[SOLVED] CD-ROM and floppy drives not recognized by Kubuntu (on a Dell GX1 MiniTower)

khunphet · 09-25-2014, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rokytnji

Should not that say? Use ZIP as A or B: A

For rokytnji and unSpawn:

The Boot item "Use Zip as A or B:" item is Off or not used as I have no Omega ZIP drive.

For unSpawn:

Regarding your suggestion "Try 'sudo apt-get install floppy-modules'". As the Dell presently has no Internet connection in the village where I am, I figured that I would have to get the "floppy-modules" from the Internet from the only way I have present which is through my personal HP Mini and transfer the package into the Dell via my usb which is why I downloaded from https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/intrepi...di/2.6.27-7.14! That poses the question as to which folder I should put the download into for Kubuntu to get at it? The application "aptitude" (with its text gui) seems to be one way of installing the downloaded package. Am I correct in so thinking?

Peter
in Thailand

k3lt01 · 09-25-2014, 01:08 AM

Put it in any folder and then simply cd (change directory) into that folder and use dpkg to install it.
Example

Code:

cd Desktop
dpkg -i *.deb

* will point to any debs in that folder and dpkg will install all of them. If you have more than one and only want to install one then instead of having *.deb type the name of the package with the .deb at the end so dpkg recognises it.

khunphet · 09-29-2014, 09:46 PM

Yesterday was the big day. I wanted to transfer the downloaded package "floppy-modules" from my thumbdrive into the folder /usr/local/src/ via the KDE gui but was unable to do so having received an "Access denied" message.

Undaunted, I logged into the terminal and changed directory to /media/KINGMAX2GB, then logged in as admin as can be seen in the Installation error message text file attached. That started off well, but also ran into an error as seen in the same Installation error message text file.

As only 3 uploads are permitted, the third - stdoutlspci - is attached to my next post.

Please show me what is the proper command to transfer/copy/move a file from my thumbdrive
to the folder /usr/local/src/ ; that should make things easier the next time around.

Therefore, I need a few more pointers before the "floppy-modules" can be installed and I await your guidance.

Thanks
Peter
in Thailand

khunphet · 09-29-2014, 09:49 PM

Here attached is the third diagnostic output file for your viewing/inspection.

Regards,
Peter
in Thailand

khunphet · 10-03-2014, 11:11 PM

Dear Friends,

I am at a standstill and would appreciate suggestions on how to proceed since I was not successful with the installation of the "floppy-modules" package. Are there some options required when using dpkg -i which might permit the installation to proceed?

Regards,
Peter
in Thailand

k3lt01 · 10-04-2014, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by khunphet

Dear Friends,

I am at a standstill and would appreciate suggestions on how to proceed since I was not successful with the installation of the "floppy-modules" package. Are there some options required when using dpkg -i which might permit the installation to proceed?

Regards,
Peter
in Thailand

As for dpkg -i *.deb did you follow the instructions given and were you root or sudo user?

unSpawn · 10-04-2014, 03:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by khunphet

I am at a standstill and would appreciate suggestions on how to proceed since I was not successful with the installation of the "floppy-modules" package.

I'm sorry I didn't follow this thread. Your log (thanks) shows this error:

Code:

 
peter@DELL-GX1:/media/KINGMAX2GB$ sudo dpkg -i floppy-modules-2.6.27-7-generic-di_2.6.27-7.14_i386.udeb
Selecting previously deselected package floppy-modules-2.6.27-7-generic-di.
(Reading database ... 83549 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking floppy-modules-2.6.27-7-generic-di (from floppy-modules-2.6.27-7-generic-di_2.6.27-7.14_i386.udeb) ...
    dpkg: error processing floppy-modules-2.6.27-7-generic-di_2.6.27-7.14_i386.udeb (--install):
    trying to overwrite `/lib/modules/2.6.27-7-generic/kernel/drivers/block/floppy.ko', which is also in package linux-image-2.6.27-7-generic 
Errors were encountered while processing:  floppy-modules-2.6.27-7-generic-di_2.6.27-7.14_i386.udeb

...meaning your ran the install the right way (using sudo) and your current kernel already has the floppy module installed!

Now I can't get from your 'lspci' output if there's a recognizable floppy drive hardware so maybe proceed with:

Code:

sudo modprobe -v floppy
sudo grep floppy /proc/modules

rokytnji · 10-04-2014, 03:27 PM

For The floppy Job. I make and boot a

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...rk-4175500941/

Use the floppy icon on the icon and drives icons to copy and paste floppy data to wherever one wants.

I asked darry1966 (the developer) if floppy is supported in his thread.
I'd make a bootable live anitaos cd. Boot it. Do my business. If wanting to keep Ubuntu 8.10 for whatever reason.
During Shutdown I would tell anitaos to make the save file ext2 and put it on the Ubuntu partition of the hard drive.

That way the next time I boot the cd. Any saved changes will be found on boot and load during the cd boot session.
No need to do things over.

I mentioned the bios setting because I thought zip drive was turned off in settings and bios said it saw the zip drive as zip drive A.

Quote:

Diskette Drive A: 3.5 inch, 1.44 MB

Hence why I mentioned that.

I am a Macpup linux team member and a long time puppy user also. So when in a pinch. Puppy bails me out in situations like these.
It is one of the few linux distros with floppy support. Mounts drive icons via pmount. Can be ran as a live session and make a save file, or not make a save file, your choice.

khunphet · 10-05-2014, 12:49 AM

Thanks unSpawn. I will perform the two new commands you've provided and get back to you with their results tomorrow.

