I have recently install Debian Squeeze on an IBM ThinkPad X31. It has an external USB-attached floppy drive. The BIOS sees it. I can boot from it just fine, and when running Windows 95 in MS-DOS mode (no WIN.EXE running) I can access it as drive "A:". I used the FORMAT command of Windows 95 in MS-DOS mode to format a floppy disk (1.44M) without any trouble.
When Squeeze boots, the following messages from dmesg appear to be relevant: ----- Block layer SCSI generic (bsg) driver version 0.4 loaded (major 253) udev[46]: starting version 164 SCSI subsystem initialized libata version 3.00 loaded. ata_piix 0000:00:1f.1: version 2.13 ata_piix 0000:00:1f.1: enabling device (0005 -> 0007) ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKC] enabled at IRQ 11 ata_piix 0000:00:1f.1: PCI INT A -> Link[LNKC] -> GSI 11 (level, low) -> IRQ 11 ata_piix 0000:00:1f.1: setting latency timer to 64 scsi0 : ata_piix scsi1 : ata_piix ata1: PATA max UDMA/100 cmd 0x1f0 ctl 0x3f6 bmdma 0x1860 irq 14 ata2: PATA max UDMA/100 cmd 0x170 ctl 0x376 bmdma 0x1868 irq 15 ata2.00: ATAPI: MATSHITADVD-RAM UJ-830S, 1.02, max UDMA/33 ata2.00: configured for UDMA/33 ata1.00: ATA-6: FUJITSU MHT2040AH, 006C, max UDMA/100 ata1.00: 78140160 sectors, multi 16: LBA ata1.00: configured for UDMA/100 scsi 0:0:0:0: Direct-Access ATA FUJITSU MHT2040A 006C PQ: 0 ANSI: 5 scsi 1:0:0:0: CD-ROM MATSHITA DVD-RAM UJ-830S 1.02 PQ: 0 ANSI: 5 sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] 78140160 512-byte logical blocks: (40.0 GB/37.2 GiB) sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Write Protect is off sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Mode Sense: 00 3a 00 00 sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA sda: sda1 sda2 sda3 < sda5 sda6 sda7 > sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Attached SCSI disk PM: Starting manual resume from disk PM: Resume from partition 8:5 PM: Checking hibernation image. PM: Error -22 checking image file PM: Resume from disk failed. kjournald starting. Commit interval 5 seconds EXT3-fs: mounted filesystem with ordered data mode. udev[275]: starting version 164 usbcore: registered new interface driver usbfs usbcore: registered new interface driver hub usbcore: registered new interface driver usb ehci_hcd: USB 2.0 'Enhanced' Host Controller (EHCI) Driver ehci_hcd: 0000:00:1d.7: power state changed by ACPI to D0 ehci_hcd: 0000:00:1d.7: power state changed by ACPI to D0 ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKH] enabled at IRQ 11 ehci_hcd: 0000:00:1d.7: PCI INT D -> Link[LNKH] -> GSI (level, low) -> IRQ 11 ehci_hcd: 0000:00:1d.7: setting latency timer to 64 ehci_hcd: 0000:00:1d.7: EHCI Host Controller ehci_hcd: 0000:00:1d.7: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 1 ehci_hcd: 0000:00:1d.7: debug port 1 ehci_hcd: 0000:00:1d.7: cache line size of 32 is not supported ehci_hcd: 0000:00:1d.7: irq 11, io mem 0xc0000000 ehci_hcd: 0000:00:1d.7: USB 2.0 started, EHCI 1.00 usb usb1: New USB device found, idVendor=1d6b, idProduct=0002 usb usb1: New USB device strings: Mfr=3, Product=2, SerialNumber=1 usb usb1: Product: EHCI Host Controller usb usb1: Manufacturer: Linux 2.6.32-5custom1-686 ehci_hcd usb usb1: SerialNumber: 0000:00:1d.7 usb usb1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice hub 1-0:1.0: USB hub found hub 1-0:1.0: 6 ports detected sr0: scsi3-mmc drive: 24x/24x writer dvd-ram cd/rw xa/form2 cdda tray Uniform CD-ROM driver Revision: 3.20 sr 1:0:0:0: Attached scsi CD-ROM sr0 sd 0:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg0 type 0 sr 1:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg1 type 5 uhci_hcd: USB Universal Host Controller Interface driver uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.0: power state changed by ACPI to D0 uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.0: power state changed by ACPI to D0 uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.0: PCI INT A -> Link[LNKA] -> GSI 11 (level, low) -> IRQ 11 uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.0: setting latency timer to 64 uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.0: UHCI Host Controller uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.0: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 2 uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.0: irq 11, io base 0x00001800 usb usb2: New USB device found, idVendor=1d6b, idProduct=0001 usb usb2: New USB device strings: Mfr=3, Product=2, SerialNumber=1 usb usb2: Product: UHCI Host Controller usb usb2: Manufacturer: Linux 2.6.32-5custom1-686 uhci_hcd usb usb2: SerialNumber: 0000:00:1d.0 usb usb2: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice hub 2-0:1.0: USB hub found hub 2-0:1.0: 2 ports detected uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.1: power state changed by ACPI to D0 uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d:1: power state changed by ACPI to D0 ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKD] enabled