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Re: Low Level Format of 1.4 Mb Floppy Isn't Happening

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On Sun, 15 Jan 2017, Martin McCormick wrote:
>        The  generic  floppy  devices, /dev/fd0 and /dev/fd1, will fail to work
>        with fdformat when a non-standard format is being used, or if the  for-
>        mat  has  not been autodetected earlier.  In this case, use setfdprm(8)
>        to load the disk parameters.
> ________________________________________
> 
> 	Where I am confused is whether or not setfdprm must be
> manually stuffed with the number of tracks, number of sectors,
> etc or whether /etc/mediaprm can be made to fill in all those

Interestingly enough, I don't seem to have either setfdprm(8) or
setfdprm itself in my amd64 Debian Jessie system, so I can't check this
for you.  /etc/mediaprm should be enough, but...

> data. I am not modifying the format so any list of normal
> parameters for a 1.44 Mb floppy will do.

In that case, unless the kernel driver is having trouble, it should be
sufficient to:

fdformat /dev/fd0H1440   (for fd0).

Don't expect this to work on anything but a real FDD, connected directly
to a FDD controller in your motherboard (i.e. no USB).  And don't do it
from a VM, it is unlikely to work.

If it fails to format (but does try, i.e. it turns the FDD on, spins the
floppy, and tries to write a track), please ensure the FDD heads are
clean[1].  Formatting a disk scrambled by too strong a magnet could take
quite a lot more magnetic flux from the FDD head to "sit".


[1] and don't get the cleaning procedure wrong, or you will kill the
    FDD, the diskette, or both.  Remeber to give enough time for the
    cleaning solution to evaporate completely from the heads before
    attempting to use the FDD.

-- 
  Henrique Holschuh

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Low Level Format of 1.4 Mb Floppy Isn't Happening "Martin McCormick" <martin.m@suddenlink.net> - 2017-01-14 22:40 +0100
  Re: Low Level Format of 1.4 Mb Floppy Isn't Happening Henrique de Moraes Holschuh <hmh@debian.org> - 2017-01-14 23:10 +0100
  Re: Low Level Format of 1.4 Mb Floppy Isn't Happening Mirko Parthey <mirko.parthey@web.de> - 2017-01-14 23:20 +0100
    Re: Low Level Format of 1.4 Mb Floppy Isn't Happening "Martin McCormick" <martin.m@suddenlink.net> - 2017-01-15 15:20 +0100
      Re: Low Level Format of 1.4 Mb Floppy Isn't Happening Henrique de Moraes Holschuh <hmh@debian.org> - 2017-01-15 15:50 +0100
        Re: Low Level Format of 1.4 Mb Floppy Isn't Happening <tomas@tuxteam.de> - 2017-01-15 16:00 +0100
      Re: Low Level Format of 1.4 Mb Floppy Isn't Happening Gene Heskett <gheskett@shentel.net> - 2017-01-15 19:30 +0100
        Re: Low Level Format of 1.4 Mb Floppy Isn't Happening Henrique de Moraes Holschuh <hmh@debian.org> - 2017-01-15 20:00 +0100
    Low Level Format of 1.4 Mb Floppy Isn't Happening Solved. "Martin McCormick" <martin.m@suddenlink.net> - 2017-01-15 22:40 +0100
      Re: Low Level Format of 1.4 Mb Floppy Isn't Happening Solved. Doug <dmcgarrett@optonline.net> - 2017-01-15 23:30 +0100
      Re: Low Level Format of 1.4 Mb Floppy Isn't Happening Solved. Brian <ad44@cityscape.co.uk> - 2017-01-16 00:10 +0100
      Re: Low Level Format of 1.4 Mb Floppy Isn't Happening Solved. Gene Heskett <gheskett@shentel.net> - 2017-01-16 00:30 +0100
        Re: Low Level Format of 1.4 Mb Floppy Isn't Happening Solved. John Darrah <xyllyx@gmail.com> - 2017-01-16 02:40 +0100
          Re: Low Level Format of 1.4 Mb Floppy Isn't Happening Solved. Gene Heskett <gheskett@shentel.net> - 2017-01-16 04:00 +0100
  Re: Low Level Format of 1.4 Mb Floppy Isn't Happening Brian <ad44@cityscape.co.uk> - 2017-01-15 16:10 +0100
    Dell BIOS ( was Low Level Format of 1.4 Mb Floppy Isn't Happening) "Martin McCormick" <martin.m@suddenlink.net> - 2017-01-16 19:00 +0100
      Re: Dell BIOS Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2017-01-16 19:50 +0100
        Re: Dell BIOS "Martin McCormick" <martin.m@suddenlink.net> - 2017-01-16 22:00 +0100
          Re: Dell BIOS Joe <joe@jretrading.com> - 2017-01-16 22:40 +0100
            Re: Dell BIOS John Hasler <jhasler@newsguy.com> - 2017-01-16 23:00 +0100
              Re: Dell BIOS Joe <joe@jretrading.com> - 2017-01-16 23:30 +0100
                Re: Dell BIOS John Hasler <jhasler@newsguy.com> - 2017-01-17 00:30 +0100
      Re: Dell BIOS Mirko Parthey <mirko.parthey@web.de> - 2017-01-17 00:40 +0100
        Re: Dell BIOS Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2017-01-17 02:10 +0100

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