Re: [Dorset] Borrow a floppy disk drive
On Tue, 2014-08-05 at 00:30 +0100, Victor Churchill wrote: Got it, Tim; internal quick release from a Dell tower box. Planning tocome to Broadway tomorrow - Do you need cables too? No, I have cables (and a Dell tower, yay!). Thanks, Tim. */ signature.asc Description: This is a digitally signed message part -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2014-08-05 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] Borrow a floppy disk drive
On Tue, 2014-07-29 at 14:31 +0100, Chad Cumberland wrote: I have a old usb one you can borrow. Thanks for all the offers. Chad, are you planning on coming to the meeting tomorrow? If not, Victor, maybe you are? A USB drive is probably best for me, or otherwise an internal drive is fine. Trying to avoid having everyone turn up with floppy drives, or else we really *will* be trying to do the Imperial March! Thanks, Tim. */ signature.asc Description: This is a digitally signed message part -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2014-08-05 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] Borrow a floppy disk drive
Got it, Tim; internal quick release from a Dell tower box. Planning tocome to Broadway tomorrow - Do you need cables too? -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2014-08-05 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] Borrow a floppy disk drive
On 29/07/14 22:01, Tim Waugh wrote: On Tue, 2014-07-29 at 15:37 +0100, Paul Stenning wrote: I think I have an internal 3.5 1.44MB one here (Bournemouth). I'll need to check to be certain but if that's what you want you are welcome to it as I have no further use for it. I should have a ribbon cable for it too. Thanks for the offer -- that's the sort of thing I'm after. If you happen to come along to Jelly tomorrow and the drive is easy to get at before-hand, it would be great if you could bring it along... :-) There's no hurry for it though, so no problem if not. Tim. */ I had the same problem last week when I was having a clearout and discovered about 4 boxes of old 3 1/4 discs from my past. It was at that point that I discovered that neither of my computer motherboards had connections for floppy disk drives. The latest doesn't even have IDE drive connections. The floppy drive is still installed in the case, just not connected to anything. I COULD NOT get it to be read by linux!! It seems to me that I should probably bin the old 3 1/4 drives in my store now. Luckily my neighbour was cleaning up an XP box for a friend and I was able to recover the few bits that I wanted from these discs onto USB. Peter -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2014-08-05 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] Borrow a floppy disk drive
Hi Tim, If you have non-DOS-format floppies then USB probably won't be any good. In their wisdom, they made the USB interface only support normal DOS formats; no 1024-byte sectors, 10 sectors per track of ADFS, for example. One of them is labelled 'Minix' so might be ext or something, but the others will be DOS format. I wondered about external USB floppy drives, whether it's a standard thing or would need a special driver on Linux. The defined USB Floppy Interface wire protocol is the limitation. http://www.usb.org/developers/devclass_docs/usbmass-ufi10.pdf Table 5 -- no sector interleave possible! Table 35 -- Three formats supported: DD,80T,2H,9S / HD,77T,2H,8S / HD,80T,2H,18S. 80 * 2 * 9 * 512 / 1024 = 720KiB 77 * 2 * 8 * 1024 / 1024 = 1,232KiB 80 * 2 * 18 * 512 / 1024 = 1,440KiB Table 19 suggests sectors per track, for example, could be specified, but I think it's more you can sense one of the three Table 35 formats and then read 9, 8, or 18. Not even a mention of whether sectors are numbered from zero or one AFAICS. Hang on to those real floppy drives, and a controller since it's a partially analogue interface. Cheers, Ralph. -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2014-08-05 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] Borrow a floppy disk drive
I didn't get to Jelly unfortunately. I have found the floppy drive and cable. There are a few blank disks too which may be useful for testing it's installed OK before reading your disks. I'll message you off list to sort out getting it to you. :) Paul On 29/07/2014 22:01, Tim Waugh wrote: On Tue, 2014-07-29 at 15:37 +0100, Paul Stenning wrote: I think I have an internal 3.5 1.44MB one here (Bournemouth). I'll need to check to be certain but if that's what you want you are welcome to it as I have no further use for it. I should have a ribbon cable for it too. Thanks for the offer -- that's the sort of thing I'm after. If you happen to come along to Jelly tomorrow and the drive is easy to get at before-hand, it would be great if you could bring it along... :-) There's no hurry for it though, so no problem if not. Tim. */ -- *Paul Stenning* SP Technology Box 170, 89 Commercial Road, Bournemouth, BH2 5RR p...@sp-tech.co.uk mailto:p...@sp-tech.co.uk www.sp-tech.co.uk http://www.sp-tech.co.uk /Before printing, please consider the environment./ *Confidentiality* This email and its attachments (if any) are intended for the above named only and may be confidential. If they have come to you in error you must take no action based on them, nor must you copy or show them to anyone; please reply to this email and highlight the error, then delete them from your computer immediately. *Security Warning* Please note that this email has been created in the knowledge that email is not a 100% secure communications medium. We advise that you understand and observe this lack of security when emailing us. *Viruses* Although we have taken steps to ensure that this email and attachments are free from any virus, we advise that in keeping with good computing practice the recipient should ensure they are virus free. -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2014-08-05 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
[Dorset] Borrow a floppy disk drive
Hello! Does anyone have a floppy disk drive I could borrow? I finally get around to investigating some old floppy disks of mine only to realise it must have been years ago that I got rid of the last disk drive I had! Thanks, Tim. */ signature.asc Description: This is a digitally signed message part -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2014-08-05 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] Borrow a floppy disk drive
I have a couple of internal units and an external that connects to a laptop PCMCIA slot! How many do you need ... we have probably got enough to make a Star Wars orchestra :) -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2014-08-05 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] Borrow a floppy disk drive
Hi Tim, Chad wrote: I have a old usb one you can borrow. If you have non-DOS-format floppies then USB probably won't be any good. In their wisdom, they made the USB interface only support normal DOS formats; no 1024-byte sectors, 10 sectors per track of ADFS, for example. Cheers, Ralph. -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2014-08-05 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] Borrow a floppy disk drive
Hi Tim On 29/07/14 13:19, Tim Waugh wrote: Hello! Does anyone have a floppy disk drive I could borrow? I finally get around to investigating some old floppy disks of mine only to realise it must have been years ago that I got rid of the last disk drive I had! Just to add to the offers, I have an internal 5.25 if that's what you're after. Cheers Tim -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2014-08-05 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] Borrow a floppy disk drive
I think I have an internal 3.5 1.44MB one here (Bournemouth). I'll need to check to be certain but if that's what you want you are welcome to it as I have no further use for it. I should have a ribbon cable for it too. On 29/07/2014 15:23, TimA wrote: Hi Tim On 29/07/14 13:19, Tim Waugh wrote: Hello! Does anyone have a floppy disk drive I could borrow? I finally get around to investigating some old floppy disks of mine only to realise it must have been years ago that I got rid of the last disk drive I had! Just to add to the offers, I have an internal 5.25 if that's what you're after. Cheers Tim -- *Paul Stenning* SP Technology Box 170, 89 Commercial Road, Bournemouth, BH2 5RR p...@sp-tech.co.uk mailto:p...@sp-tech.co.uk www.sp-tech.co.uk http://www.sp-tech.co.uk /Before printing, please consider the environment./ *Confidentiality* This email and its attachments (if any) are intended for the above named only and may be confidential. If they have come to you in error you must take no action based on them, nor must you copy or show them to anyone; please reply to this email and highlight the error, then delete them from your computer immediately. *Security Warning* Please note that this email has been created in the knowledge that email is not a 100% secure communications medium. We advise that you understand and observe this lack of security when emailing us. *Viruses* Although we have taken steps to ensure that this email and attachments are free from any virus, we advise that in keeping with good computing practice the recipient should ensure they are virus free. -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2014-08-05 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] Borrow a floppy disk drive
