zlim Posted April 12, 2009 Posted April 12, 2009 (edited) To answer Eric:1. No questions are stupid; yup, I put a floppy in prior to trying to mount.2. I've tried 3 or 4 different floppies and since the floppies work when mounted via USB external floppy drive in Xandros/Debian, I assume it isn't a bad floppy or bad floppies.3. Yup I have a /media/floppy directory4. My /et/fstab has an entry for floppynot sure if this line belongs with the floppy (it might be for /de/hdb5)UUID=47df059b-b098-4337-b053-8c7cd2301de3 /home/ext3 relatime 1 2under that line is /dev/fd0 /media/floppy/auto umask=0,users,iocharset=utf8,noauto,flush,exec 00none /proc proc defaults 005. Cant mount in terminal as root (I haven't tried GUI). Can't mount as user in GUI.I went so far as to add the un-mounted floppy icon to my desktop, so I could quickly mount it because it was working when Bill first started this thread.6. Nothing under /dev that is fd0; the closet item is a sym link to fd with fd0 inside but Bruno says this is not it. What did you do to your operating systems or hardware JUST PRIOR to this problem developing. Eric, if I could figure that out, I'd have fixed it a few days ago.1. I set up my printer.2. I downloaded and installed a new desktop but I've since removed it, thinking that might be causing the problem.3. I used synaptic to install all the updates Bruno shows.I might try a live CD and see if it works. If it does, how do I use this fact to fix my floppy?striker, I will go there and do some reading. Thank you for taking the time to search some threads for me.Bruno: be right back. I have to switch computers to post because I don't want to write the contents of the 2nd command line by line! (I'm on my eeepc)$ uname -r 2.6.26.8.tex3$ la -l /boottotal 6176drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Apr 11 19:43 ./drwxr-xr-x 20 root root 4096 Apr 11 19:43 ../-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 440 Mar 12 12:13 boot.backup.hda-rw-rw-r-- 1 root root 440 Jan 18 22:35 boot.backup.sda-rw-rw-r-- 1 root root 440 Oct 12 08:57 boot.backup.sdblrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 20 Apr 11 19:43 config -> config-2.6.26.8.tex3-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 92321 Jan 12 04:38 config-2.6.26.8.tex3-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 371200 Mar 12 12:13 gfxmenudrwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Mar 14 01:28 grub/-rw------- 1 root root 2457261 Mar 12 12:13 initrd-2.6.26.8.tex3.imglrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 24 Mar 12 12:11 initrd.img -> initrd-2.6.26.8.tex3.imglrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 28 Apr 11 19:43 kernel.h -> /boot/kernel.h-2.6.26.8.tex3-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1493 Apr 11 19:43 kernel.h-2.6.26.8.tex3-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 111864 Mar 16 2008 memtest-2.01.bin-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 470820 Mar 12 12:13 message-graphiclrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 24 Mar 12 12:11 System.map -> System.map-2.6.26.8.tex3-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 944721 Jan 12 04:38 System.map-2.6.26.8.tex3-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 256 Oct 12 08:57 uk-latin1.klt-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 256 Mar 12 12:13 us.kltlrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21 Mar 12 12:11 vmlinuz -> vmlinuz-2.6.26.8.tex3-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1800688 Jan 12 04:38 vmlinuz-2.6.26.8.tex3 Edited April 12, 2009 by zlim Quote
sunrat Posted April 12, 2009 Posted April 12, 2009 under that line is /dev/fd0 /media/floppy/auto umask=0,users,iocharset=utf8,noauto,flush,exec 00This line is wrong. the slash after "floppy" should not be there, and there should be a space instead./dev/fd0 /media/floppy auto umask=0,users,iocharset=utf8,noauto,flush,exec 00 Quote
V.T. Eric Layton Posted April 12, 2009 Posted April 12, 2009 I wonder...Can you try booting up the machine with a floppy in the drive? Is the floppy mounted once your desktop comes up? Oh, fix that fstab entry that sunrat pointed out first before trying this. :)Being able to mount the floppy within a Live CD proves that the hardware is NOT the issue.Some of the strangest seeming problems have the simplest solutions, in my experience. Quote
