Mount USB Memory Sticks in single user mode

Jul 17, '03 09:47:00AM

Contributed by: afuchs

Boot in single user mode (hold Command-S during boot). Check the file system by typing /sbin/fsck -y. Then mount the root volume with write permissions by typing mount -uw /.

Create a mount destination by typing mkdir /Volumes/MS (MS=Memory Stick). List the contents of /dev by typing ls /dev. Insert the Memory Stick (you will receive visual confirmation when your stick is HFS formatted). Now list /dev again with ls /dev. See the difference? In your second listing, you should see an additional entry for either disk1s1 or disk1s2 -- this seems to depend on the file system on the Memory Stick.

Now mount the Memory Stick, with a different method depending on its formatting:

The flag -t msdos/hfs determines the file system of the stick. If not specified, mount in single user mode defaults to UFS.

[robg adds: I can't verify this one, but it seems like the standard method of mounting any removable disk in single user mode...]

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