Please be patient, I am old (59) and new to Linux. I was never a programmer but have built many gaming computers in the past. I was pretty adept at windows but am now struggling with Linux.
in the past with the windows operating system I would plug an item into the USB (watch, music player etc) and it would be recognized and show up so I could transfer files.
When I plug in now I am running Linux (Zorin) I do not see the device anywhere.
Any help would be appreciated.
welcome bobppss, which zorin version that u use? it's core , pro, lite?
I wish I knew the answer to that, bear with me please ill take a look.
In settings it just states Zorin OS 16.2
Should I be looking elsewhere?
Thank you for the welcome by the way. Linux sure is a learning curve.
Hi, I don't use Zorin any more (I use Devuan 3.1.1 with KDE (Plasma) Desktop Environment and it just works when plugging a USB stick in). As Zorin 16.2 is a fork of Ubuntu 20.04 and if you have Zorin Core, it uses Gnome Desktop Environment this guide may help you:
Yes it does use Gnome. I did not know there were different versions of Linux. I did take a look at that file, the website it a good resource but to be honest the steps to take are complicated to me. I just wanted to plug my daughters watch in to transfer some music files to it. In your opinion is there a better version of Linux I should consider as a "green" user. Thank you for the response, it is appreciated.
Hi, before ditching Zorin altogether, try installing KDE via the terminal:
Firstly:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
then
sudo apt install kde-full
after it has completed installing KDE, reboot the machine.
When you get to the login, click on the cog to change from Zorin (default) to Plasma. See if USB works then. Just to add is the watch USB 2/3 compliant? Which port have you used, USB 2.0 (black) or USB 3.0 (blue)?
I wouldn't necessarily call it simple as there could still be hardware compatibility issues - remember, most watches like computer hardware are built to be compatible with Android, Apple or Windows devices. Can the watch be sync'd to a Mobile device? You could then upload music to a cloud service, then download from the cloud to the computer. I don't tend to store music in the Cloud but if you sign up for a free mureno.io account you get a free @e.email address and 1 Gb of cloud storage. I can't imagine a watches storage is going to be large. The other factor to consider is what format are the sound files in? 
My daily goto since working from home was FerenOS which uses Plasma by default, but I preferred the security of Devuan 3.x - both of which I used at start of lockdown and then Devuan 3.1 in December 2020 until I retired, working from home at end of August 2021. You can install 'Tiled Menu' that makes the Menu look like Windows 10 Menu:
I would advise against changing the basic Zorin system you have installed. When you plug in the USB, the USB drive is mounted and considered part of the computer's memory. If you do that, then click on Home in the Start Menu, it will throw up a list of: a. Places and b. Devices. The first device will be your HDD or SSD. The second should be the USB (listed under the name that has been used in the past). Click on that and you will get a page of all the folders/files on the USB. Simply click on the file that you want to play, and it should play automatically. Unfortunately I have to go out right now, and won't be back for a few hours.
If you have not sorted it out by then, I will check what problem you have.
By the way, I note you are old! I worry about what I will do when I get old, as I am only 87 right now.
If ubuntu restricted extras is installed then yes, some music files didnt work on my side until i installed this.
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras
I was surprised you suggested to a newbie installing an alternate DE, just to try and get a USB connected device to be detected. I would have avoided such complication and kept the basic OS as was installed, and tried finding a driver or port solution.
@bobppss There are 2 Desktop Environments (DE's) that come as standard with ZorinOS depending on which edition you downloaded. If you know which you downloaded e.g. Pro, Core, Lite, Education etc. that would be good for us to know. You can then edt your forum profile to indicate that information which we can then refer to when answering your questions in future.
For now, as you have Gnome DE, we must assume you downloaded Z16.2 Core edition. If you had downloaded Z16.2 Lite edition, you would have XFCE Desktop Environmemt instead of Gnome.
@zabadabadoo I suggested KDE (Plasma) as never had an issue of USB being picked up in Plasma on Devuan. I've noticed whilst researching other USB issues it seems to have raised its head following upgrades from Ubuntu 18.04 to 20.04 with the solution involving a lot of terminal work to rectify.
This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.