zlim Posted April 12, 2009 Posted April 12, 2009 I can't get the computer at the moment. My computer room is the guest bedroom and my mom is staying with us for a few days.The fstab entry might simply be a typo on my part. I was typing on one computer what I saw on the screen of the other. I will definitely check this out before I attempt to boot with a floopyy in the drive. I suspect timing will be everything because the computer in question triple boots. I can't have a floppy in until I select the OS to boot and then as soon as I select, I guess I will put the floppy in.I might not be able to check on this until early evening tomorrow. I have church to attend and an Ester dinner to cook! Quote
Bruno Posted April 12, 2009 Posted April 12, 2009 Liz and Bill: You are both indeed running the correct kernel and the /boot directory looks okay . . . . so there is still no reason for the floppy not to work. Bruno Quote
zlim Posted April 12, 2009 Posted April 12, 2009 (edited) One of those unexplained computer anomolies!Maybe one day it will start working. I'm about ready to experiment because I can get to the computer.I booted with a floppy in the drive at linux bootup. It did not get mounted and when I ran the command, mount /dev/fd0 /media/floppy I received the usual error "mount: you must specify the filesystem type".I'm now on the live CD and tried mount /dev/fdo /media/floppy and received the same error on one floppy. Another I tried, did not report an error. Now let me see if I can find out whare it mounted the contents I do not see anything on the desktop.I now have a desktop icon and when I right clicked open, I can see the contents.Let me try a few floppies to see what causes a problem and what doesn't. Apparently it is what is on the floppy that is creating my current problem. So I wasn't dreaming when I said it was working. It works for some floppies but not for others.Well this isn't going smoothly. I open a root terminal and type umount /dev/fd0 /media/floppyand the floppy never gets unmounted. The mounted icon is still there showing the files.Then I thought maybe I typed it incorrectly so I just tried umount /dev/fd0 and no change. If I try and umount from the icon, of course I'm told that only root can do this.I will post a report about what works and what doesn't. I can see there might just be a solution to this. Edited April 13, 2009 by zlim Quote
zlim Posted April 13, 2009 Posted April 13, 2009 (edited) SOLVED finally. I went to PCLinux installed, logged in as liz.I am able to mount and unmount floppies if the files on the floppy are .exe, .zip, .pps (I have not tested other things like .doc but I figure if Impress can open a pps file, then the others should work).I CAN NOT mount a floppy with a jpg file on it! The heart of the problem, on my computer seems to be that PCLinux has no idea what to do with a .jpg .jpeg so when it said "you must specify the filesystem type" it was telling me I don't know what to do with a .jpg/.jpeg.Now maybe this is fixable. If not, I will be sure to post at the PCLinux forum; maybe I have discovered a bug? Edited April 13, 2009 by zlim Quote
V.T. Eric Layton Posted April 13, 2009 Posted April 13, 2009 You can't unmount a device when you're in that mounted device's directory. In other words, make sure you're not in /media/floppy (or have any graphic applications looking at that directory) when you try to umount from the command line.Can you mount a blank floppy? Quote
Bruno Posted April 13, 2009 Posted April 13, 2009 SOLVED finally. I went to PCLinux installed, logged in as liz.I am able to mount and unmount floppies if the files on the floppy are .exe, .zip, .pps (I have not tested other things like .doc but I figure if Impress can open a pps file, then the others should work). Hurrrrray !!!! . . . . That is good news !I CAN NOT mount a floppy with a jpg file on it! The heart of the problem, on my computer seems to be that PCLinux has no idea what to do with a .jpg .jpeg so when it said "you must specify the filesystem type" it was telling me I don't know what to do with a .jpg/.jpeg. ??? Hu ??? . . . . Can't read .jpg ? This sounds crazy !! . . . . LIz, are you sure this are "real" .jpg's ? Bruno Quote
