[SLE] how to make a DOS formated floppy?
Hi! I am trying to format a floppy 3.5" HD to a DOS format readable on a win/DOS machine. Whenever I create a floppy on a linux machine it is either unreadable on windows or it has bad sectors :( If I format a floppy on a DOS/win machine with the format command the floppy works ok on both linux and win/DOS machine. I have tried this to format the floppy: sudo fdformat /dev/fd0h1440 && sudo /sbin/mkfs -t msdos /dev/fd0 and everything cam out fine it verified as a good floppy with 0 bad sectors. I also tried kfloppy and formated with density set on HD and file System set on Dos, the setting was set to Full Format. I am running SuSE 6.2 system. Has anyone figured this one out yet? I really don't want to boot to win just to format a floppy readable on a win machine :( THX in advance! Bostjan -- To unsubscribe send e-mail to suse-linux-e-unsubscribe@suse.com For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the FAQ at http://www.suse.com/Support/Doku/FAQ/
On Sun, 2 Apr 2000, Bostjan Muller wrote:
I am trying to format a floppy 3.5" HD to a DOS format readable on a win/DOS machine. Whenever I create a floppy on a linux machine it is either unreadable on windows or it has bad sectors :(
I have had very good luck using the mtools package. Type 'mtools' at the command prompt to see a list of the mtools utilities. The format tool is 'mformat'. Type 'man mformat' at command prompt for more information. I have been lucky enough not to have had to deal with DOS floppies for some years, but in days of yore :) I enjoyed the flexibility and power of 'mformat' to make 3-1/2 floppies to fool MS-DOS into thinking they were 1.2Mb 5-1/4 when I wanted to install software on a computer with only a 3-1/2 drive and my software masters were 5-1/4. In another case, I used mformat to pack more data (something like 1.7Mb) on a floppy than the standard format. Good luck, Dwight -- Dwight Johnson dwj@aaronsrod.com -- To unsubscribe send e-mail to suse-linux-e-unsubscribe@suse.com For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the FAQ at http://www.suse.com/Support/Doku/FAQ/
Bostjan Muller wrote:
Hi!
I am trying to format a floppy 3.5" HD to a DOS format readable on a win/DOS machine. Whenever I create a floppy on a linux machine it is either unreadable on windows or it has bad sectors :(
If I format a floppy on a DOS/win machine with the format command the floppy works ok on both linux and win/DOS machine.
I have tried this to format the floppy: sudo fdformat /dev/fd0h1440 && sudo /sbin/mkfs -t msdos /dev/fd0
and everything cam out fine it verified as a good floppy with 0 bad sectors.
I also tried kfloppy and formated with density set on HD and file System set on Dos, the setting was set to Full Format.
I am running SuSE 6.2 system.
Has anyone figured this one out yet?
I really don't want to boot to win just to format a floppy readable on a win machine :(
but this is what Windows was made for!! ;-)
THX in advance!
Bostjan
I use a small script like: #!/bin/sh /usr/bin/fdformat /dev/fd0h1440 mformat a: for it. (first a lowlevel, than a highlevel format...) Juergen -- =========================================== __ _ Juergen Braukmann juergen.braukmann@gmx.de| -o)/ / (_)__ __ ____ __ Tel: 0201-743648 dk4jb@db0qs.#nrw.deu.eu | /\\ /__/ / _ \/ // /\ \/ / ===========================================_\_v __/_/_//_/\_,_/ /_/\_\ -- To unsubscribe send e-mail to suse-linux-e-unsubscribe@suse.com For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the FAQ at http://www.suse.com/Support/Doku/FAQ/
Hi! Well I seem to have a problem. If I try just mformat everything is ok. If I use fdformat first the floppy is unreadable on win machine. The exact error from a DOS prompt is: General failiure reading drive a Abort, Retry, Fail? If i type R I get the same error. The only way to see anything on that floppy in win again is to reformat it via win/DOS's format :( What could be the problem in my case is it possible that the fdformat has some problems on my machine, that I cannot see? How can I determine if this is fdformat's problem. I am running eval verison of SuSE 6.2 is this a poblem with the distros rpm maybe - should I use the one from SuSE's ftp site? THX in advance! Bostjan * On 02-04-00 at 20:51 Juergen Braukmann (juergen.braukmann@ruhr-west.de) wrote: +----Here quoted text begins----+
I use a small script like:
#!/bin/sh /usr/bin/fdformat /dev/fd0h1440 mformat a:
for it. (first a lowlevel, than a highlevel format...)
