[vox-tech] advice for floppy disks

2 Jan 2002 08:25:05 -0800

I've always liked Maxell's

Failing that I tend to use whatever I have laying around.  Windows NT boot disk reformatted work ok as well.  If you have a LOT of issues, look at your floppy drives.

In general I don't have many issue's with floppy disks and when I do it comes in batches.  1/2 the time it's my fault, the other half I never find out.

-sp

On Wed, 02 January 2002, "Jay Strauss" wrote:

> 
> Pete,
> 
> I take it your doing an LRP.  Maybe I'm lucky but I've had good luck
> formatting floppies that came with software (i.e. I buy a hard drive and it
> comes with some (unnecessary) windows software, or a network card...).
> Caveat, I don't think I was using the large size of an LRP (1600ish cyls).
> 
> Otherwise buy a bunch and make a few dups, downside is maintaining the dups
> every time you change your lrp config.
> 
> Jay
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Peter Jay Salzman" <p@dirac.org>
> To: <vox-tech@lists.lugod.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2002 4:02 AM
> Subject: Re: [vox-tech] advice for floppy disks
> 
> 
> > what part of
> >
> >    "not for backup.  i need floppies."
> >
> > do we not understand here?   :)
> >
> > maybe the problem is that you don't know what floppies can be used for
> > other than backups?   my application is a linux firewall.  the operating
> > system (or in this case, a piece of it) fits on a floppy.  you pop the
> > floppy in, turn the firewall machine on and walk away.  so you see,
> > i'm using the floppy as a *boot device*.  not for backup.
> >
> > please change the subject when posting about backups.  i don't want it
> > threaded with the other emails i want to read on floppy recommendations.
> >
> > ryan, about your script.  it certainly is sensitive to format.  why would
> > you think otherwise?  by accessing /dev/fd0, you're already choosing a
> > discipline for the floppy driver.  what if the disk was formatted with 21
> > sectors per track?
> >
> > pete
> >
> >
> > begin Ryan <ryan@mother.com>
> > > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> > > Hash: SHA1
> > >
> > > I wrote a bash script to back up my floppies to a compressed file named
> > > according to date. This has the advantage of being insensitive to
> format, and
> > > not requiring the disk to be mounted.
> > >
> > > - ----- Begin Script -----
> > >
> > > #!/bin/bash
> > > TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y.%m.%d.%H.%M.%S)
> > > cat /dev/fd0 | gzip -9 > ~/backups/fd0.${TIMESTAMP}.img.gz
> > >
> > > - ------ End Script ------
> > >
> > > On Tuesday, January 01 2002 09:42 pm, kabloom@ucdavis.edu wrote:
> > > > My biggest suggestion for floppies is that you should never carry them
> > > > loose in your pocket. When I used floppies in high school (last year)
> I
> > > > found that floppies carried loose in my pocket died within a day, and
> > > > floppies in floppy carriers lasted long enough that I can't recall
> losing
> > > > data from one of them.
> > > >
> > > > Two other good floppy tricks. One: if the data is really important,
> put
> > > > multiple copies on the same disk. The other: always back the floppies
> up
> > > > on a hard drive somewhere.
> > > >
> > > > And so it was written and so it was done (by Peter Jay Salzman
> > > > <p@dirac.org>)
> > > >
> > > > > not for backup.  i need floppies.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > begin Rod Roark <rod@sunsetsystems.com>
> > > > >
> > > > > > What I do for fast, reliable, cheap backup is mount hard drives in
> > > > > > removable carriers.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > -- Rod
> > > > > >    http://www.sunsetsystems.com/
> > > > > >
> > > > > > On Tuesday 01 January 2002 11:15 am, Henry House wrote:
> > > > > > > On Tue, Jan 01, 2002 at 09:31:50AM -0800, Peter Jay Salzman
> wrote:
> > > > > > > > i'm sure someone here keeps track of this stuff...
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > what's some really high-quality floppy disks brands?  i'd be
> > > > > > > > willing to pay unreasonable prices just as long as they're
> > > > > > > > reliable.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > i'm sick and tired of floppy disks dying on me.  what's the
> best
> > > > > > > > brands to get?
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > I would not use any type of removable winchester storage for
> data
> > > > > > > too valuble to lose. That goes for floppies, zip cartriges, and
> > > > > > > anything else that contains a rotating, flexible platter. By
> their
> > > > > > > very nature these devices are mechanically unreliable. If you
> want
> > > > > > > reliability, use tapes or CD-RW (which is actually pretty cheap
> > > > > > > now).
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Failing that, I suggest you find the most expensive type
> available
> > > > > > > and go with that. Also, I would avoid any product made by
> Verbatim.
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
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> > >
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