zlim Posted April 13, 2009 Posted April 13, 2009 LIz, are you sure this are "real" .jpg's ? Have a look.http://file.walagata.com/w/perk/cake.jpgThis is what I uploaded from the floppy - a wedding cake of one of my former student teachers.I discovered that the floppy has 4 jpg files and one bmp. Could the bmp be the problem?hmmm, this shows up on the floppy as a bmp but when I uploaded it, it changed the extension to .gifhttp://file.walagata.com/w/perk/Scot_links/PennState.gifI'm going to put each file on it's own floppy and then see which file might be the problem.At least now I have a method of troubleshooting. Quote
V.T. Eric Layton Posted April 14, 2009 Posted April 14, 2009 Liz... Liz... Liz...Can you mount a blank floppy?????? Quote
zlim Posted April 14, 2009 Posted April 14, 2009 Why would I want to try that?Going further to add more confusion...the floppy with the 5 files (4 jpgs and one which can't decide if it is a bmp or a gif) always give me the error.I put each file on its own floppy.3 of the floppies mounted immediately. Two (both jpgs, gave me the error) but when I tried the 2nd time, they each mounted without a problem. So together the 5 files won't mount - no matter how many times I try but apart, each of the files will mount on its own floppy.To answer your question Eric, yes I can mount an unmount a blank floppy. Quote
Bruno Posted April 14, 2009 Posted April 14, 2009 LOL . . . proves my point: floppies are unreliable and have a mind of their own . . . . ( and are hopelessly outdated ) . . . . . . so copy the content to USB-flash drives before they really go crazy on you Bruno Quote
striker Posted April 14, 2009 Posted April 14, 2009 .jpg's / .jpeg's often depend on the used method of creating them. It sometimes happens you just can't open them except with the program which created them. I have seen this a couple of times even on that other OS, weird but it sometimes happen. It shouldn't this way, .jpg's are .jpg's but there are some programs out there which obviously have a mind of their own. I made it a habit of not using these formats anymore when creating. Anyway, Liz just wants to get to the bottom of it, even if she has to go banging her head a couple of times against the wall. In other words, she wants to drive the OS and not the OS the operator. That's how it should be. Regarding floppies, I still have a couple of them in use, however I prefer a SD card. It can be read of and written to on almost any notebook, on other equipment you can use a card reader**. You can not boot of it (yet, not that I know of, maybe one day that changes) but at least they're more reliable in everydays usage than floppies are, which tend to go south when you don't use them often or exactly on the moment you need them.** Sandisk only, others might fail on linux. YMMV. Quote
V.T. Eric Layton Posted April 14, 2009 Posted April 14, 2009 I wanted to see if a blank floppy would mount, Liz, because I don't believe that the content of a floppy affects whether Linux can mount it or not. Linux should be able to mount a floppy even if it had a Fortran program written on it. The OS just wouldn't have any apps to allow you to access the data, but the floppy should still mount... in my certified non-expert opinion. Quote
V.T. Eric Layton Posted April 14, 2009 Posted April 14, 2009 And I disagree with my esteemed fellow forum members. Floppies are cheap (extremely) to use. They are reliable when treated properly. They are still useful for many applications. For me, they are faster than burning a CD. I have a lot of data on floppies. However -- and that is a BIG "however" -- I do NOT keep ANY critically important data on any media without a PAPER backup. I just don't trust it. Quote
zlim Posted April 14, 2009 Posted April 14, 2009 Well, all the files mount individually but not when they are on one floppy. I don't think the floppy is bad because it works on several computers, including in two different brand USB external drives, one used in windows and the other used in linux. Of course the eeepc sees and mounts it, PCLinux doesn't.So there you have it. It is as clear as mud! Quote
