set up mtools to define a drive letter for your usb memory stick by adding the following line to /etc/mtools.conf:
drive u: file="/dev/sdb1" ensure your usb memory stick is not mounted but that its partitions are shown. $ sudo umount /media/ set a vfat label: $ sudo drive u: file="/dev/sdb1" marvell: $ mlabel -s u: Volume label is Martin Pitt's 512MB Stick (abbr=MARTIN PITT) mount it again, eg by ejecting, retracting, and reinserting and see how everything calls the stick by its abbreviated name (in this case "MARTIN PITT"). This unfortunately wouldn't distinguish between the 512MB drive named above and another drive named "Martin Pitt's 128MB Stick" -- hal lists msdos compatibility label instead of full label https://launchpad.net/bugs/33794 -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs