Ubuntu
util-linux package

How to read a floppy using Ubuntu 12.04

Asked by Rodney

I just upgraded from 10.04 to 12.04 on an older desk top computer. It has both a floppy and a Zip drive. I can use the Zip drive fine but can not read or write to the floppy. When I use the search function and type in “Disk Utility” I get the information on main drive, the Zip but nothing on the floppy except it is noted as being present. How do I read and write to it, at least read it as I have a lot of archive stuff on floppys I'd like to be able to read? I can read and write to the Zip drive fine.
 Here is the results of the fstab file if that will help.
rodney3@rodney3-desktop:~$ cat /etc/fstab
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# Use 'blkid -o value -s UUID' to print the universally unique identifier
# for a device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name
# devices that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
#
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
proc /proc proc nodev,noexec,nosuid 0 0
/dev/sda1 / ext4 errors=remount-ro 0 1
# swap was on /dev/sda5 during installation
UUID=7049e8b1-5f40-499a-a200-c8d3e64b929d none swap sw 0 0
/dev/fd0 /media/floppy0 auto rw,user,noauto,exec,utf8 0 0
rodney3@rodney3-desktop:~$

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Revision history for this message
actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said : 		#1

If you put a floppy in and run:

sudo mount /media/floppy0

does it mount?

Remember that when you want to eject the foppy, you must unmount it so that the final sync can happen and you won't damage the device.

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Rodney (rciwan) said : 		#2

The light on the floppy does light and the floppy now shows up in "Disk Utility" when I click on "floppy drive" but the status shows "no media detected" when there is known data on the floppy.

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Rodney (rciwan) said : 		#3

The above comment was made after running sudo mount/media/floppyo and then going to "disk utility".

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actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said : 		#4

No media detected means there is no disk detected in the drive. It's not about the lack of data on the floppy disk.

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Rodney (rciwan) said : 		#5

I may have found a solution. If I go to the terminal and type in
udisks --mount /def/fd0
the disk mounts. If I then go back to the unity screen and bring up Libreoffice I can open the text files in Writer.
Thanks for the help you folks have given me. Rodney