Saving to a floppy 6

[kupe]

Linux has arrived on my screen. It looks terrific. What I can't do is to save docs to a floppy. Is there some special trick that linux demands?
Kupe

 

[miblo]

If you're using a GUI, I think it will automount the floppy when you access it.

If not, you probably have to mount it using 'mount /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy', or the likes.

~Mike

 

[zeland]

In linux, you will need to get used to the concept of mounting "devices" or "filesystems". In general, you would issue this command at a command prompt to get your floppy working:

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

This tells Linux to attach the "virtual FAT" filesystem for your floppy drive to the directory /mnt/floppy. Now, whenever you save something to the directory /mnt/floppy, you actually saving it into your floppy. But before you take out your floppy, you must un-mount it first by typing this command:

umount /mnt/floppy

This tells Linux that you want to remove the floppy and that any cache information that hasn't been written to disk be flushed now.

This will be the same if you want to mount/unmount your CD-ROM:

mount -t iso9660 /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
umount /mnt/cdrom

This concept may seem strange to first time users of Linux, but it does have its quirks that allow you to do things that you normally can do in Windows.

 

[zeland]

Correction:
This concept may seem strange to first time users of Linux, but it does have its quirks that allow you to do things that you normally CAN'T do in Windows.

 

[manarth]

BEWARE - if you remove a floppy without unmounting it, you can lose / corrupt the data.

This is because the data isn't always written to the disk until the disk is unmounted.

<marc> i wonder what will happen if i press this...[ul][li]please give feedback on what works / what doesn't[/li][li]need some help? how to get a better answer: faq581-3339[/li][/ul]

 

[kupe]

Many thanks for the response, gentlemen. But do I take it that whether I want to save on floppy a 2000-word essay or a solitary sentence, I must seek out a command prompt and type the commands?

I'm surprised as it looks so similar to windows, and i can even save files in word format. This process seems a bit of a fiddle if say I have worked on ten or fifteen things that I want to save on a floppy.

It would appear that of short of time, you have had to have planned that you want to use the floppy. Perhaps everything bound for a floppy could be saved on the desktop first?

Sorry, but I am really new to the glory of linux, which ironically enough I have been recommending for at least 4 years. Hope one or some of you will have the patience to respond to this linux newcomer.

 

[zeland]

Launching a console (or command prompt in Windows) and mounting your filesystem via commands was what we (at least me) used to do in the earlier days of Linux. But if you are using one of the later versions of Linux, say RedHat 9.0, you could easily right-click on the desktop to bring up a context menu, go to the &quot;Disks&quot; menu and click on &quot;Floppy&quot; or &quot;CD-ROM&quot; for that matter. In a few moments, you will see an icon of a Floppy on your desktop. This indicates that you floppy is mounted and ready to use. When all is done, just right-click on the floppy icon and choose the &quot;Eject&quot; command from the context menu to un-mount your floppy.

I don't think mounting a floppy is as you say &quot;a bit of a fiddle&quot; as this process only needs to be done once until you are finished with your floppy. This is much the same as using an Apple, although Apple having proprietary hardware/software can detect you inserting a media and auto mounting it for you, but you would still need to &quot;eject&quot; the media manually.

 

[kupe]

Hi Zeland

Thanks very much. I hope I didn't sound ungrateful when suggesting it might be a fiddle. I was surprised more than anything else. But your latest makes it much clearer, and I am grateful. I'll take the info back with me tonight and give it a try.

I was a passionate Apple user a few years ago. I had forgotten about this process sorry. Will send you a progress report in the (English) morning. Cheers

 

[zeland]

You're most welcome. No offense taken, just gald to be of help!

 

[AP81]

You can edit your floppy entry in the /etc/fstab file to read something like this:

/dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy vfat defaults,noauato,user,umask=000 0 0

This will allow any one to mount the floppy by typing:
mount /mnt/floppy
and unmount it by typing:
umount /mnt/floppy

You can also create menu shortcuts or desktop shortcuts with that command so you don't have to type anything.

 

[kupe]

Many thanks, Api81. Involved with a db last night, so tonight I plan to put this great advice to work. Do you say Linux as is Lie(down)-nux - or as if had two NNs, Lynne-ux? People around this desk use both pronunciations. Cheers.

 

[AP81]

I say the second way (as do most industry professionals I come across).

 

[kupe]

Brilliant. Thanks very much, AP81.

 

[kupe]

Hi Zeland (et al)
An update: A right click-led to this message &quot;... is of type FSDevice but has no Dev=... entry&quot; I expect that makes sense to you familiar with this great program. But I had to put aside the change until I can devote a bit of time to exploring. The system is by suse, I see. Cheers

 

[kupe]

When I right-click now the floppy icon on the desktop, the konqueror web browser opens with the error message
&quot;Unkown host navigation.realnames.com&quot;. I don't know if it helps, but the browser says I am using KDE 3.0.3

Am I hopelessly lost now, or closer to being able to save to a floppy, please?

Hope this isn't quite as basic as it is all beginning to sound. Very grateful for any guidance.

 

[AP81]

Here is what I would do:

1. edit your fstab file to read:
/dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy vfat defaults,noauato,user,umask=000 0 0

This will enable any user to mount and unmount the floppy with full read/write access.

2. Create an shortcut to an application on the desktop. In the path put:
mount /mnt/floppy
Name it 'mount floppy'
Create another one which has:
umount /mnt/floppy
in the application path. Call it 'unmount floppy'.

Then you can click either one to mount (or unmount) the floppy. You can also edit the menus to include the shortcuts.

 

[kupe]

Really grateful, Ap81. Thanks very much.

 

[AP81]

A little mistake:

/dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy vfat defaults,noauato,user,umask=000 0 0

should read:

/dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy vfat defaults,noauto,user,umask=000 0 0

I think you would have picked it up anyway

 

[kupe]

Cheers and thanks, AP81.

 

[fluid11]

kupe, you asked how you pronouce Linux, well here it is, from the man (Linus Torvalds) himself...

http://www.paul.sladen.org/pronunciation/

ChrisP
RHCE, LPIC-1, CCNA, CNE, MCSE, +10 others