how to use a floppy as storage with tinycore

[tinypoodle]

Has to do with vfat being a module. On -t auto, the kernel only checks against known (loaded) file systems. When explicitly telling it it's vfat, then it checks if the module can be loaded.

1. Booted 'norestore base', first mounted a vfat partition with mnttool, then mounting floppy worked as expected.

2. Rebooted, then

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sudo modprobe vfatthen mounting floppy worked as expected.

Thanks for the enlightening explanation curaga, makes absolutely sense, I seem just never have run into the specific constellation of ejames82, therefore I never noted.

[ejames82]

upgrading a bios (a windows xp machine) was the only time i ever used a floppy disk, prior to starting this thread.  suffice it to say i didn't know how to use one. 
it seems like a floppy can fit nicely into the tinycore scheme.  sections of the wiki, and extensions can fit on a floppy, and a floppy can be written on.  where with a flash drive, you may forget what is on it.


tinypoodle,

it seems like i tried this command (with no success):
mount /mnt/fd0

this package of floppies are used.  i'm not sure how i acquired them.  so therefore, i don't know what file system was on them.  i doubt it was a linux file system.  regardless, one of my goals here was to be able to use any floppy (so long as it's not damaged), by merely running the appropriate commands and/or installing the needed software.

After having done upper tests, it stroke me to test again with 'base norestore'
is base norestore one of the options offered by hitting f2 during bootup (boot options)?
if so, i need to check this out for myself.  basenorestore + mount /mnt/fd0 + mounttool. 


curaga,

On -t auto, the kernel only checks against known (loaded) file systems. When explicitly telling it it's vfat, then it checks if the module can be loaded.
the kernel checks if vfat can be loaded, then does load it.  impressive.


thanks for the replies.



 

[tinypoodle]

After having done upper tests, it stroke me to test again with 'base norestore'
is base norestore one of the options offered by hitting f2 during bootup (boot options)?
if so, i need to check this out for myself.  basenorestore + mount /mnt/fd0 + mounttool. 

Yes, those are boot parameters to disregard 'restore' (of backup) and preventing to mount the device where 'tce' is located.

There is no sense whatsoever for you in trying that, I did that only in a (successful) attempt to reproduce your symptoms, which in other case would never occur to me (on the only box with a working fd I have access to, tce is on a vfat partition).

[ejames82]

i want to make sure i have this correct.

booting to 'norestore base' allows the vfat to be detected, booting default does not.   
pardon me, my file system knowledge needs practice.

[tinypoodle]

i want to make sure i have this correct.

booting to 'norestore base' allows the vfat to be detected, booting default does not.   
pardon me, my file system knowledge needs practice.

No!
'base' would prevent vfat module from being loaded as it otherwise would be (while /tce is on a vfat partition).

[tinypoodle]

ejames82,

What you might want to try is:

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echo 'modprobe vfat'  >>/opt/bootlocal.sh
so the module would be auto loaded at boot time   

[ejames82]

excellent.  will do.

thanks, tinypoodle

[ejames82]

ejames82,

What you might want to try is:

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echo 'modprobe vfat'  >>/opt/bootlocal.sh
so the module would be auto loaded at boot time   

tinypoodle,

since running this command that you provided for me, now all i have to do to mount the floppy is control panel>mount tool.  it is red when it pops up, but by clicking on it, after a few seconds it turns green. 
great suggestion.  thanks tinypoodle. 

[tinypoodle]

ejames82,

What you might want to try is:

Code: [Select]

echo 'modprobe vfat'  >>/opt/bootlocal.sh
so the module would be auto loaded at boot time   

tinypoodle,

since running this command that you provided for me, now all i have to do to mount the floppy is control panel>mount tool.  it is red when it pops up, but by clicking on it, after a few seconds it turns green. 
great suggestion.  thanks tinypoodle. 

Glad you finally were able to make it work, as I hadn't found an opportunity to even test that.
Appending a [SOLVED] to first subject line couldn't harm, methinks  

[ejames82]

will do, tinypoodle.  have never done this before.  hope i got it right.
thanks.