iPod mounts as rw but the disk is unwritable [SOLVED]

fadec · 2010-03-12 04:57:57

An iPod classic mounts correctly but wont accept writes.

Automounts correctly: /dev/sdb2 on /media/disk type hfsplus (rw,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal)
Mounted manually: /dev/sdb2 on /media/disk type hfsplus (rw)

But then when I "sudo touch /media/disk/foo" I get

cannot touch `foo': Read-only file system

I thought I had a match on this old Ubuntu bug report but running fsck_hfs on the Mac reported a clean filesystem on the iPod. Also, the AUR hfsprogs is marked out of date.

This obviously prohibits anything like Amarok or Gtkpod from writing to the iPod.

What would cause a rw filesystem with no errors from prohibiting writes? What other diagnostics can I run?

I almost had my wife sold on a new i7 build with Arch (especially when she saw the lyrics in Amarok) but this has put the brakes on things. Any help is very much appreciated.

Last edited by fadec (2010-03-13 01:42:13)

fadec · 2010-03-12 19:14:43

The dmesg output looks like this. Yes, I tried to write four times expecting different results. I must be insane.

The relevent message appears to be hfs: write access to a journaled filesystem is not supported, use the force option at your own risk, mounting read-only. Perhaps it is still possible to write to the device via libgpod but Amarok tries to write to the mounted filesystem when I right-click->export-to-collection->ipod. It fails.

usb 2-1: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 10
usb 2-1: configuration #1 chosen from 2 choices
scsi10 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices
usb-storage: device found at 10
usb-storage: waiting for device to settle before scanning
scsi 10:0:0:0: Direct-Access Apple iPod 1.62 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0
sd 10:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0
usb-storage: device scan complete
sd 10:0:0:0: [sdb] 19488471 4096-byte logical blocks: (79.8 GB/74.3 GiB)
sd 10:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
sd 10:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 68 00 00 08
sd 10:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
sd 10:0:0:0: [sdb] 19488471 4096-byte logical blocks: (79.8 GB/74.3 GiB)
sd 10:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
sdb: [mac] sdb1 sdb2
sd 10:0:0:0: [sdb] 19488471 4096-byte logical blocks: (79.8 GB/74.3 GiB)
sd 10:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
sd 10:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk
hfs: write access to a journaled filesystem is not supported, use the force option at your own risk, mounting read-only.
hfs: write access to a journaled filesystem is not supported, use the force option at your own risk, mounting read-only.
hfs: write access to a journaled filesystem is not supported, use the force option at your own risk, mounting read-only.
hfs: write access to a journaled filesystem is not supported, use the force option at your own risk, mounting read-only.
sdb: detected capacity change from 79824777216 to 0
usb 2-1: USB disconnect, address 10

fadec · 2010-03-13 01:40:32

The solution is to disable journaling on the HFS partition. With a Mac...

diskutil disableJournal /Volumes/iPod

After this everything works.

passbe · 2010-03-13 01:49:21

I just had the same problem, and your solution worked a treat.
Thank you.

bvrulez · 2015-12-07 11:46:05

Just wanted to say thank you. Still relevant in 2015 for my iPod Classic 160GB and my Lubuntu 14.04.

WorMzy · 2015-12-07 12:47:17

bvrulez, please don't bump old threads, particularly with empty posts, and especially when you're not even using Arch.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fo … bumping.22

Closing.

Arch Linux

#1 2010-03-12 04:57:57

iPod mounts as rw but the disk is unwritable [SOLVED]

#2 2010-03-12 19:14:43

Re: iPod mounts as rw but the disk is unwritable [SOLVED]

#3 2010-03-13 01:40:32

Re: iPod mounts as rw but the disk is unwritable [SOLVED]

#4 2010-03-13 01:49:21

Re: iPod mounts as rw but the disk is unwritable [SOLVED]

#5 2015-12-07 11:46:05

Re: iPod mounts as rw but the disk is unwritable [SOLVED]

#6 2015-12-07 12:47:17

Re: iPod mounts as rw but the disk is unwritable [SOLVED]

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