Juergen
+----and here the quote ends----+ -- To unsubscribe send e-mail to suse-linux-e-unsubscribe@suse.com For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the FAQ at http://www.suse.com/Support/Doku/FAQ/
Bostjan Muller wrote:
Hi!
Well I seem to have a problem. If I try just mformat everything is ok. If I use fdformat first the floppy is unreadable on win machine.
The exact error from a DOS prompt is: General failiure reading drive a Abort, Retry, Fail?
no clue yet. ;-( I tried it that way, because sometimes disks won't format with mformat on it's own. I can't test, due to lack of an M$ machine. Don't tell me anybody, that I've to fdisk the floppy first... ;-) Juergen PS: Command (m for help): p fdisk tells: Disk /dev/fd0: 2 heads, 18 sectors, 80 cylinders Units = cylinders of 36 * 512 bytes Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System /dev/fd0p1 * 1 80 1440 1 FAT12 Command (m for help): what am I missing???
If i type R I get the same error. The only way to see anything on that floppy in win again is to reformat it via win/DOS's format :(
What could be the problem in my case is it possible that the fdformat has some problems on my machine, that I cannot see? How can I determine if this is fdformat's problem. I am running eval verison of SuSE 6.2 is this a poblem with the distros rpm maybe - should I use the one from SuSE's ftp site?
THX in advance!
Bostjan
* On 02-04-00 at 20:51 Juergen Braukmann (juergen.braukmann@ruhr-west.de) wrote: +----Here quoted text begins----+
I use a small script like:
#!/bin/sh /usr/bin/fdformat /dev/fd0h1440 mformat a:
for it. (first a lowlevel, than a highlevel format...)
-- =========================================== __ _ Juergen Braukmann juergen.braukmann@gmx.de| -o)/ / (_)__ __ ____ __ Tel: 0201-743648 dk4jb@db0qs.#nrw.deu.eu | /\\ /__/ / _ \/ // /\ \/ / ===========================================_\_v __/_/_//_/\_,_/ /_/\_\ -- To unsubscribe send e-mail to suse-linux-e-unsubscribe@suse.com For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the FAQ at http://www.suse.com/Support/Doku/FAQ/
After reading this, I just ran fdformat on my system. First, I clobbered the format by doing a tar to the floppy: tar cf /dev/fd0 <files> Then: # fdformat /dev/fd0h1440 Double-sided, 80 tracks, 18 sec/track. Total capacity 1440 kB. Formatting ... done Verifying ... done Then run mformat on it. # mformat a: # mdir a; Volume in drive A has no label Volume Serial Number is 34C2-5AB7 Directory for A:/ No files 1 457 664 bytes free Bostjan Muller wrote:
Well I seem to have a problem. If I try just mformat everything is ok. If I u se fdformat first the floppy is unreadable on win machine.
--
Jerry Feldman
As I previously æxplained Linux works ok - I can do anything with this floppies o linux, DOS/win machines choak on them - try the floppy on a win/DOS machine - that's when the problems start :( Bostjan * On 03-04-00 at 10:34 Jerry Feldman (gaf@gaf.ne.mediaone.net) wrote: +----Here quoted text begins----+
After reading this, I just ran fdformat on my system. First, I clobbered the format by doing a tar to the floppy: tar cf /dev/fd0 <files> Then: # fdformat /dev/fd0h1440 Double-sided, 80 tracks, 18 sec/track. Total capacity 1440 kB. Formatting ... done Verifying ... done Then run mformat on it. # mformat a: # mdir a; Volume in drive A has no label Volume Serial Number is 34C2-5AB7 Directory for A:/
No files 1 457 664 bytes free
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On Mon, 3 Apr 2000, Bostjan Muller wrote:
As I previously æxplained Linux works ok - I can do anything with this floppies o linux, DOS/win machines choak on them - try the floppy on a win/DOS machine - that's when the problems start :(
Check for a floppy drive alignment problem. The software works. Dwight -- Dwight Johnson dwj@aaronsrod.com -- To unsubscribe send e-mail to suse-linux-e-unsubscribe@suse.com For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the FAQ at http://www.suse.com/Support/Doku/FAQ/
participants (4)
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dwj＠aaronsrod.com -
gaf＠gaf.ne.mediaone.net -
juergen.braukmann＠ruhr-west.de -
neonatus＠gimp.thz.net