/usb
    

    where /dev/sdc is supposedly my USB.

    How can I do it?

    • Pilot6
      Pilot6 almost 9 years
      What file system is on your USB drive?
    • Pilot6
      Pilot6 almost 9 years
      Are you sure? How did you find out that?
    • Sartheris Stormhammer
      Sartheris Stormhammer almost 9 years
      because I also have a windows PC, on which I made that USB..
    • Sartheris Stormhammer
      Sartheris Stormhammer almost 9 years
      there, edited it
    • terdon
      terdon almost 9 years
      That you created it on Windows doesn't mean it's FAT32. It could also be NTFS or even FAT16 (though that's unlikely). Please edit your question and include the output of sudo fdisk -l /dev/sdc.
    • solsTiCe
      solsTiCe almost 9 years
      sudo mount /dev/sdc /media/usb is not the same than sudo mount /dev/sdc1 /media/usb
  • Sartheris Stormhammer
    Sartheris Stormhammer almost 9 years
    I am on ubuntu server, sorry forgot to mention it in the tags