at IRQ 11 uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d:1: PCI INT B -> Link[LNKD] -> GSI 11 (level, low) -> IRQ 11 uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d:1: setting latency timer to 64 uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d:1: UHCI Host Controller uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d:1: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 3 uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d:1: irq 11, io base 0x00001820 usb usb3: New USB device found, idVendor=1d6b, idProduct=0001 usb usb3: New USB device strings: Mfr=3, Product=2, SerialNumber=1 usb usb3: Product: UHCI Host Controller usb usb3: Manufacturer: Linux 2.6.32-5custom1-686 uhci_hcd usb usb3: SerialNumber: 0000:00:1d.1 usb usb3: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice hub 3-0:1.0: USB hub found hub 3-0:1.0: 2 ports detected uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.2: PCI INT C -> Link[LNKC] -> GSI 11 (level, low) -> IRQ 11 uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.2: setting latency timer to 64 uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.2: UHCI Host Controller uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.2: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 4 uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.2: irq 11, io base 0x00001840 usb usb4: New USB device found, idVendor=1d6b, idProduct=0001 usb usb4: New USB device strings: Mfr=3, Product=2, SerialNumber=1 usb usb4: Product: UHCI Host Controller usb usb4: Manufacturer: Linux 2.6.32-5custom1-686 uhci_hcd usb usb4: SerialNumber: 0000:00:1d.2 usb usb4: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice hub 4-0:1.0: USB hub found hub 4-0:1.0: 2 ports detected usb 3-1: new full speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 2 usb 3-1: New USB device found, idVendor=0644, idProduct=0000 usb 3-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0 usb 3-1: Product: TEAC FD-05PUB usb 3-1: Manufacturer: TEAC usb 3-1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice Initializing USB Mass Storage driver... scsi2 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices usbcore: registered new interface driver usb-storage USB Mass Storage support registered. usb-storage: device found at 2 usb-storage: waiting for device to settle before scanning Adding 2050040k swap on /dev/sda5. Priority:-1 extents:1 across:2050040k EXT3 FS on sda6, internal journal kjournald starting. Commit interval 5 seconds EXT3 FS on sda2, internal journal EXT3-fs: mounted filesystem with ordered data mode. kjournald starting. Commit interval 5 seconds EXT3 FS on sda7, internal journal EXT3-fs: mounted filesystem with ordered data mode. usb-storage: device scan complete scsi 2:0:0:0: Direct-Access TEAC FD-05PUB 3200 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 CCS sd 2:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0 sd 2:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk ----- (I hope I haven't left out anything pertinent.) So the floppy drive is recognized as /dev/sdb. I would have preferred the traditional /dev/fd0, but I can live with that. I just have to remember that the floppy drive is /dev/sdb. There was no floppy disk in the diskette drive during boot. (Otherwise, the BIOS would have attempted to boot from it, since it is in the boot order ahead of the hard disk.) At this point, I see the gdm3 login screen, but I do not login; so GNOME auto-mounting rules are not in effect. I then switch to text console number 1 via Ctrl+Alt+F1 and insert a freshly formatted floppy disk, with no files on it, into the diskette drive. I then see the following: ----- sd 2:0:0:0: [sdb] 2880 512-byte logical blocks: (1.47 MB/1.40 MiB) sd 2:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through sd 2:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through sdb: ----- Then I get many, many iterations of the following set of error messages before the kernel finally gives up: ----- sd 2:0:0:0: [sdb] Unhandled sense code sd 2:0:0:0: [sdb] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE sd 2:0:0:0: [sdb] Sense Key : Medium Error [current] Info fld=0x3 sd 2:0:0:0: [sdb] Add. Sense: Address mark not found for data field sd 2:0:0:0: [sdb] CDB: Read(10): 28 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00 00 00 end_request: I/O error, dev sdb, sector 3 Buffer I/O error on device sdb, logical block 0 ----- My next step was going to be dumping a disk image to it with "dd", (diskette is R/W) but no I/O to the floppy drive is possible. The bottom line is that the floppy drive is not usable. What is wrong here? I did some searching on the internet, and I've seen other posts with similar error messages, but none of them seem to match my situation. -- .''`. Stephen Powell : :' : `. `'` `- -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/1960722041.1002785.1298464079344.javamail.r...@md01.wow.synacor.com