I have an external floppy drive, 1.44Mb size that you can borrow. If you live near Wareham you could pick it up, or let me know if you still need it and I will bring to the next LUG meet. Charles Miller -Original Message- From: dorset-boun...@mailman.lug.org.uk [mailto:dorset-boun...@mailman.lug.org.uk] On Behalf Of Paul Stenning Sent: 29 July 2014 15:37 To: dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk Subject: Re: [Dorset] Borrow a floppy disk drive I think I have an internal 3.5 1.44MB one here (Bournemouth). I'll need to check to be certain but if that's what you want you are welcome to it as I have no further use for it. I should have a ribbon cable for it too. On 29/07/2014 15:23, TimA wrote: Hi Tim On 29/07/14 13:19, Tim Waugh wrote: Hello! Does anyone have a floppy disk drive I could borrow? I finally get around to investigating some old floppy disks of mine only to realise it must have been years ago that I got rid of the last disk drive I had! Just to add to the offers, I have an internal 5.25 if that's what you're after. Cheers Tim -- *Paul Stenning* SP Technology Box 170, 89 Commercial Road, Bournemouth, BH2 5RR p...@sp-tech.co.uk mailto:p...@sp-tech.co.uk www.sp-tech.co.uk http://www.sp-tech.co.uk /Before printing, please consider the environment./ *Confidentiality* This email and its attachments (if any) are intended for the above named only and may be confidential. If they have come to you in error you must take no action based on them, nor must you copy or show them to anyone; please reply to this email and highlight the error, then delete them from your computer immediately. *Security Warning* Please note that this email has been created in the knowledge that email is not a 100% secure communications medium. We advise that you understand and observe this lack of security when emailing us. *Viruses* Although we have taken steps to ensure that this email and attachments are free from any virus, we advise that in keeping with good computing practice the recipient should ensure they are virus free. -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2014-08-05 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2014-08-05 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] Borrow a floppy disk drive
On Tue, 2014-07-29 at 15:37 +0100, Paul Stenning wrote: I think I have an internal 3.5 1.44MB one here (Bournemouth). I'll need to check to be certain but if that's what you want you are welcome to it as I have no further use for it. I should have a ribbon cable for it too. Thanks for the offer -- that's the sort of thing I'm after. If you happen to come along to Jelly tomorrow and the drive is easy to get at before-hand, it would be great if you could bring it along... :-) There's no hurry for it though, so no problem if not. Tim. */ signature.asc Description: This is a digitally signed message part -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2014-08-05 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] Borrow a floppy disk drive
On Tue, 2014-07-29 at 15:23 +0100, TimA wrote: Just to add to the offers, I have an internal 5.25 if that's what you're after. I never even thought to specify, but it's 3.5 that I need. Wow, does the 5.25 one still work? Tim. */ signature.asc Description: This is a digitally signed message part -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2014-08-05 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] Borrow a floppy disk drive
On Tue, 2014-07-29 at 15:18 +0100, Ralph Corderoy wrote: If you have non-DOS-format floppies then USB probably won't be any good. In their wisdom, they made the USB interface only support normal DOS formats; no 1024-byte sectors, 10 sectors per track of ADFS, for example. One of them is labelled 'Minix' so might be ext or something, but the others will be DOS format. I wondered about external USB floppy drives, whether it's a standard thing or would need a special driver on Linux. Tim. */ signature.asc Description: This is a digitally signed message part -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2014-08-05 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] Borrow a floppy disk drive
On 29/07/14 22:09, Tim Waugh wrote: On Tue, 2014-07-29 at 15:18 +0100, Ralph Corderoy wrote: If you have non-DOS-format floppies then USB probably won't be any good. In their wisdom, they made the USB interface only support normal DOS formats; no 1024-byte sectors, 10 sectors per track of ADFS, for example. One of them is labelled 'Minix' so might be ext or something, but the others will be DOS format. I wondered about external USB floppy drives, whether it's a standard thing or would need a special driver on Linux. Tim. */ A USB floppy drive appears to the computer as a USB mass storage device, so IIRC the computer speaks something like SCSI-over-USB to it and accesses it as a block device. I think that's why they are limited to 1.44 MB format, because there's no way to set the parameters over USB mass storage/SCSI commands? It should appear as /dev/sdX, not /dev/fdX. -- Andrew. -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday, 2014-08-05 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
