mounting iomega zip disk

**benmayim** · 08-20-2003, 12:53 PM

As root, when I try to mount my zip drive with:
mount -t vfat /dev/sda4 /mnt/sda4
I get an error msg saying that this is the wront fstype. What is the correct fstype? Or is there any way to mount a zip drive that is fat32 from windows?
I've already tried the info from the only post in this forum, that is why I used the command above, but it does not work either.

**horo** · 08-20-2003, 02:48 PM

Hi benmayim,

what is the output of

fdisk -l /dev/sda

Is there a FAT Partition no. 4 ?

Else try

file -s /dev/sda[1234]

This will give you some more information

Ciao Martin

**benmayim** · 08-20-2003, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by horo

Hi benmayim,

what is the output of

fdisk -l /dev/sda

Is there a FAT Partition no. 4 ?

Else try

file -s /dev/sda[1234]

This will give you some more information

Ciao Martin

fdisk -l /dev/sda gives the following info for partitions sda1,2,3,4
Partition 4 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-linux)
Partition 4 has different physical/logical endings
Partition 4 does not end on cylinder boundary.

files -s /dev/sda[1234] gives the following info:
sda1,2,4 ERROR: Cannot read /dev/sda1 Input/Output error
sda3 just says /dev/sda3

**RockMumbles** · 08-21-2003, 12:35 AM

Do you have an IDE zip drive, a parallel external one, or a usb one?

I have had to boot up with the zip disk in place when using an IDE zip drive.

With par-port external zip drives you'll either have to modprobe imm (for the newer ones) or modprobe ppa (for the older ones) to load the proper kernel module.

I don't have any usb stuff so I probably can't help you if you have usb.

~rock

**horo** · 08-21-2003, 09:36 AM

Hi benmayim,

maybe your zip drive is formatted as a "superfloppy", i.e. there are no partitions. Then you must mount /dev/sda and not /dev/sda[1234].
Just an idea, maybe it helps, but first try Rock's tips.

Ciao Martin

**benmayim** · 08-21-2003, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by RockMumbles

Do you have an IDE zip drive, a parallel external one, or a usb one?

I have had to boot up with the zip disk in place when using an IDE zip drive.

With par-port external zip drives you'll either have to modprobe imm (for the newer ones) or modprobe ppa (for the older ones) to load the proper kernel module.

I don't have any usb stuff so I probably can't help you if you have usb.

~rock

My zip drive is an IDE internal, and it always has a zip disk (FAT32) in it when I boot knoppix 3.2 from CD.

**benmayim** · 08-21-2003, 12:43 PM

Originally Posted by horo

Hi benmayim,

maybe your zip drive is formatted as a "superfloppy", i.e. there are no partitions. Then you must mount /dev/sda and not /dev/sda[1234].
Just an idea, maybe it helps, but first try Rock's tips.

Ciao Martin

I'm not sure what you mean as a "superfloppy" because on my KDE desktop in Knoppix 3.2 I have icons for sda1, sda2, sda4, and sda3 is oddly missing, but whenever I click on them it says it can't read them and I did not specify the filesystem for mounting. If I go to the /mnt folder, sda1, sda2, and sda4 are there and there is not sda3 in the folder.

Actually, I really don't care if I can read FAT32 zip disks (although that would be nicer), but I can't even format a blank zip disk with ext2 file system.

**benmayim** · 08-21-2003, 12:49 PM

Originally Posted by horo

Hi benmayim,

maybe your zip drive is formatted as a "superfloppy", i.e. there are no partitions. Then you must mount /dev/sda and not /dev/sda[1234].
Just an idea, maybe it helps, but first try Rock's tips.

Ciao Martin

Also, I've tried mounding as sda [1234] and sda with no numbers, nothing works