How to get floppy disk information ?!!

hi guys ..im asking for your help on solving this mind boggling problem ...
you know 2 or 3 month ago i wrote this piece of code in order to get the floppy disk geometry ...and it was as follows:

Code:

//In the name of GOD #include <conio.h> #include <stdio.h> #include <process.h> #include <dos.h> #include <stdlib.h> main(void){ int i,k,start,sector; char x[512]; clrscr(); gotoxy(27,5); textcolor(2); cprintf("In the name of God\n"); gotoxy(22,7); printf ("First project Project\n\n"); cprintf (" This program will show you the information stored on sector 0 of your Floppy disk.\n "); printf(" if you are ready press any key to continue "); for (k=0;k<=4;k++){ delay(500); cprintf("."); } getch(); sector =0; if (absread (0, 1, sector, &x)!=0){ cprintf ("Error"); exit(1); } gotoxy(30,8); cprintf("Read Successful!\n\n\n"); for (i=0;i<=512;i++) cprintf("%c",x[i]); getch(); return 0; }

after that i see some irrelevant characters on screen ... i just went after it and found some progs and also information concerning FAT
and it was :

Code:

{ char jumpCode[3];//0 - 2 Assembly Instruction for jump code. char oemName[8];//3 - 10 OEM Name. char bytes_Sector[2];//*11 - 12 Bytes per sector. char sec_Cluster;//13 Sector per cluster. char size_Sector_Reserved[2];//14 - 15 Number of reserved sector(Boot Sector) char fatCount;//16 Number of File Allocation Table char Max_Root_Entry[2];//17 - 18 Maximum entries possible under root directory. char Total_Sector_FS[2];//19 - 20 Total number of sectors in file system. char Media_Type;//21 Media Type(According to Microsoft 0xf8 for fixed disk and 0xf0 for removable disk. char sectors_per_fat[2];//22 - 23 Sectors allocated for each File allocation table. char sectors_per_track[2];//24 - 25 Sectors per track. char total_Head_Count[2];//26 - 27 Number of head in storage device. char no_Sectors_Before_Part[4];//28 - 31 Number of sectors before start of partition(Not applicable for floppy). char no_Sector_FS32[4];//32 - 35 Number of sectors in file system(32-bit value, not applicable for floppy). char BIOS_13h_Drive_No;//36 BIOS INT13h drive number. char reserved;//37 Not Used. char ext_Boot_Part_Signature;//38 Extended boot signature. char vol_Serial_Number[4];//39 - 42 Volume Serial Number. char vol_Lebel_Name[11];//43 - 53 Volume label in ASCII. char FS_Type[8];//54 - 61 File System Type. char boot_Code[448];//62 - 509 Boot Code, otherwise contains information to replace disk. char signature[2];//510 - 511 Signature for File System.

i just tried to use loops to save the data of the specific regions of the floppy disk on the screen for example i used:

Code:

for(j=0;j<=2;j++) printf("Assembly instruction for jump code : %C",&x[j])

but again no luck !!
im really confused !!! how to deal with it in C?
(ive already noticed the VC++ equivalent but i have not worked on Vc++ ,so i dont know anything about that ...please tell me and help me on C .... tell me how i can do it under C

oh by the way i was using TC 3 ..thats why it looks ancient ..( im using Pelles C now ..but it seems it doesnt have some header files such as Dos.h ..so i just used TC )

many tanx in advand

plz sb help me on this :(

I can't help you; this is a question related to hardware much more than it is to C. C is independent of such devices, and looks to the hardware folks to provide the "hook" to query their device for info.

I'd bet $$$ that you could find a program to do this on one of the code depot website, like sourceforge.net, etc.

I'd hate to bet whether the old "DOS" type programs could query the device, in Windows or Linux. DOS was certainly OK with such direct access, but newer OS's may be quite particular about this sort of thing.

In any case, this will bump your question back up to the top of the heap, but sourceforge.net and similar sites, will surely have what you want.

"In the name of GOD" ?? You want to query a floppy drive in the name of God?? I'd change that little line at light speed. You've found a brilliant way to tick off both atheists and believers, at the same time!

