Re: /dev/fd0 is not a valid block device

From: Jeff Vian (jvian10_at_charter.net)
Date: 04/10/04

  • Next message: Jeff Vian: "Re: dd if=* of=/dev/fd0 freezing my computer." 
    Date: Fri, 09 Apr 2004 17:16:38 -0500
To: For users of Fedora Core releases <fedora-list@redhat.com>

    Rick Stevens wrote:

    > Jeff Vian wrote:
    >
    >>
    >>
    >> James Kosin wrote:
    >>
    >>> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
    >>> Hash: SHA1
    >>>
    >>> Rick Stevens wrote:
    >>> <<-- snip -->>
    >>>
    >>> If you use fdformat to format the floppy in Linux, you still need to
    >>> use
    >>> mkfs to build a file system on the floppy. Otherwise, you will still
    >>> get this error, even after the format.
    >>>
    >>> /dev/fd0 is only permitted if fdformat knows the format already or can
    >>> find it out from the floppy.
    >>>
    >>> You can use mount /mnt/floppy to try again. Or better still, get a
    >>> disk
    >>> you know is good... and try mounting that.
    >>>
    >> If you use "/sbin/mkdosfs /dev/fd0" it will format the floppy as a
    >> dos filesystem and check the lowlevel format at the same time. Use of
    >> "/bin/fdformat" does the lowlevel format only and from the man page
    >> it does require the use of "/dev/fd0H1440" or equivalent in order to
    >> know how to do that format.
    >>
    >> However, if that disk has been used for some things (like making a
    >> linux boot disk) it cannot be reformatted using mkdosfs and would
    >> have to be reformatted with fdformat first.
    >>
    >> Bottom line - to do the low level format use fdformat, -- to make
    >> the usable format use mkdosfs.
    >
    >
    > "mformat a:" will also do a vfat format of a floppy.

    right, among others.
        mkfs < optios>
        mkfs.msdos <blah>
        etc.

    The wonders of having 100 ways to do the same thing :-) 

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  • Next message: Jeff Vian: "Re: dd if=* of=/dev/fd0 freezing my computer."

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