Manitoban Posted February 5, 2009 Posted February 5, 2009 Hi,Recently installed ubuntu 8.10 on my desktop.Can't get the system to recognize my floppy drive. I removed openoffice 2.4 in order to install 3.0, but I ran into a problem, and reinstalled 2.4. Didn't try the floppy prior to removing 2.4, so I don't know if it would have worked or not.Here is my fstab as it stands at the moment.# /etc/fstab: static file system information.## <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>proc /proc proc defaults 0 0# /dev/sda1UUID=8f31f3c9-c2af-48a4-b7c8-1ab8b20a22c9 / ext3 relatime,errors=remount-ro 0 1# /dev/sda5UUID=4b9c66d8-c25c-48a5-bf48-a2d31d9a7dff /home ext3 relatime 0 2# /dev/sda6UUID=88a7c7f2-f314-41b8-8685-ce3ba625a3ee none swap sw 0 0/dev/scd0 /media/cdrom0 udf,iso9660 user,noauto,exec,utf8 0 0# The followiing line added 4 Feb 2008none /mnt/floppy supermount dev=/dev/fd0,fs=auto,--,iocharset=iso8859-1,sync,codepage=850,umask=0 0 0# This last line is copied from Bruno's Hints on mtab - fstab.Any ideas please? Bill Quote
V.T. Eric Layton Posted February 5, 2009 Posted February 5, 2009 Can you mount the floppy from the command line? # mount /dev/fd0 /mnt You don't need to have an fstab entry for mounting via command line. You must be root to mount and you must have a disk in the drive.If you can mount and access via the command line, try this fstab entry: /dev/fd0 /media/floppy auto rw,noauto,user,sync 0 0 Reboot after modifying fstab. Quote
V.T. Eric Layton Posted February 5, 2009 Posted February 5, 2009 Ah... Ubuntu. I forgot... $ sudo mount /dev/fd0 /mntPassword: *********$ cd /mnt$ ls -a This should mount your floppy in the /mnt directory. The cd command will get you into that directory, then the ls command will list for you whatever is on the disk. Quote
V.T. Eric Layton Posted February 5, 2009 Posted February 5, 2009 Oh, and if the command line mounting works, before attempting to access the floppy with your new fstab entry in place, remember to create a directory to mount into: $ sudo mkdir /media/floppy That should do it for you. Luck! Pssst... I could be wrong, though. I'm a little rusty on my Ubuntu stuff. Quote
Bruno Posted February 5, 2009 Posted February 5, 2009 Hi BillThe problem is that the fstab-Mtab Tip was written in 2005 and at that time "automount" was the new kid on the block. BUT . . . a few years later it was replaced by HAL and automount was depreciated.I think that the entry that Eric posted above: /dev/fd0 /media/floppy auto rw,noauto,user,sync 0 0 looks like a good one that could work . . . ( after making sure you have a directory called /media/floppy ) As alternative, if the one from Eric does not work, you can also try: /dev/fd0 /media/floppy auto umask=0,users,iocharset=utf8,noauto,exec,flush 0 0 This is what I have in my current Mandriva. Bruno Quote
Urmas Posted February 5, 2009 Posted February 5, 2009 Here's what I have in Ubuntu Hardy (8.04): /dev/fd0 /media/floppy0 auto rw,user,noauto,exec,utf8 0 0 Quote
Manitoban Posted February 5, 2009 Author Posted February 5, 2009 Eric, Bruno, Urmas,Thanks for the suggestions. I am still having a problem.Mounting from the command line with "mount /dev/fd0 /mnt"gets: fd0 does not exist. If I make a directory fd0, it still says the same thingChanging fd0 to fd (which does exist), gets /proc/xxxx/fd is not a block device. The numbers xxxx change each timeI tried both of Bruno's lines and Urmas's line in fstsb. No success.I am confident that the hardware is ok. It worked in the past, and I have not been inside the machine to change anything.Bill Quote
Bruno Posted February 5, 2009 Posted February 5, 2009 Thanks for the suggestions. I am still having a problem.Mounting from the command line with "mount /dev/fd0 /mnt"gets: fd0 does not exist. If I make a directory fd0, it still says the same thingChanging fd0 to fd (which does exist), gets /proc/xxxx/fd is not a block device. The numbers xxxx change each time If you have either Eric's line or mine in the fstab this command should do: $ sudo mount /media/floppy But . . . . . if udev does not create a /dev/fd0 ( fd-zero ) at boot you do have a problem, because simply doing "mkdir /dev/df0" will not do the trick. ( For block-devices** you use the "mknod" command and need the major/minor numbers, complicated stuff ) Bruno** HDDs, CD-Drives and Floppy-Drives are block-devices Quote