How about beginning with telling us which OS you have, then we can advice a suitable compiler and API to use.

Just because your ancient fossil compiler manages to run "hello world" doesn't make it suitable for messing with the hardware at such a low level.

tanx anyway guys
first
Adak ...

Quote:

"In the name of GOD" ?? You want to query a floppy drive in the name of God?? I'd change that little line at light speed. You've found a brilliant way to tick off both atheists and believers, at the same time!

i always start my works with the name of God .. cause it makes me think better ... i do love him ..and of course i place his name on all of my progs and other stuff ..thats it .. no other intention ...

Salem :
im using Windows Xp pro ,and under this Os . im using Pelles C Compiler ....

you know we were asked to get the floppy disk infos using C ... to me it means it runs under DOs ..so i couldnt use VC++ or other Apis ... i thought it would be wrong ...

anyway ... now ..all i want is to know if it is possible to get the data using C (sure it is possible)
and HOw to do it ...

I'm not 100% sure which function(s) you need of these, but I think you can get the relevant info in one of these functions - and it will work under XP. This is a more secure and portable method.

If that fails, you can open the device (A:) as a file with CreateFile():
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa363858.aspx

If you scroll down, there's a section on the "open a physical device" mechanisms. Then read 512 bytes to read a sector, and you should be able to get the disk info you have in the struct. You are "on your own" when you use this sort of mechanism - nothing to prevent you from "getting it wrong".

--
Mats

tanx mat , i ll give it a try .

em .. Mat . i m sorry . but isnt it A windows API ? how can i use a windows Api under C? (not VC++)
im not familiar with working with win APIs under C ...
is it possible just to use them in the program ? but what header file should i choose?

Ehm, my previous post should have had a link to the volume control functions:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa365730.aspx

You can use all Win32 API functions in C by including the correct header-file, which is specified by each function in the links given - it is USUALLY <windows.h> but some funcitons are in other header files. [Of course, the actual function may be in a different file - but you usually have to include the "main" header file, as the individual functions header file is incomplete and will require other header files to be included first, and which those are and what they are called may change over time, so including the main file is a much better idea].

--
Mats

By the way:

Code:

for(j=0;j<=2;j++) printf("Assembly instruction for jump code : %C",&x[j])

Not sure what %C does, but I would expect this to print badly if %C is similar to %c - particularly if you take the ADDRESS fo x[j] - as that will not print anything useful. [unless x is a char whose address is at the jump code.]

Unfortunately, searching with google for %C shows up a bunch of %c, so I wasn't able to find the meaning of %C.

The jump code should be 0xE9 0xXX 0x0X where X's are variable depending on exactly where the jump leads. A highly likely scenario is that the 0xE9 0x3E 0x00. Technically, it can also be 0xEB 0xXX, with possibly with a single byte instruction first.

What did you expect this to do?

--
Mats

well i just mistyped it ... its %c and the intention was to print the instruction ... well i used %d and he other % sign stuff ..but no luck , thats it ..i was seeking a way to show the desired data...
by the way those codes you ve just mentioned must be hex ? am i right? if thats right ,why didnt i get my answer by using %#x? its supposed to be used to show stuff in hexadecimal right? so whats the problem here too?
well at last im going to say that im kinda confused with Assembly jump codes

Yes, using "%02x" should show you the opcode as a two digit number, which is probably the most sensible.

What did you expect it to show, what DOES it show?

--
Mats

Quote:

Originally Posted by matsp

Yes, using "%02x" should show you the opcode as a two digit number, which is probably the most sensible.

What did you expect it to show, what DOES it show?

--
Mats

Unfortunately when i was testing the prog ... my whole system crashed ! :( and i was forced to install a fresh copy of Windows Xp (pro) ... after spending more than 3 hours of installing different kinds of softwares .now im online ..
by the way i still have no idea what caused the crash ... (maybe the fossil Tc caused that ...cause i just wanted to test the prog under damn Tc and that happened !

anyway to give you the answer: well it prints sth like this :fd5d and in the next line it printed :fd4d ( i m not sure if this was the one ...but they were descending .. )

anyway i will try to use that lets see what happens then ..
tanx bro

Well i tired "%02x" and no luck ...things that was printed are >>:fdf2,fdf3,fdf4
thats all

Looks like my sig-line is true ;)

But we have no idea what code you ran, or which compiler you were using last (pick one of the ones which isn't TurboC and stick with it for more than 5 minutes).

