# Floppy support

## Filip*

Ok, this must be a silly question, but what is required in the kernel for floppy support? My /dev lists /fd, containing /dev/fd/0 to /dev/fd/1. but not /dev/fd/fd0. 

I'm using kernel 2.6, and a mount -t auto /dev/fd/0 /mnt/floppy yields 'mount: /dev/fd/0 is not a block device'. I realize I'm doind something silly, but I can't seem to figure it out. 

Thanks in advance,

Filip

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## adaptr

All you (should) need for a working floppy is

```
Device Drivers->Block Devices->Normal Floppy Drive Support
```

which is called CONFIG_BLK_DEV_FD in your config file.

And you'll know you have that when it is detected on boot.

But you may be missing the relevant symlink in /dev, so try to makedev fd0 (or some such - I'm not sure how it works).

Or you can link it yourself:

```
ln -sf /dev/fd/0 /dev/fd0
```

HTH

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## Filip*

Unfortunately, that didn't help.

Probably my problem is best summed up by this remark I get after trying to modprobe floppy:

FATAL: Error inserting floppy (/lib/modules/2.6.8-gentoo-r3/kernel/drivers/block/floppy.ko): No such device

The livecd has no problem addressing the drive, so it's definitely no hardware or linux problem. It's me.

Filip

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## Rafal_Glazar

Add "floppy=no_acpi" to your kernel option in bootloader. From what i know ACPI floppy recognition is broken in kernel 2.6.8.

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## Filip*

Thanks, but it didn't help.

yellow ~ # mount -t auto /dev/fd/0 /mnt/floppy/

mount: /dev/fd/0 is not a block device

yellow ~ # mount -t auto /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy/

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

some more output:

yellow ~ # dmesg |grep floppy

Kernel command line: root=/dev/hda2 floppy=no_acpi

ide-floppy driver 0.99.newide

inserting floppy driver for 2.6.8-gentoo-r3

acpi_floppy_resource: 4 ioports at 0x3f2

acpi_floppy_resource: 1 ioports at 0x3f7

floppy: controller ACPI FDC0 at I/O 0x3f2-0x3f5, 0x3f7-0x3f7 irq 6 dma channel 2

inserting floppy driver for 2.6.8-gentoo-r3

inserting floppy driver for 2.6.8-gentoo-r3

inserting floppy driver for 2.6.8-gentoo-r3

inserting floppy driver for 2.6.8-gentoo-r3

inserting floppy driver for 2.6.8-gentoo-r3

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## Filip*

abstract: system would not read floppy drive, gave error that fd/0 was not a block device. Solved by including fd support in the kernel, disabling acpi, and running MAKEFLOPPIES from the package mtoolsfm. Which step was crucial is unknown.

Thanks for helping me out. It was the ACPI support indeed. Unfortunately, I had fiddled with everything too much. In the end, these three steps may have combined to create a working floppy drive:

1. Enabling support in the kernel, not as module. Loading the module didn't quite work. Module floppy wasn't found. I didn't mind compiling it into the kernel anyway.

2. Disabling floppy ACPI in grub. The current grub-line is: 

```
kernel (hd1,0)/kernel-2.6.8-010904 root=/dev/hda2 floppy=no_acpi
```

3. Running MAKEFLOPPIES from the mtoolsfm package. The main purpose was to create /dev/fd0, because these symlinks were not present (as another helpful gentooer had remarked). /dev/fd/0 was present. I still don't know if there's a difference.

Thanks all,

Filip

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