Thanks for the tip MatteN. I'm a somewhat Linux challenged user but seems a simple "How to " search always provided a usable answer. Just in case there are other newbies to Linux here is what I did to use BalenaEtcher in Linux Mint :
Right Click and open Properties
click Permissions
Access...change Read-only to Read and write
Next check Execute
I suppose I might identify as a "command-line-phobic user" so I gave the Startup Disk Creator a whirl on my Mint 21.3 system and a bit of poking and prodding to make it work. Not quite as eloquent and simple as the LE Creator but does the job. Nice to always have a different path to the same destination.
There are some things that make a keyboard the best choice for input to your system. I opted for a Logitech Keyboard/mouse combo which can be had for a tad over $20 US with the unifying usb receiver. Total install bliss. Plug and play with no settings to deal with and always works. I keep the keyboard stowed in the TV cab for special needs.
As mentioned the Kodi File Manager is your best bet for adding/deleting/cut/paste/move etc. files. Pretty simple to use and does just about anything you might need. It's very intuitive and if you need more info it's here:
There are lots of choices but bottom line is the size of your piggy bank. My jewel is a Gigabyte HTPC setup with i3 processor, 16GB DDR3, and dual 500 GB SSDs. It runs LE as it's only operating system and has been rock solid for about 6 years. Then we have Pi, Pi3,Pi4 and just added a Pi5. A fully loaded Pi5 will set you back give or take $150 and earlier Pis somewhat less. All work well with LE and performance gets progressively faster with each version. The Pi5 is close to matching my HTPC and gets my vote for top choice. The Pis are my top choice for RVs with a small footprint, low power and price. So how big is your piggy bank?
If you check the Wiki at page top you can find "How to" for just about anything LibreElec related. If you wish help from the forums (1) type of hardware you are using RPi has several models and different builds
(2) The Wiki at page top has step by to record and submit logs and lots of helpful info.
Check it out and if you still have issues there's plenty of friendly folks here to lend a hand. Just remember the site mods and all the devs her are volunteers who generously spend their time providing this great software package so help them help you by doing a bit of search before you post. Someone has probably had the same issue or error and found a fix and posted it.
I was resurrecting a Pi-B for a friend to play with and seems I might have uncovered a bit more info on the external drive mounting issue. I was able to reproduce it every time too. Here's what I did on my x86 system:
1. I boot up my usb thumb drive with LE 11.0.6 test system
2. Plugged in an 8gb separate thumb drive formatted NTFS [System Message confirms mount]
3. From File Manager I copied a small MP4 file to the 8gb thumb drive.
4. I unplug the 8gb drive. Safetly Removed is displayed. Plug it back in a moment later and no mount message.
5. Unplug the drive and message Safetly Removed appears.
6. Plug 8gb drive into Windows system and immediately reports drive error. Scan reports errors repaired.
The error seems to be created only when File Manager writes to the drive and reading has no issues.
I've done this three times with same results. Maybe there is enough info here to chase down this gremlin.
I have the debug log if needed.
I think you are asking a lot from a free app. You can easily install a nightly build and adjust to your needs. As far as being a fast fix that depends on host of things [speed of your internet, your device etc.] You didn't mention your hardware and there are a number of ways to load up LE and test without disturbing your current setup. On a PC just load a thumbdrive or on a Pi just another SD card.
I decided to try ext4 on one of my 4TB hard drives. My first attempt to partition and initialize a drive in the Linux universe. I'm blindly following an article I found and hope it comes out right. So far so good and files are being copied from the NTFS drive to ext4 drive. I think I may just leave one drive NTFS format along side the EXT4 and with both having the same data next time an update is out test the theory of filesystem faults. We'll see..
I know. I will likely bite the bullet and switch over to ext4 for my mass storage. We never had an issue until around the LE 11.0.2 release. They have hinted it's was a kernel change upstream that is the likely cause. I rarely need Windows to access my collection so ext4 here I come. Now the task is to convert without losing anything.
I see the Confluence update was pushed today with the nice new Favorites change. Now you can select thumbnails for Favorites entries and for the sight challenged (like me) makes it really cool!
Success at last. I found that indeed there seemed to be drive errors on my 2nd 4TB NTFS drive. I'm writing this in hopes of making drive problem a bit easier to repair should anyone else encounter a drive error after LE updates. In the past I have used the Windows chkdsk program to repair my drives but there's a much easier faster way that works to clear HD errors.
In Windows right click the drive with a problem using file explorer then select "Properties" , "Tools" then "Check" and Scan. Takes under a minute unlike chkdsk which can take several hours. If we can't isolate the issue at least repair is a little less painful.
I'm repairing the 2nd 4TB hard drive today and found that the drive letter had been lost. That's a new one for me. Running chkdsk now and hopefully back to normal operation until the next update I suppose.
NTFS. I contemplated switching to ext4 but never got around to it. Once again right after an update and kapluey. The 2nd drive is still hidden in LE and assume it's not mounted. Very weird behavior.
I updated my HTPC to LE 11.0.6 Generic-Legacy a few days ago and crossed my fingers I would not have any external HD issues. All went well with two 4TB drives performing fine for a few days. Last night I copied one small file to one drive then used the Move command for the same file on the second. Both drives seem to disappear and unavailable from file manager.
I ran chkdsk on the 1st HD and now seems OK (again)
The 2nd HD is another story. Not showing up at all in Windows or LE but seems fine on my Linux Mint system. Very puzzling.
One issue maybe related to Kodi Copy/Move I have observed several times when multiple files are copied/moved Kodi would seem to restart after the last file was moved. Is this just my system or anyone else seen this ?
I upload the log: https://paste.libreelec.tv/together-dog.log
I'm of the same thinking about the skins. I started ten or so years ago with my first RPi . $25 back then too! XBMC , OSMC, OpenElec and finally my favorite LibreElec. I built three i3 powered HTPC systems for family and all running LE for years. It's fun to peek under the hood every now and then and see what makes this app work. Even more fun when I hose up the works and learn what not to do. Still struggling with Linux but able to muddle through and know just enough to be dangerous. Anyhow all systems running great once again and ready for the spring and summer in the RV with two RPis powering our TVs. Life is good.. Thanks again to the LE group for being here.