As it stood, you were just two typo's away from reading the boot sector of A: to writing the boot sector of C:.

well the reason i switched to Tc was that my Pelles C compiler went wrong ... it couldnt compile anything ...it kept saying "empty declaration" ...so i was tried of this damn message and though to give it a try under TC and lets see of my compiler (here Pelles C )is not working probably and lets assume my codes should at least be compiled !>
so , i just used that damn ancient compiler and ... everything crashed !!!
...
from this time and then .i will only use Pelles C compiler .. thats it ...

by the way the code i ran is :

(as you see there are bunch of codes that i disabled them (step by step ..i used diffrent procedures) ... and some how this piece of codes is what i got ...)

Code:

#include <stdio.h> #include <process.h> #include <string.h> //#include <windows.h> #include <dos.h> /*struct Flopy_Drive_Sectors { char jumpCode[3];//0 - 2 Assembly Instruction for jump code. char oemName[8];//3 - 10 OEM Name. char bytes_Sector[2];//*11 - 12 Bytes per sector. char sec_Cluster;//13 Sector per cluster. char size_Sector_Reserved[2];//14 - 15 Number of reserved sector(Boot Sector) char fatCount;//16 Number of File Allocation Table char Max_Root_Entry[2];//17 - 18 Maximum entries possible under root directory. char Total_Sector_FS[2];//19 - 20 Total number of sectors in file system. char Media_Type;//21 Media Type(According to Microsoft 0xf8 for fixed disk and 0xf0 for removable disk. char sectors_per_fat[2];//22 - 23 Sectors allocated for each File allocation table. char sectors_per_track[2];//24 - 25 Sectors per track. char total_Head_Count[2];//26 - 27 Number of head in storage device. char no_Sectors_Before_Part[4];//28 - 31 Number of sectors before start of partition(Not applicable for floppy). char no_Sector_FS32[4];//32 - 35 Number of sectors in file system(32-bit value, not applicable for floppy). char BIOS_13h_Drive_No;//36 BIOS INT13h drive number. char reserved;//37 Not Used. char ext_Boot_Part_Signature;//38 Extended boot signature. char vol_Serial_Number[4];//39 - 42 Volume Serial Number. char vol_Lebel_Name[11];//43 - 53 Volume label in ASCII. char FS_Type[8];//54 - 61 File System Type. char boot_Code[448];//62 - 509 Boot Code, otherwise contains information to replace disk. char signature[2];//510 - 511 Signature for File System. } fds; FILE *fptr;*/ int main(void) { int j,i,k,start,sector; char buf[512],ch; clrscr(); gotoxy(27,5); printf("In the name of God\n"); gotoxy(22,7); printf("A S.Hossein hasan pour Project\n\n"); printf (" This program will show you the information stored on sector 0 of your hard Drive.\n if you are ready press any key to continue "); for (k=0;k<=4;k++){ //delay(50); printf("."); } getch(); sector =0; if (absread (0, 1, sector, &buf)!=0) { printf ("Error"); exit(1); } printf("Read Successful!\n"); // fptr=fopen("D:\temp.fds","w"); for (i=0;i<=12;i++) { for(j=0;j<=2;j++) printf("Assembly Jump COde is: %02x\n",&buf[j]); for(j=3;j<=10;j++) printf("OEM IS: %s\n",&buf[j]); for(j=11;j<=12;j++){ printf("Bytes per sector: %0\n",&buf[j]);} for(j=13;j<14;j++){ printf("sector per cluster is: %d\n",&buf[j]);} } // PrintFlopyInformation(Bpb_bpb); getch(); return 0; }

Code:

printf("Assembly Jump COde is: %02x\n",&buf[j]);

That prints the ADDRESS of buf[j] which is probably not really what you want [and yes, your stack is probably around 0xFFFE or so, so your printout value is corresponding to this].