V.T. Eric Layton Posted February 5, 2009 Posted February 5, 2009 ...For block-devices** you use the "mknod" command and need the major/minor numbers, complicated stuff But can be done. I can attest to that. Quote
Manitoban Posted February 7, 2009 Author Posted February 7, 2009 Bruno et al, I have tried mounting my floppy with both Bruno's and Eric's line in the fstab.The reply is : mount: special device /dev/fd0 does not existI have booted up with a disk in the floppy drive, and without, but the results are the same.I used Knoppix from a CD, and managed to get a directory from my floppy disk, so I have proved the hardware, but ubuntu needs some kind of boost. Eric, Could you point me in the right direction for getting mknod . Is there some stuff I should study first?Bill Quote
V.T. Eric Layton Posted February 7, 2009 Posted February 7, 2009 (edited) Try this for me, Bill... $ sudo modprobe floppy Once you've done that command, try to mount and access your floppy drive. Did it work? If so, continue on...There is evidently a bug of some sort in Ubuntu 8.10 regarding the auto-detecting of floppy drives because the kernel module for the floppy is not being loaded at boot up. Here's the fix:If you can do the command above and then mount and access your floppy, that tells me that manually loading the module is working. We now have to add floppy to the /etc/modules text file so that the floppy module will load up a boot time each time. You can do this by editing the /etc/modules document and adding "floppy" to it. $ sudo gedit /etc/modules The /etc/modules text file may look something like this: # /etc/modules: kernel modules to load at boot time.## This file contains the names of kernel modules that should be loaded# at boot time, one per line. Lines beginning with "#" are ignored.lppsmousefusefloppy Just add what I've highlighted in red above to the file, save and close. Reboot your machine and see of the floppy will now work after reboot.*Source for this information --> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/255651EDIT: Forgot to tell you... before you can test the auto-mounting (mounting from Nautilus or Konqueror as user), you'll need to create the /media/floppy directory and also add that fstab line that I gave you above to your fstab. Note: Manual mounting (from the command line as sudo/root) will work without the need for that line in the fstab... assuming our little module trick above works. Edited February 7, 2009 by V.T. Eric Layton Quote
Manitoban Posted February 7, 2009 Author Posted February 7, 2009 Eric, Thanks for the help. I can mount the floppy from the command line now.I have your line in fstab, but still do not get auto-mounting on boot up, but once I use the command line, the drive stays and I can use it.I will read the reference now, and try to refine what I have, but for the moment, I can now see the floppy data that I wanted.Thanks again.Bill Quote
V.T. Eric Layton Posted February 7, 2009 Posted February 7, 2009 OK, Bill. I'm pretty sure if you perform the "add floppy to the /etc/modules" as described above, it should make it so that it works for you automatically at every boot up. Luck! Quote
Bruno Posted February 7, 2009 Posted February 7, 2009 OK, Bill. I'm pretty sure if you perform the "add floppy to the /etc/modules" as described above, it should make it so that it works for you automatically at every boot up. Luck! Yep that should load the module at boot and fix the "bug" Ubuntu had . . . . . great find !! Bruno Quote
V.T. Eric Layton Posted February 7, 2009 Posted February 7, 2009 I have to earn my keep around here sometimes. I can't just hang out and sponge off Bruno all the time. Quote
Bruno Posted February 7, 2009 Posted February 7, 2009 I have to earn my keep around here sometimes. I can't just hang out and sponge off Bruno all the time. :"> . . . . . . . .:'( Bruno Quote
