This special sector is numbered 0,0 and is called the Boot Sector.Ī hard disk also has a DOS boot sector, but it’s located in a different sector on the hard disk (see note below).

storing a short program that either puts a message on the screen saying the disk cannot be used to start the computer if it’s a data disk, or a short program that starts to load the operating system if it’s a system disk which can start the computer (boot disk).

storing information about the disk, and.

Now you can use Linux commands, such as cp and mv, to copy or move files to the floppy disk.Even a non-bootable floppy can contain a virus in the boot sector.When a floppy diskette is formatted (it doesn’t matter if it’s a system or data disk) the very first portion of the disk is set aside for two main purposes: The following example shows how you mount the floppy drive at the /mnt/floppy directory: If you do not explicitly specify the -m option, mke2fs reserves 5 percent of the disk space for the superuser.Īfter you create the file system on the floppy drive, you can mount the floppy at a mount point (an empty directory) in the Linux file system. By specifying the -m 0 option, you ensure that mke2fs does not reserve space on the floppy disk for the super user. The -m option is used to specify what percentage of blocks should be reserved for the use of super user (root). Insider After you format the floppy, use the following command to create a Linux file system insight on the floppy: On the B drive, change the first 0 in the device name to 1. If you have an old PC with a 5.25-inch high-density floppy as the A drive, you can access that floppy with the device name /dev/fd0h1200.

To format a 3.5-inch high-density floppy in the A drive, for example, use the following command (for more on floppy drive naming conventions, see the 'How to Format a DOS Floppy' section in Chapter 12): In fact, you'll find Linux file systems on the boot and root floppies that you use to install Linux.įormatting and creating a Linux file system on a floppy is a straightforward process. You also can create a Linux file system on a floppy disk. Chapter 12 describes several ways to access MS- DOS floppy disks under Linux you can mount the floppy and use Linux commands, or use the mtools utility programs to read from or write to the floppy.

Linux format floppy disk for ms dos