--
Mats

yep , maybe , but i change that two, but still no luck
hey guys since i switched to Pelles C Compiler and Dev C++ Compiler ... ive changed the whole codes so that it can run under these compilers ,,, so far so good ... but ive faced a terrible problem and that is ..I can NOt Find any Equivalent function to "absread() function" i need to get the infos ,,, so how can i do that without using "absread() function ? again i tried to use creat() function .. but still no luck ...
i have really gone crazy ... i am so confused !!! ...
each time i get close to what i want ..sth bizarre happens ...

Ok, whilst changing to another compiler is probably a generally good idea, for this particular project, where a lot of the code is "hardware dependent", I would suggest that you get the code WORKING first. [1]

Changing more than one thing at a time is always a poor way to try to solve a problem. Changing the code AND compiler "at the same time" (or as a consequence of one another) is bound to introduce new problems unless you KNOW that the code is actually working. If you have working code, then fine, change the compiler - at least you know what's wrong if it doesn't work right. But if you have code that doesn't work [and you don't understand WHY it's not working] then you're just going to make things more complex by changing the compiler.

[1] I have posted earlier how to do this in Windows API - since both Dev C++ and Pelles C are based on 32-bit compilers, you will not be able to produce an old-fashioned DOS executable, and your call to "absread" is almost certainly translating into a DOS system call. So to use just about anything other than Turbo C, you won't be able to use the "absread" function.

--
Mats

Using the win32 API, which Pelles and Dev-C++ should be able to compile.

Code:

#include <windows.h> #include <stdio.h> #include <assert.h> struct Flopy_Drive_Sectors { char jumpCode[3]; //00 - 02 Assembly Instruction for jump code. char oemName[8]; //03 - 10 OEM Name. char bytes_Sector[2]; //11 - 12 Bytes per sector. char sec_Cluster; //13 Sector per cluster. char size_Sector_Reserved[2]; //14 - 15 Number of reserved sector(Boot Sector) char fatCount; //16 Number of File Allocation Table char Max_Root_Entry[2]; //17 - 18 Maximum entries possible under root directory. char Total_Sector_FS[2]; //19 - 20 Total number of sectors in file system. char Media_Type; //21 Media Type(According to Microsoft 0xf8 for fixed disk and 0xf0 for removable disk. char sectors_per_fat[2]; //22 - 23 Sectors allocated for each File allocation table. char sectors_per_track[2]; //24 - 25 Sectors per track. char total_Head_Count[2]; //26 - 27 Number of head in storage device. char no_Sectors_Before_Part[4]; //28 - 31 Number of sectors before start of partition(Not applicable for floppy). char no_Sector_FS32[4]; //32 - 35 Number of sectors in file system(32-bit value, not applicable for floppy). char BIOS_13h_Drive_No; //36 BIOS INT13h drive number. char reserved; //37 Not Used. char ext_Boot_Part_Signature; //38 Extended boot signature. char vol_Serial_Number[4]; //39 - 42 Volume Serial Number. char vol_Lebel_Name[11]; //43 - 53 Volume label in ASCII. char FS_Type[8]; //54 - 61 File System Type. char boot_Code[448]; //62 - 509 Boot Code, otherwise contains information to replace disk. char signature[2]; //510 - 511 Signature for File System. } fds; int f2 ( void ) { assert( sizeof fds == 512 ); CHAR szVolumeHandleName[] = { "\\\\.\\A:"}; HANDLE volumeHandle = CreateFile( szVolumeHandleName, GENERIC_READ | GENERIC_WRITE, FILE_SHARE_READ|FILE_SHARE_WRITE, NULL, OPEN_EXISTING, FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL, NULL); if (volumeHandle == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) return -1; DWORD bytesRead; BOOL result = ReadFile( volumeHandle, &fds, sizeof fds, &bytesRead, NULL ); if ( result && bytesRead == sizeof fds ) { printf( "JMP code = %02x %02x %02x\n", (unsigned char)fds.jumpCode[0], (unsigned char)fds.jumpCode[1], (unsigned char)fds.jumpCode[2] ); printf( "OEM = %.8s\n", fds.oemName ); printf( "Signature= %02x %02x\n", (unsigned char)fds.signature[0], (unsigned char)fds.signature[1] ); } CloseHandle(volumeHandle); return 0; } int main ( ) { return f2(); } // My example output. JMP code = eb 3c 90 OEM = MSDOS5.0 Signature= 55 aa

