When copying files to your memory stick on Linux, make sure your files stick

Summary: Use File -> Unmount Volume menu option in the Gnome file manager

Today I needed to get a print job done and I brought a memory stick to the print shop. Rather embarassing, one of the files were not on the stick when they checked. I though this very strange, but went home to put in on there.

When first copying the files, I noticed on my Ubuntu 8.04 laptop,  that there was no way to "safely remove" the memory stick as there is on Windows. I was happy to see this and though that Linux put the files safely on the stick in the instance you copied them. Wrong.

Coming home, and checking the contents of the memory stick, I realised that an entire folder was missing, that I knew for certain I had put there. It turns out that there is a menu option in the Gnome file manager, called "Unmount Volume". This time around I used this, and the files were there as I arrived at the print shop a second time.

This all means that the usability of USB memory sticks on Linux (at least with the Gnome file manager on Ubuntu 8.04) is worse than on Windows. Windows warns you if you yank out a stick without safely removing it first.