Manitoban Posted February 8, 2009 Author Posted February 8, 2009 Hi again, /etc/modules already had "floppy" in it when I reported before. I am happy with using a terminal to mount the floppy, since I use it so little, but now there is another problem.I cannot get the machine to mount a USB stick. I get the message:Unable to mount STORE'N'GOFailed to execute child process "gnome-mount" (No such file or directory)I have several usb sticks. same message for all of themBill Quote
Bruno Posted February 9, 2009 Posted February 9, 2009 Hi BillIs the USB-flash seen at all ? . . Can you with the USB plugged out do # sudo fdisk -l and do the exact same command after having the USB plugged in ( wait a few seconds after plugging it in ).Is there a difference in output ? Bruno Quote
Manitoban Posted February 9, 2009 Author Posted February 9, 2009 Bruno,Here is the result of fdisk -l (I presume that is the letter ell) without usb stickwilliam@william-desktop:~$ sudo fdisk -lDisk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylindersUnits = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytesDisk identifier: 0x00090347 Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System/dev/sda1 * 1 2550 20482843+ 83 Linux/dev/sda2 2551 8386 46877670 5 Extended/dev/sda5 2551 7747 41744871 83 Linux/dev/sda6 7748 8386 5132736 82 Linux swap / SolarisHere it is with usb stick present. Same as the above with this addition:Disk /dev/sdb: 514 MB, 514850816 bytes16 heads, 32 sectors/track, 1964 cylindersUnits = cylinders of 512 * 512 = 262144 bytesDisk identifier: 0x66c8537f Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System/dev/sdb1 * 1 1964 502768 b W95 FAT32I presume the addition is the usb stick. Bill Quote
Bruno Posted February 9, 2009 Posted February 9, 2009 Right so Bill, /dev/sdb1 is the USB . . . now if you do: # mkdir /media/usb# mount /dev/sdb1 /media/usb# ls /media/usb . . you will see the content of the -mounted - USB key at the last command :thumbsup: Bruno Quote
Manitoban Posted February 9, 2009 Author Posted February 9, 2009 Bruno, Thanks again for the help. I can use my usb sticks now, although I have to sudo everything at the terminal.I am beginning to appreciate the problems of debugging that developers have to go through. I can hardly wait for this one to be fixed.Bill Quote
V.T. Eric Layton Posted February 9, 2009 Posted February 9, 2009 You have to "sudo", Bill because Ubuntu is designed without normal owner access to a "root" account. It's designed this way to be an "idiot-proof" distribution that appeals to x-Windows users. However, one thing I've learned in my nearly three years of using Linux is that root access will SAVE YOUR HIND QUARTERS one day down the road. You can create a root account in Ubuntu so that it works just like most other distributions. Here are some directions on how to do so:http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu:Edgy/UserAdministrationBEWARE! Root can kill. Be very careful when doing anything as the root user. I don't recommend using X (graphics mode) as root ever. Root should be available to you just in case you should have issues with your installation and need to repair it. This should be done from the command line primarily.There are two schools of thought on enabling root in Ubuntu. Some folks will tell you to never do it. Others, like myself, will tell you that they wouldn't run Ubuntu without a root account. There are good arguments for both sides. However, since I saved my own rear end a couple times by having root access to Ubuntu, I live by it.Have FUN! Quote
Manitoban Posted February 10, 2009 Author Posted February 10, 2009 Eric, Thanks. I appreciate the good advice.Bill Quote
V.T. Eric Layton Posted February 10, 2009 Posted February 10, 2009 Always welcome, Bill. Have fun! Quote
Urmas Posted February 10, 2009 Posted February 10, 2009 Have you tried to reinstall "gnome-mount"? Quote
Manitoban Posted February 11, 2009 Author Posted February 11, 2009 Urmas, I had never heard of gnome-mount before. Thanks for telling me. I discovered that it was not installed. I installed it, and my usb sticks and drives are suddenly all available again. Thanks.Bill Quote
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