V.T. Eric Layton Posted April 14, 2009 Posted April 14, 2009 Sorry, Liz. I'm going to back out of this conversation. I'm just confused by the terminology being used here and I don't believe I can serve any further helpful purpose. :(This is what has me confused: You don't "mount" files. You "mount" devices. You "access" files. Mounting is an operation where your software interacts with your hardware. The operating system attempts to communicate with the hardware device. If you mount a floppy but cannot access the data, those are two unrelated operations. What I was concerned with here was whether or not the device was actually being mounted. If the device is mounted yet data was not accessible, then that is probably not a mounting issue... again, in my not-so-expert opinion.I could be wrong, but don't tell anyone I said that. ;)Luck with it. Quote
sunrat Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 (edited) however I prefer a SD card. .... You can not boot of it (yet, not that I know of, maybe one day that changes) but at least they're more reliable in everydays usage than floppies are, which tend to go south when you don't use them often or exactly on the moment you need them.I often use SDHC card to boot test distros on EeePC. Just hit the Esc button at the ASUS splash screen to select boot device. I think most new mobos have a boot device select option, my main PC is F12 and old one was F8. Only tried flash keys and USB DVD drive on them though. Edited April 15, 2009 by sunrat Quote
zlim Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Eric, I do have a mounting problem. So far, one floppy refuses to mount. How many more won't mount? Since I have more than 600 floppies, that's impossible to guess. a) it isn't the floppy because it works fine in windows and in linux (Xandros/Debian), it isn't the hardware floppy drive because other floppies put in can mount, c) it isn't the files because when separated each onto 5 different floppies, each of those five floppies mounts and the five files can be accessed.If it isn't the hardware and it isn't the software (types of files on the floppies) what's left? It's those ghosts inside my computer messing with me. Quote
V.T. Eric Layton Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Hmm... gremlins, huh? We have solutions for them too. Quote
striker Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 I often use SDHC card to boot test distros on EeePC. Just hit the Esc button at the ASUS splash screen to select boot device. I think most new mobos have a boot device select option, my main PC is F12 and old one was F8. Only tried flash keys and USB DVD drive on them though.Man... how time flies... got to try that out soon! Thanks sunrat! Quote
striker Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Liz, IIRC hal and halinfo were updated. Contact Bruno if it there may be a chance to clear some things up for ya. (I'm not on pclinuxos) Quote
Bruno Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Liz, IIRC hal and halinfo were updated. Contact Bruno if it there may be a chance to clear some things up for ya. (I'm not on pclinuxos) Yep there was an update for "HAL" today . . . . maybe it helps the floppy issue ( 5% ) . . but maybe it doesn't help at all ( 95% ). Bruno Quote
zlim Posted April 15, 2009 Posted April 15, 2009 Sadly, no change in the floppy situation. The media/floppy comes up, it looks like it will mount it but then I get the mount error message.I can live with it. But the curiosity in me wants to try and figure out what the problem is. The retired math/maths teacher in me says every problem has a solution! Quote
Bruno Posted April 21, 2009 Posted April 21, 2009 Today there are dbus updates . . . . . this time I give it 15% it could help the floppy issue ( and 85% it will not ) BrunoPS: The 15% = 5% from previous hal + 10% dbus . . . . the combo of hal + dbus does give it a better chance Quote
zlim Posted April 21, 2009 Posted April 21, 2009 (edited) Bruno, I tried it again after yesterday's update simply because the green floppy drive light came on while it was installing the updates and since hal was again mentioned, it was worth a try.I'll try again today and report back.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~still getting the same mount error Edited April 21, 2009 by zlim Quote
Bruno Posted April 21, 2009 Posted April 21, 2009 LOL . . . don't get your hopes up to high . . . . floppies have very low priority for the PCLos dev team . . . ( that's why I only gave it 15% ) Bruno Quote
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