linuxgeek: Re: [LINUX_Newbies] What next?

On Sun, Mar 30, 2014 at 7:47 PM, G.LinuxDucks <g.linuxducks@gmail.com> wrote:
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> *Let me ask.... do you understand the difference between a media storage usb device and a usb drive device ?* And then what names do you give them ? Thank you for answering !
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> I really do not grasp your problem you are running into. To keep it simple, simply you walk into a RiteAid store and go to the computer stuff aisle. You see there a bunch of these usb devices we are talking about. There are two kinds that kind of look identical actually. You pick one up and it says it stores up all kinds of media files and pictures - like the 2Gig or 4 or 8, whatever size. You look at the other one that has the word DRIVE on it USB Drive which also can store all types of media files.
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> The POINT is the first one is NOT a drive and if you try to use that to put a Linux ISO (distro) it is not going to work. The second one that looks the same BUT has the word DRIVE on the package is the one NEEDED to use for the discussion sake of putting Linux on a USB Drive and running on a laptop/notebook/netbook or desktop with a BIOS supporting that - going way back to older computers around the time of Win98 and XP did not - CD/DVD only with Linux burned on.
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> I suggest you just drop the apples and oranges descriptions and simply understand, as you say you wish to, that unless the USB device
> product says on the package that it is a USB "Drive" - then it is not going to be able to be used to do all the things everywhere posted of
> how to use that to install Linux posted everywhere on the Net.

Ummm what? A usb flash device is the same regardless... there is no
special magic sauce that makes one device sold at Rite-Aid a bootable
device vs an essentially identical flash storage device sold at
Rite-Aid. I've been using these things for both storage and bootable
images almost since they became available. I've used generic ones,
name brand ones. I've bought them at CVS, Wal-Mart, New Egg and a
hundred other places, including one bought at an airport so I could
quickly make a bootable demo for a presentation I was giving.

Again, I would genuinely like to see a real, specific example of a USB
storage device that CAN NOT be used to boot from but can ONLY be used
to store files on that is found in a place like the average drug
store. I genuinely, as a hardware tester, want to try these out on my
own.

> The two terms for the two different products I used go way back to the middle of the last decade and at any computer store or other selling them.
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> You wrote....
> <<<I'm genuinely being curious here, because it appears you've had bad experiences with an entire class of USB devices I have never heard of before. (Unless Media Stick IS the same device that is named at different times, USB Stick, USB Key, ThumbDrive, USB Storage Device, etc).>>>
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> I really have no clue aas to what you are reading into my post, no clue. I have never described ANY bad experience with any usb device. As to where you get "an entire class of USB devices I have never heard of before" - I have no clue as to what you are talking about. You *need* to explain yourself.

There's nothing for me to explain. You described a USB storage device
(and below you point me to a Google image search which contains at
least three images of specific USB sticks that I have used to boot
systems from over the years) that can ONLY be used to store file on
and can't be booted from. I asked for examples, because as I stated
above, I want to get some and try this out for myself and investigate
this. I literally have HUNDREDS of various assorted USB flash
devices, and I have never found one that couldn't be made into a
bootable device for installing or rescuing systems. So long as the
system supports booting from USB, it should be good to go.

But let me quote what you said:
> The distinction is the two different USB devices. One is the USB Media Stick which is used for storing media files. This will NOT operate as
> a drive, which is the other kind - a USB Drive which will run portable softwares and launch and install ISO's (distros) - and again, you can
> NOT do that on a USB Media "Stick".

> I left out the word media in "USB Media Stick" which may be the confusion. The point is I always mention that and especially to someone
> new as they may run down and buy a USB Media Stick instead of a drive and spend endless hours trying to figure out what they are doing
> wrong and why it does not work until some helper finally figures out to ask them if they purchased a stick instead of drive.

> They look the same new on the store shelf and you have to double like at the package and make sure it is a DRIVE and not a simple
> Media Stick storage device.

The last sentence is important. You just described pretty much all
USB storage devices and claim that there are two different types, one
that is not usable as a boot device and one that is, and they look
identical except for a word on the packaging. I'm asking for specific
examples of this as I have never heard, nor encountered, such a thing.

And actually, I can think of ONE thing that MAY be such a device, but
that was a specially designed device that did onboard encryption of
all data going onto it and was designed with data security in mind,
but was NOT the typical, off the shelf kind of device you buy at
Rite-Aid.

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> gerald philly pa usa
> PICTURES ? TRY;
> https://www.google.com/images?hl=en&biw=&bih=&q=usb+media+stick+storage&gbv=1&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ei=tag4U7exEtLjsATf8IG4CA&ved=0CD8QsAQ
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> On 3/30/2014 10:16 AM, J wrote:
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> On Sun, Mar 30, 2014 at 3:57 AM, G.LinuxDucks <g.linuxducks@gmail.com> wrote:
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>> The distinction is the two different USB devices. One is the USB Media Stick which is used for storing media files. This will NOT operate as a drive, which is the other kind - a USB Drive which will run portable softwares and launch and install ISO's (distros) - and again, you can NOT do that on a USB Media "Stick".
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> Do you have pictures of these USB Media "Sticks" as you call them? Googleing for that gives me all sorts of info on Thumb Drives, USB Sticks, and USB Keys, all of which are interchangeable terms these days. I've heard of "Memroy Sticks" but that odd term tends to refer to things like the Sony MemorySick and MSPro form factor of memory card. Those are more akin to SD/SDHC type memory devices than USB storage devices.
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> In fact, I do not think i have EVER seen a USB storage device that fits the description you give of a "Media Stick".
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> I'm genuinely being curious here, because it appears you've had bad experiences with an entire class of USB devices I have never heard of before. (Unless Media Stick IS the same device that is named at different times, USB Stick, USB Key, ThumbDrive, USB Storage Device, etc).
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> Cheers
> Jeff
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> P.S. is THIS what you mean? http://hsti.com/products/wirelessmediastick
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> which does NOT store anything, it's more like a Wireless Dongle, not a storage device and really has nothing at all in common with usb keys than the fact that it has a USB port and is roughly the same shape and size (like most other wi-fi, bluetooth and similar dongles).
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