Quote:

Originally Posted by matsp

Ok, whilst changing to another compiler is probably a generally good idea, for this particular project, where a lot of the code is "hardware dependent", I would suggest that you get the code WORKING first. [1]

Changing more than one thing at a time is always a poor way to try to solve a problem. Changing the code AND compiler "at the same time" (or as a consequence of one another) is bound to introduce new problems unless you KNOW that the code is actually working. If you have working code, then fine, change the compiler - at least you know what's wrong if it doesn't work right. But if you have code that doesn't work [and you don't understand WHY it's not working] then you're just going to make things more complex by changing the compiler.

[1] I have posted earlier how to do this in Windows API - since both Dev C++ and Pelles C are based on 32-bit compilers, you will not be able to produce an old-fashioned DOS executable, and your call to "absread" is almost certainly translating into a DOS system call. So to use just about anything other than Turbo C, you won't be able to use the "absread" function.

--
Mats

yep tanx mats ..great lesson ... thanks for your gr8 piece of advice ...
i wont forget This Vital reminder ,never ... many tanx
(to tell teh truth , i didnt know that those 32 bit based compiler doesnt support such a comands and functions . ive always thought that these new and up-to date compilers must support all of the previous commands and functions of the older compilers ...( i assumed it as it was like a office collection that supports its early formats ...)
any way , now that you ve directly mentioned that , and also i myself experienced it , i can say , there wont be any problems of this kind ...
again many tanx

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salem

Using the win32 API, which Pelles and Dev-C++ should be able to compile.

Code:

#include <windows.h> #include <stdio.h> #include <assert.h> struct Flopy_Drive_Sectors { char jumpCode[3]; //00 - 02 Assembly Instruction for jump code. char oemName[8]; //03 - 10 OEM Name. char bytes_Sector[2]; //11 - 12 Bytes per sector. char sec_Cluster; //13 Sector per cluster. char size_Sector_Reserved[2]; //14 - 15 Number of reserved sector(Boot Sector) char fatCount; //16 Number of File Allocation Table char Max_Root_Entry[2]; //17 - 18 Maximum entries possible under root directory. char Total_Sector_FS[2]; //19 - 20 Total number of sectors in file system. char Media_Type; //21 Media Type(According to Microsoft 0xf8 for fixed disk and 0xf0 for removable disk. char sectors_per_fat[2]; //22 - 23 Sectors allocated for each File allocation table. char sectors_per_track[2]; //24 - 25 Sectors per track. char total_Head_Count[2]; //26 - 27 Number of head in storage device. char no_Sectors_Before_Part[4]; //28 - 31 Number of sectors before start of partition(Not applicable for floppy). char no_Sector_FS32[4]; //32 - 35 Number of sectors in file system(32-bit value, not applicable for floppy). char BIOS_13h_Drive_No; //36 BIOS INT13h drive number. char reserved; //37 Not Used. char ext_Boot_Part_Signature; //38 Extended boot signature. char vol_Serial_Number[4]; //39 - 42 Volume Serial Number. char vol_Lebel_Name[11]; //43 - 53 Volume label in ASCII. char FS_Type[8]; //54 - 61 File System Type. char boot_Code[448]; //62 - 509 Boot Code, otherwise contains information to replace disk. char signature[2]; //510 - 511 Signature for File System. } fds; int f2 ( void ) { assert( sizeof fds == 512 ); CHAR szVolumeHandleName[] = { "\\\\.\\A:"}; HANDLE volumeHandle = CreateFile( szVolumeHandleName, GENERIC_READ | GENERIC_WRITE, FILE_SHARE_READ|FILE_SHARE_WRITE, NULL, OPEN_EXISTING, FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL, NULL); if (volumeHandle == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) return -1; DWORD bytesRead; BOOL result = ReadFile( volumeHandle, &fds, sizeof fds, &bytesRead, NULL ); if ( result && bytesRead == sizeof fds ) { printf( "JMP code = %02x %02x %02x\n", (unsigned char)fds.jumpCode[0], (unsigned char)fds.jumpCode[1], (unsigned char)fds.jumpCode[2] ); printf( "OEM = %.8s\n", fds.oemName ); printf( "Signature= %02x %02x\n", (unsigned char)fds.signature[0], (unsigned char)fds.signature[1] ); } CloseHandle(volumeHandle); return 0; } int main ( ) { return f2(); } // My example output. JMP code = eb 3c 90 OEM = MSDOS5.0 Signature= 55 aa

