UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

HI, I installed Suse 8.1 on an Emachine with a Cyrix processor equivelent to Pentium II. The dmesg reveals that the floppy was recognised, and there is an icon on the desktop for it, but when I trey to access it, it is not available.
If I access it from a terminal window, the error I get is: first that the floppy is read only, and then it tries to mount the disk read only, but gives an error message that says there were in/out errors, and returns me to the prompt. the floppy light never comes on at all. The system log reveals the following:
Jul 11 23:59:50 linux kernel: last redo_fd_request at 2069607
Jul 11 23:59:50 linux kernel:
Jul 11 23:59:50 linux kernel: status=ff
Jul 11 23:59:50 linux kernel: fdc_busy=1
Jul 11 23:59:50 linux kernel: DEVICE_INTR=c01d8790
Jul 11 23:59:50 linux kernel: cont=c02e2650
Jul 11 23:59:50 linux kernel: CURRENT=c1378920
Jul 11 23:59:50 linux kernel: command_status=-1
Jul 11 23:59:50 linux kernel:
Jul 11 23:59:50 linux kernel: floppy0: floppy timeout called
Jul 11 23:59:50 linux kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev 02:00 (floppy), sector 2
Jul 11 23:59:53 linux kernel:
Jul 11 23:59:53 linux kernel: floppy driver state
Jul 11 23:59:53 linux kernel: -------------------
Jul 11 23:59:53 linux kernel: now=2070207 last interrupt=2067198 diff=3009 last called handler=00000000
Jul 11 23:59:53 linux kernel: timeout_message=redo fd request

Any ideas? The floppy works find in Windows.
Sonshyne5
Dave

Have u tried looking into the suse support?

since the kernel pre-2.0.0.x the floppy is no longer named "/dev/fd?H???" but "/dev/fd?u???"

That's the only thing I found.

I had such a problem with Suse, too.
I mounted my floppy, but just could open it "read only".
When I looked what's on the floppy it sometimes did not open, sometimes it did but showed a totally different contents.
I did not find a solution.

I installed Suse again, then it worked... (felt a lot like Windows to me...)

but is a floppy that important?
What u do anyway with it...
us a cd-burner or an usb-stick ;b

linux reports all I/O errors instead of ignoring them like in windows. when you mount your floppy drive with the command:
mount /dev/fd0 /mnt

(or similar)

you may recieve warning messages, but the floppy has been mounted and you can cd to the /mnt directory and do as you please.

The floppy is really not being recognised, But you are quite right that there is not much use for it anyway. still, I'd like to have it. Mostly, I just feel a little miffed that It wasn't installed. Seems as if they've been around for as long as I have been playing with computers, and yet the most up to date version of Suze cant' find it. I'll probably re install sometime, and see if that does it.

if i were you i would not just let the drive sit there not working. even if you dont use it, it should be working and there is no reason for it not to. how are you trying to mount the floppy drive? maybe there is erronous input you are providing, try just putting a disk in the drive, and run kde and open the floppy that way, click on the floppy icon that is put by default on the desktop. when you said this:

" If I access it from a terminal window, the error I get is: first that the floppy is read only, and then it tries to mount the disk read only, but gives an error message that says there were in/out errors, and returns me to the prompt."

do you check to see if it is mounted? when i mount a floppy often is the case that i view input/output errors, but thefloppy drive IS in fact mounted. try again, and then cd to whatever place the floppy is mounted.

Never happended to my SuSE 7.3 before. 7.2 didn't detect my USB floppy on laptop though and need some manual fiddling.

You see a floppy icon on desktop, but the floppy light does not light up. Are you sure the device node is correct?

For example, my floppy is detected to be /dev/fd0 (you can also read /etc/fstab to find out).

[QUOTE]Originally posted by norsk hedensk
[B]..... how are you trying to mount the floppy drive? maybe there is erronous input you are providing, try just putting a disk in the drive, and run kde and open the floppy that way, click on the floppy icon that is put by default on the desktop....

Allright: when I do as you suugest above, I get a small window that is labeled "Mounting /dev/fd0" with a time line marked 0% that never changes. no light. But - "glory" after a long long wait, it did (for the first time) read the directory of the floppy drive! there's only one file there, and it is a jpeg. It even gives me a thumbnail view!

Thanks. But why is it so slow, and why doesn't the light work? Any ideas?
And I wonder if it will still mount the next time I boot???? Maybe I just haven't been patient enough.
Sonshyne5