Read a 1.72MB MS-DOS floppy from USB drive

[Disket]

Hi experts!

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It will difficult to explain my problem without giving command lines !
I've got a  f*ck!ng message saying "Sorry, you are not allowed to post external links. "
WTFIT?!?
So I've deleted all my code quotations ! 
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My problem :

I try to read a 1.72MB MS-DOS floppy from USB drive.

My release of TC is:

uname -a
Linux box 2.6.33.3-tinycore #2012 SMP Wed May 12 17:05:42

The USB drive is detected under dev sdc:

I fail to use existing fd0H1722 device.

I added a line for fd0H1722 but it doesn't help...

What am i doing wrong
Do I have to create a special device with "mknod"  ? How ?

Could you help me please ?

Best regards,

Disket.

[tinypoodle]

Not sure what to do if you see a need to quote code while being prevented by spam control, perhaps a  moderator could advice...

As you already suspected yourself, you need 1 device node per each floppy format.

A MAKEFLOPPIES script is included in www.tux.org/pub/knaff/fdutils/fdutils-5.5.tar.gz

I wouldn't know if it script still works, as it is slightly dated (2002); also I wouldn't be familiar wrt any particularities of USB floppy drives.

[tinypoodle]

Upon checking, I found that /dev/fd0H1722 should exist by default in tiny core 2.x & 4.x, so couldn't exclude that your issue *might* be specific to USB.

[aus9]

Disket

I am not an expert, but you can confirm that if you have an external floppy drive it does support 1770 kB according to your maker's specifications?

As I just did  a quick google and the only hits I was getting was for 1440 kB floppy external drives

and maybe I am stupid but I thought /dev/fd0H1722 was for internal floppy drives?

[Rich]

... maybe I am stupid but I thought /dev/fd0H1722 was for internal floppy drives?

I'm pretty sure  /dev/fd*  applies only to devices connected to the floppy controller.

... I found that /dev/fd0H1722 should exist by default in tiny core ...

I found that too, but my machines have floppy drives. I don't know if those device nodes get created if a floppy drive
is not attached.

[tinypoodle]

I don't know if those device nodes get created if a floppy drive
is not attached.

At least in 4.x they are included in the cpio archive

[Rich]

Hi Disket
Try:

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sudo mount -t vfat /dev/sdc /mnt/sdcThen:

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ls -l /mnt/sdcand see whether the directory listing is normal or garbled.

[tinypoodle]

In case your drive is formatted as msdos or vfat fs, you could try to follow this guide:

http://www.arahne.si/support/faq/127-usb-floppy.html

after first having installed the mtools extension; assigning a "drive letter" to /dev/sdc while setting

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cylinders=82 heads=2 sectors=21
However, also note:

Please note that reading or writing of floppies on USB floppy drive in nonstandard formats, like Stäubli JC3 or Stäubli JC4 is still not possible. You need a normal floppy drive for this.

[genec]

I try to read a 1.72MB MS-DOS floppy from USB drive.

The USB drive is detected under dev sdc:

Do I have to create a special device with "mknod"  ? How ?

In my experience, situation: normal.  This isn't a TC-specific issue.  USB floppies are commonly connected as SCSI devices as the USB chips in the drive speak USB mass storage just like a USB flash drive or USB hard drive.  There is no magic device node to create.  You need a real floppy drive on a real floppy controller or a USB floppy drive capable of handling the 1720kiB format (of which I know of none and I doubt such a device exists).