by the way when i want to compile it in pelles C it says :
f you are compiling a Windows program: make sure you use the /Ze option!
what is that ? !!
many tanx , you have solved my problems ... i really dont know how to thank you all ... you taught me a great lesson ..believe me ...i really appreciate your kindness and time you ve spent to help me ...
God bless you all

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masterx

yep tanx mats ..great lesson ... thanks for your gr8 piece of advice ...
i wont forget This Vital reminder ,never ... many tanx
(to tell teh truth , i didnt know that those 32 bit based compiler doesnt support such a comands and functions . ive always thought that these new and up-to date compilers must support all of the previous commands and functions of the older compilers ...( i assumed it as it was like a office collection that supports its early formats ...)
any way , now that you ve directly mentioned that , and also i myself experienced it , i can say , there wont be any problems of this kind ...
again many tanx

Just a slight point here: DOS runs in 16-bit mode. 32-bit compilers generate 32-bit code. It is not possible to [trivially] call 16-bit code from 32-bit code. When you are running a DOS program under Windows, it runs in an emulated 16-bit environment, where if a call to DOS itself (or the BIOS) is made, it is "intercepted" and translated into a corresponding Win32 system call [for most things]. So, to make DOS system calls, you need to run a 16-bit application. A 32-bit application can perform the same task (as Salem proved), but it needs to use the 32-bit API, not the 16-bit API.

--
Mats

tanx mats .. many tanx ... again i have a question .. i think there is sth wrong with me pelles c compiler " it just gave me 100 errors ... :

Quote:

F:\Program Files\PellesC\Include\Win\basetsd.h(13): error #2001: Syntax error: found 'INT64' - expecting ';'.
F:\Program Files\PellesC\Include\Win\basetsd.h(13): warning #2099: Missing type specifier.
<< snip infeasibly large list>>
F:\Program Files\PellesC\Include\Win\dde.h(32): error #2186: 'unsigned short int' is an illegal bit-field type.
F:\Program Files\PellesC\Include\Win\dde.h(32): error #2186: 'unsigned short int' is an illegal bit-field type.
F:\Program Files\PellesC\Include\Win\dde.h(32): error #2186: 'unsigned short int' is an illegal bit-field type.

why is it happening to me ? whats wrong with my compiler ? is there any specific configuration for these compiler ? !! i also have the same problems with Dev C++ while compiling .. ?!!!

again many many tanx

I've never used that compiler. Is this from the code that Salem posted, or something else?

--
Mats

I've just tried it with Dev-C++, created a new console project and it worked right out of the box.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salem

I've just tried it with Dev-C++, created a new console project and it worked right out of the box.

yeah ..i ve just created a new console project and ..some how it worked!!! ...it compiled without even a warning !!! but how is it possible ? why ? !!!i really wana know why ? !!! is there any problem with pelles? or no thtas just my fault ( i did use the exact code that dear salem gave me )
( hey by the way why is it just splashing? i mean i can see a cmd screen and in an twinkling an eye it just closes ... i tried using getch() (int_cdecl getch(void);
before return 0 ... but it said it is wrong !!! .. why?!!!( i even tried int _getch(void); again no luck ...)

Try using "getchar()" instead. It's standard, works with just about every compiler in the world.

--
Mats

tanx ..now its working like a charm :d ..thanks alot ... many many tanx ...

hi guys ... its me again .. you know i finally did it .. i did it under dos ... using that damn TC ...
you know after solving the problem under 32 bit systems .. i decided to have such a challenge with dos based compilers such as TC ... and i did it (i think so ..)

before i gave you the code ,,, i have an request to you .. would you do me a favor and test it and tell me if it works well?!!!

