does ubuntu support floppy drives anymore?

[Rob Wilkes]

cj,

I wonder if this is the same problem I had in VMWare (Feisty) on my 
works PC. Floppies placed in the drive just sat there. I forget where I 
found the solution (below) but I believe it's a known bug. This worked 
for me.

My first post, incidentally.  :o)

Best wishes,

Rob

***************************

1) Open a Terminal and type:

	sudo gedit /etc/fstab

You'll be asked for your password and then the text editor will open a 
text file. Look for the /dev/fd0 type "auto" and change it to "vfat" 
[omit the quotation marks]. Save and close the file (via the little "x" 
on the tab, don't quit the text editor yet).

2) Click the "New" button and type:

	pmount /dev/fd0;
	nautilus /media/floppy0

Save the new document (via File - Save As) as ".mountfloppy" in your 
home directory). [Omit the quotes but make sure to type the initial dot 
as this will make it a hidden file and not clutter up your home 
directory]. Close the text editor.

3) Open the Nautilus file browser, navigate to your home directory and 
make the hidden files visible by typing Ctrl-H. Find ".mountfloppy". It 
will be a white text file not an orange folder. Right click on it and 
choose "Properties". Click on the Permissions tab and check the box 
beside "Execute:" to "Allow executing file as program". Close the window.

4) Right click on free space in your top Ubuntu desktop panel and choose 
"Add to Panel". Click on "Custom Application Launcher". In the name box 
type:

	Mount Floppy

In the Command box type:

	/home/[your user name]/.mountfloppy

Click on "No Icon" and in the window of icons which appears (they are in 
A-Z order by name) find "gfloppy.xpm", click on it to highlight it and 
then click the "OK" button. Finally, click the "OK" button in the 
remaining window. You'll now see a new floppy disk icon in your top 
panel. You can right click it, choose "Move" and, holding the left mouse 
button down, drag the icon to where you want it in the panel. Right 
click and "Lock To Panel" once it's where you want it.

When next you insert a floppy disk and nothing happens, click on the new 
floppy disk panel icon and the floppy will open in a Nautilus window.

***************************

> i was just looking around in my /dev/ folder and noticed that fd0 was 
> not listed.
> 
> did they cut support for floppy drives now or has it been renamed to 
> something else?
> 
> --cj