Peter
in Thailand

khunphet · 10-05-2014, 01:10 AM

For rokytnji. I visited the URL you provided and gather that Puppy Linux 4.12 may be a solution for the problem I've been trying to solve. However, right now, Kubuntu is the installed distro on the machine I'm dealing with at this time and I lack the smarts to try installing a second distro on that same machine without making a mess of what's now on the hard disk.

I must say that I do not have any special reason for working with Kubuntu other than what I've just said: it's there and I'm new at using Linux. I put the problem up on the forum in the hope that there would be some possibility to make Kubuntu recognize the floppy that is physically present on the Dell. If that gets solved, I've still got to get Kubuntu to recognize the CD-drive that is also on the Dell.

I'm happy with small steps achieved so far and am not in any major hurry to help the Dell's owners be able to read the information that they have stored on floppies for moving what information may be germane to them to different storage media. The main problem is that WinXP just tell us that the floppies are not formatted which is not true. I had thought that if WinXp couldn't access the floppy contents, maybe Linux could.

Thanks to you and unSpawn for your expertise and willingness to help a novice here in Thailand.

Peter

rokytnji · 10-05-2014, 09:46 AM

You do not have to install AntiaOS to use it.

Quote:

lack the smarts to try installing a second distro on that same machine without making a mess of what's now on the hard disk.

Just booting the live cd will not install it. At shutdown. Pick No, do not save. Let it shut down. Pull the cd. Done and Done.
Your Ubuntu and Hard Drive will not be touched. Just the floppy disks you copied and transferred the files, (to where ever).

rokytnji · 10-05-2014, 09:47 AM

Double posting. My bad.

So might as well use it to post a puppy linux pmount image.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F7TE3M0uLi...unt_Shot_2.png

TxLonghorn · 10-05-2014, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unSpawn

- Are there any other machines that have a working floppy drive?
- Since this machine too has a floppy drive can you load a Live CD (KNOPPIX?) and then load one of the floppy disks?

Brilliant suggestions from unSpawn.
Use one of the suggested live CD or DVD linux operating systems on the other newer machine (HP with WinXp Pro), since it has a floppy drive.
Puppy is nice. MacPup is nice.

khunphet · 10-05-2014, 09:51 PM

Dear TxLonghorn,

The other machine mentioned in earlier posts, is my own, an HP PC, runs on WinXP Pro and I'd just as soon not encumber it with another OS as that would, I suppose, require some re-arranging of the hard disk - a task which frankly scares me. The Dell GX1 belongs to a group of HIV+ people who have asked me to help them with getting the contents of many old 3.5" floppies transferred too newer storage media. Kindly read my other post to unShawn after this one for updates as to what is now happening.

Thanks,
Peter
in Thailand

khunphet · 10-05-2014, 09:59 PM

For unShawn:

I feel somewhat elated by what happened at home yesterday upon returning
from the library when I logged into the Dell GX1. The short and sweet results
of the 2 new commands you provided are included in the attachment: test17.jpeg

Hoping to make my problem which we are trying to solve a good learning experience,
I would greatly appreciate if you would take a bit of time to describe (even briefly)
what the commands we have used so far are intended to reveal about the system
i.e. dmesg, lsmod, lspci -v, dpkg -i, modprobe -v floppy, and grep floppy /proc/modules.

Additionally, here are some other interesting (I hope) happenings on my Kubuntu:
1) a small square window titled "Devices recently plugged in:" opened up of its
own accord at the bottom right of my monitor and told me that KINGMAX2GB
and PC FLOPPY DRIVE were the 2 devices. The window closed by itself
shortly afterwards.

2) the directory Root includes a sub-folder called cdrom (in italics), but it is empty.

3) the directories Root > media shows the following sub-folders and files:
cdrom (in italics) - a blank folder
cdrom0 - also a blank folder
KINGMAX2GB - my thumbdrive
.directory (in italics) - a blank file
.hal-mtab - a file that has 2 lines:
/dev/sdb1 1000 0 vfat (in bold characters) nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal,uid=1000,codepage=437,iocharset=utf-8 /media/KINGMAX2GB
/dev/fd0 1000 0 auto (in bold characters) nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal,uid=1000 /media/disk
.hal-mtab-lock - having a grayed-out icon and unnopenable
.hidden (in italics) - a file that has 2 lines:
cdrom
floppy

4) the directories Root > dev > fd (in itialics) show a series of files numbered 0 to 20

5) the directories Root > etc has a sub-folder called kubuntu-default-settings which
includes the following;
directory-home - folder which is unaccessible
directory-media - file which is unaccessible
hidden-media - a file which contains 2 very simple lines:
cdrom
floppy

6) looking at "Places" in the Dolphin File Manager, I got to see icons for
Home
Network
Root
Trash
KINGMAX2GB
PC Floppy Drive

So I said "Wow!" as it was the first time that the system had anything to report
about its floppy drive. I then put a floppy disk (that was readable on another
computer) into the Dell's floppy drive, heard the drive working, but then after a
short while received this message:

"An error occured while accessing 'PC Floppy Drive', the system responded:
org.freedesktop.Hal.Device.Volume.AlreadyMounted: Device /dev/fd0 is already mounted."

I trust that there should be something in all of the above that may help shed some light
on the problem we are trying to solve. Please advise what I should do next.

Regards and thanks,
Peter
in Thailand