If you purchased a simple MP3/Video player from Dick Smith and would like to use it on Ubuntu or any other Linux distribution, you will probably find that the system does not mount the drive when you connect it via USB, which renders it useless.
In order to get access to the device via USB on Ubuntu/Linux follow these steps:
- Turn the device off by pulling the power button towards the power symbol on the side of the device, which means pulling the button away from the word "HOLD" until the screen turns off. You should see a Dick Smith logo as the device shuts down.
- Connect the device via mini-USB-to-USB. If a file browser windows opens your device is working just fine. If a file browser window does not open and you have no option of mounting the device, you will need get the system to recognise it as a mountable USB device.
- Open a terminal either through the application launcher or with the system shortcut CTRL+ALT+T.
- Run "lsusb" in order to detect the device.
- Locate the line that includes the words Coby Electronics Corporation A8705 MP3/Video Player
- Write down the device ID number containing two sets of four alphanumeric characters separated by a colon. My system gives it as 1e74:4641, but yours might give a different number.
- Create a configuration file in the /etc/modprobe.d/ folder by typing the following command: sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/coby-option.conf
Strictly speaking it doesn't matter what you call this file, but seeing as it is a Coby device, this is an apt name.
If you use a different text editor such as Leafpad, amend the command to sudo leafpad /etc/modprobe.d/coby-option.conf
Either way, this will create an empty text file. - Type the following line in the empty file, using the device ID you recorded in Step #5:
options usb-storage quirks=1e74:4641:mw
This add a configuration line to the Linux kernel that alerts it to the existence of this device and will result in it being mounted automatically upon connection via USB the next time you start the computer. - Save the file and close it.
- Reboot your computer. Logging out will not suffice because you need to reload the kernel and the easiest way of doing so is simply to reboot.
- Repeat Steps #1-2.
You should now have access to the MP3/Video player via USB and be able to transfer files to and from the device.
