weird Floppy problem

I have installed RedHat 7.0 (know it is not last release)

The machine with Linux is, for the moment, a test machine.

1 HD
1 CD-rom
1 floppy
1 ethernet card
(+ standard card: video, ide controller)

I want to access a RPM file I downloaded from the internet (on an other machine, a windows 98 one)

The problem is when I try a ls command on /mnt/floppy it gives me garbage characters + a message saying FAT is corupted.

I used mount -t vfat /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy
(I also change the /etc/fstab file so the floppy uses vfat (tried msdos also) )

I know the floppy works since I used it to boot the install.
Have tried another windows 98 floppy.
I have tried to reformat the floppy (in windows 98)

Last weird thing i noticed: if there are NO files on the floppy, linux is able to read the FAT and to write a file on the floppy (file that I cannot see in windows by the way)


To resume : my linux system is unable to read any disk made from windows 98 that contains a file.

Please help, I am starting to be desperate!!

That's just wierd. RH never gave me problems with floppsies. Good post by the way, mentioning what you've tried. I wish more folks would do that

Have you tried auto, and maybe just fat? vfat would be 32bit which floppies don't do.

Have tried the mount -t fat /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy command
Says the file system is unknow. (he does not recognise fat as a valid file system).

Thanks for the help anyway!

If anyone as another idea, please dont hesitate!

I ham still looking for a solution for my floppy problem and I have been searchin throught this board and other for it.

I might have a solution : could it be possible that the vfat and msdos filesystem support is not installed???

If so, how do I install that support.

I would have thought that fat/vfat/whateverfat support is enabled by default in RH7.0, try typing insmod vfat before mounting the drive.

Also, check what the /dev/fd0 is linked to.

Just to see, try:
dd if=/dev/fd0 of=floppyimage
mount -o loop floppyimage /mnt/floppy
(Takes a copy of the floppy disk and saves it as a file, then mounts the file instead of the device)

Try this as Psycho said:

mount -t auto /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy

or this:

mkfs -t vfat -c /dev/fd0H1440

I'm not sure about RH 7's kernel support for vfat IMO support should be there but if it isn't you will have to recompile the kernel and enable msdos/vfat. You can also do a lsmod and see what modules are loaded.

Nah, forget all that mounting the floppy crap

Just use "mdir a:" and "mcopy a:file1 /tmp/file1"

thanks for all the help but I just downloaded 7.2 version. I'm going to fully reformat and re-install. If the problem persist, I'll repost.

Just to let u know:

About that insmod vfat command, I tried it and It gave me an error, so I suspect there might be something corupted.

And SixPax, could you be a little bit clearer, I don't understand what you mean.

Again, thanks for all the advise.

You can use the following commands without mounting the floppy:

/usr/bin/mcat
/usr/bin/mcd
/usr/bin/mcheck
/usr/bin/mcomp
/usr/bin/mcopy
/usr/bin/mdel
/usr/bin/mdeltree
/usr/bin/mdir
/usr/bin/mdu
/usr/bin/mformat
/usr/bin/minfo
/usr/bin/mkmanifest
/usr/bin/mlabel
/usr/bin/mmd
/usr/bin/mmount
/usr/bin/mmove
/usr/bin/mpartition
/usr/bin/mrd
/usr/bin/mread
/usr/bin/mren
/usr/bin/mshowfat
/usr/bin/mtools
/usr/bin/mtoolstest
/usr/bin/mtype
/usr/bin/mxtar
/usr/bin/mzip

You can do a man on each one to see how it works.

That's the 'mtools', for messing with dos filesystems if I remember right?
I've never used them, just didn't see a need. But that's a preference thing, one of the joys of Linux... Use whatever floats your boat

Use whatever floats your boat

Exactly Psycho... I can't tell you how many times I mounted a floppy, did some work, then ejected it without umounting it. Finally I started using the "mtools" more and more and now I don't even consider mounting a floppy

Thanks for that mtool tip. Did not know I could access a floppy without mounting it !!

Thanks everyone for the great feedback!!

To my utmost frustration and despair , I' m now having problems mountin the CD-Rom as well (I have upgraded my system to Red Hat 7.2)

If you have any idea please dont hesitate!!
(cliick on link to be taken to the related post)

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...threadid=18219

(please submit ideas on the new post as I would not want to double the posts! Think the admin might not like it, know I would not like it if it was done on my board!!)

I couldn't mount a Cd-Rom Either. Then I figured out that sometimes the cd shows up as /dev/sda or /dev/sdb. It shows up as a SCSI device for some odd reason.