Check your storage device.

SD cards and USB stick can be dodgy: the storage capacity is smaller than advertised, storage space is corrupted, write/read speeds are off - or all of those.

The problem with them is, one can find out they storage is shit while using it. This lead to the lost data, confusion about a cause of the malfunctioning equipment, time spent to backup and recover a dodgy storage, plenty of the lost time.

Tools to check the storage:

**Using this tool will destroy the data on any storage you will run it on - this is common to run the command on wrong storage and even destroy operating system**

Windows:

https://h2testw.org/ - tool is called h2testw. It exists for ages and is a standard for the job.

Linux:

https://fight-flash-fraud.readthedocs.io/en/latest...

Time required for full test with f3write/f3read commands is very approx, 2h for each 100GB - based on average write/read speed of 20MB/s. It would be the most convenient to run it on a device that can stay 'on', all the time.

To install: For Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Elementary OS users, f3 is available in software repository. Simply execute the command below:

sudo apt install f3

Arch Linux, Manjaro, Apricity OS users can install f3 from AUR repository with Yaourt package manager.

yaourt f3

Fedora-based distros:

sudo dnf install f3

0. Mistake to identify correct drive in this step can destroy the data of your operating system or other storage's data

- remove the tested storage from a USB port [or a SD slot etc]

- start a command line terminal

- type in and run: lsblk

- attach tested storage to USB port

- type in and run: lsblk

The connected storage will be the one missing on the first lsblk run. Anything like sda, sdb, sdc.... - are the whole devices. sda1, sda2; sdb1, sdb2 - is a partition within the device.

To confirm also make sure the SIZE matches advertised SIZE of the tested device. There can be a small difference because the marketing people are dicks.

After formatting it should have only one partition - like on the picture above >>> sdb1

For a full test - sdb1 - location description will be required. Later on sdb1 will be replaced with question marks - that will need to be replaced with an appropriate location description on your own device.

1. Format the storage to fat32 - now or before step 0

2. start command line terminal

3.

sudo mkdir /mnt/sdtest

- it will ask for a password on the sudo command

4.

sudo mount /dev/????? /mnt/sdtest

5.

sudo f3write /mnt/sdtest

- go for a hike

6. When it has finished

sudo f3read /mnt/sdtest

In this stage program reads data written in the previous stage and checks does it conform to the expected pattern.

this means the drive has no problems - this have to be seen throughout.

There also will be report displayed at the end of the job. Take screenshot for a reference.

7. More information available on the program's website.

* -- these apps can also be installed directly from F-droid [https://f-droid.org] - an alternative app installer, similar to a regular app shop.

In general F-droid supports only open source apps.

Youtube without adverts, no login required for 18+ content [strong language].

They allow:

• downloading content,
• playing in the background,
• PIP play.
• They might help to avoid tracking by G,
• play videos as audio only [Libre].
• They might temporarily stop working if G, make changes affecting how video from YT is extracted.

Android:

* LibreTube - https://github.com/libre-tube/LibreTube
* NewPipe - https://github.com/TeamNewPipe/NewPipe
* PIpePipe - https://github.com/InfinityLoop1308/PipePipe

Windows:

Freetube https://freetubeapp.io

VeraCrypt - disc encryption [whole system / partition / container-file]. It is based on TrueCrypt, software which development was unexpectedly abandoned
https://veracrypt.eu/en/

Snowden used TrueCrypt.

KeePass Password Safe - storage of passwords - multiplatform
* https://keepass.info

Syncthing - synchronizing [backing up files] on one's own network. Not advised for a backup because if config muddled, it is easy to loose files, but that's what may people are using it for.

Also features encryption of remote files, rendering 'backups' unreadable - files could be kept on friend's hard drive far away, without being compromised,
* https://syncthing.net

There is also *Syncthing Fork, that might be more suitable for Android phone users, although it is not written by original crew

Ventoy - program lets the user to move Linux ISO image on USB and test/use this way almost all distributions [versions]
https://www.ventoy.net/en/index.html

https://signal.org
https://element.io - TRP.red channel is on it

DroidFS - encrypted container for files for Android
* https://forge.chapril.org/hardcoresushi/DroidFS/re...

Wasteline - calorie counter - weight tracker
* https://github.com/davidhealey/waistline

Librera - ebook reader - text to voice
* https://github.com/foobnix/LibreraReader

Joplin - note taker. Android, iPhone, Apple - database can be synced with **Syncthing** between your own devices, without the use of external service, although they run server for it as well
* https://joplinapp.org

LosslessCut - fast & lossless video cutter - Apple, Linux, Windows
https://github.com/mifi/lossless-cut

HandBrake - video transcoder / encoder - Apple, WIndows, Linux
https://handbrake.fr/

mp3DirectCut - fast & lossless mp3 cutter
https://mpesch3.de/