[tech] Sorting out good USBs

[James Arcus]

Hi all,

I've been running `badblocks` over the mass of USBs we have in the room 
and tossing ones that report any issues. The command is `sudo badblocks 
-w -s /dev/sdX` where sdX is the volume label corresponding to the USB.

You might have to unmount its partitions first. It's also important to 
check sdX is correct against the device list `lsblk` or the kernel logs 
with `dmesg -k` to make sure you're not about to wipe the system drive.

So far I've thrown out 8 sticks and 24 have tested OK.

*Important note:* This process is /destructive/ to the data on the disk, 
don't do it on a USB you care about. It also means you'll need to format 
the drive before it can be used again. I haven't got around to doing 
that yet, but can if I have the time.

Cheers,

James [MPT]

P.S. SSH is very handy to coordinate multiple checks across sticks 
plugged into lots of PCs around the room.

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