A quintillion of thanks:d
The code is as :

Code:

//in the name of god #include <stdio.h> #include <process.h> #include <string.h> #include <conio.h> #include <dos.h> int main(void) { int j,i,k,start,sector; char buf[512],ch; clrscr(); gotoxy(27,5); printf("In the name of God\n"); gotoxy(22,7); printf("A S.Hossein hasan pour Project\n\n"); printf (" This program will show you the information stored on sector 0 of your hard Drive.\n if you are ready press any key to continue "); for (k=0;k<=4;k++){ //delay(50); printf("."); } getch(); sector =0; if (absread (0, 1, sector, buf)!=0) { printf ("Error"); exit(1); } printf("Read Successful!\n"); // fptr=fopen("D:\temp.fds","w"); // for (i=0;i<=1;i++) // { printf("\n\n Begining Of the readind Infos from floppy disk\n\n\n"); printf("\a Phase One is now being started\n\n\n"); for(j=0;j<=2;j++) printf("Assembly Jump COde is: %#02x \n\n",buf[j]); printf("OEM IS: %7s\n\n",&buf[j]); for(j=11;j<12;j++); printf("Bytes per sector: %d\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=13;j<14;j++); printf("sector per cluster is : %d\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=14;j<15;j++) printf("number of reserved sectors : %d\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=16;j<17;j++) printf("fat count : %d\n\n",buf[j]); printf("\a\aPhase 2:get ready for the next infos, when readly press enter\n\n\n\n\n"); getch(); delay(1000); for(j=17;j<18;j++) printf("Max root entry is: %d\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=19;j<=20;j++) printf("Total number of sectors in file system is: %d\n\n\n ", buf[j]); for(j=21;j<22;j++) printf("Media Typeis:%#x\n\n",buf[j]); printf("According to Microsoft 0xf8 for fixed disk and 0xf0 for removable disk\n\n\n"); for(j=22;j<23;j++) printf("Sectors allocated for each File allocation table is: %d\n\n ",buf[j]); for(j=24;j<25;j++) printf("Sectors per track is: %d\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=26;j<27;j++) printf("Number of head in storage device is: %d\n\n",buf[j]); printf("Phase 3: this is going to be the third part, get ready and press Enter\a\a\a\n\n\n"); getch(); delay(1000); // for(j=28;j<=31;j++) //printf("Number of sectors before start of partition(Not applicable for floppy)%d\n ",buf[j]); // for(j=32;j<=35;j++) // printf(" Number of sectors in file system(32-bit value, not applicable for floppy).%d\n",buf[j]); for(j=36;j<37;j++) printf("BIOS INT13h drive numberis: %d\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=38;j<39;j++) printf("Extended boot signature is: %#x\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=39;j<=42;j++) printf("Volume Serial Numberis %d\n",buf[j]); for(j=43;j<=53;j++) printf("Volume label in ASCII %11s\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=54;j<=61;j++); printf("File System Type %c\n\n",buf[j]); printf("\a\a\a\aPhase 4:Now get ready for the boot sector infos \n\n\n"); getch(); printf(" Boot Code, otherwise contains information to replace disk( in Assembly codes)\n\n"); for(j=65;j<=509;j++) printf("%#x",buf[j]); for(j=510;j<511;j++) printf("\n\nSignature for File System is: %#x\n\n\n",buf[j]); printf(" Programed By S. H Hasan Pour\n"); printf(" Date: November 12th 2007 equals to 20 Aban 1386"); getch(); return 0; }

What part do you want to "know if it works"? I don't have a TC compiler, nor am I going to install one, so I can't really test your code out. Not that my machine has a floppy drive anyways.

--
Mats

Well I count 3 mistakes just from looking at it.

I've got a floppy drive, but no inclination to use TurboC.

Also printing "\a" is one of those things which seems really neat on the first day you write a program, and it gets really old really fast thereafter.

so what are those mistakes? salem?

for(j=11;j<12;j++);
A trailing ;, and you do this in 3 places.

ive changed some parts and now , it works great..tanx to you guys for your kind answers and patience ..
here it is

Code:

//In the name of GOD //VERSION 1.0.1 /* These Codes were written in order to extract floppy geometry information ,i tested this snippets of code under Dos 16 bit based Compilers such as Tc and it run great ! A Piece of COde that extracts floppy disk geometry information, its been writen in pure C and has been tested and ran seccessfully under TC 3 ... Cod3r :Seyyed HOssein hasn pour in NOvember 12th 2007 Floppy DIsk information grabber ... fixed some bugs :lol runs perfecly under Dos 16 bit based compilers... like TC (ancient fossil compiler :lol) */ #include <stdio.h> #include <process.h> #include <string.h> #include <conio.h> #include <dos.h> int main(void) { int j,i,k,start,sector; char buf[512],ch; clrscr(); gotoxy(27,5); printf("In the name of God\n"); gotoxy(22,7); printf("A S.Hossein hasan pour Project\n\n"); printf ("This program will show you the information stored on sector 0 of the Floppy Disk\n\n (FAT TABLE INFORMATION).\n\n\n if you are ready press any key to continue "); for (k=0;k<=3;k++){ //delay(50); printf("."); } getch(); sector =0; if (absread (0, 1, sector, buf)!=0) { printf ("Error"); exit(1); } printf("Read Seccessfully !\n"); // fptr=fopen("D:\temp.fds","w"); // for (i=0;i<=1;i++) // { printf("\n\n Begining Of the readind Infos from floppy disk\n\n\n"); printf(" Phase One is now being started\n\n\n"); for(j=0;j<=2;j++) printf("Assembly Jump COde for byte\" %d\" is: %#x \n\n",j,buf[j]); printf("OEM IS: %7s\n\n",&buf[j]); for(j=11;j<12;j++); printf("Bytes per sector: %d\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=13;j<14;j++); printf("sector per cluster is : %d\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=14;j<15;j++) printf("number of reserved sectors : %d\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=16;j<17;j++) printf("fat count : %d\n\n\n",buf[j]); printf(" Phase 2:get ready for the next infos, when readly press enter\n\n\n\n\n"); getch(); delay(500); for(j=17;j<18;j++) printf("Max root entry is: %#X\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=19;j<=20;j++) printf("Total number of sectors in file system is: %d\n\n\n ", buf[j]); for(j=21;j<22;j++) printf("Media Typeis:%#x\n\n",buf[j]); printf("According to Microsoft 0xf8 for fixed disk and 0xf0 for removable disk\n\n\n"); for(j=22;j<23;j++) printf("Sectors allocated for each File allocation table is: %d\n\n ",buf[j]); for(j=24;j<25;j++) printf("Sectors per track is: %d\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=26;j<27;j++) printf("Number of head in storage device is: %d\n\n\n",buf[j]); printf(" Phase 3: this is going to be the third part, get ready and press Enter\n\n\n\n"); getch(); delay(500); // for(j=28;j<=31;j++) //printf("Number of sectors before start of partition(Not applicable for floppy)%d\n ",buf[j]); // for(j=32;j<=35;j++) // printf(" Number of sectors in file system(32-bit value, not applicable for floppy).%d\n",buf[j]); for(j=36;j<37;j++) printf("BIOS INT13h drive numberis: %d\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=38;j<39;j++) printf("Extended boot signature is: %#x\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=39;j<=42;j++) printf("Volume Serial Numbers %d\n",buf[j]); for(j=43;j<=43;j++) printf("Volume label in ASCII %8s\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=54;j<=61;j++); printf("File System Type %c\n\n",buf[j]); printf("Phase 4:Now get ready for the boot sector infos \n\n\n"); getch(); printf(" Boot Code, otherwise contains information to replace disk( in Assembly codes)\n\n"); for(j=65;j<=509;j++) //note that you can also use "%#x"instead of"%c" to see the whole codes in hex,and also in that case meaningful, //This contains both boot sector stuffs and the message altogether ,but as i mentioned before they will be printed as Hex codes printf("%c",buf[j]); for(j=510;j<511;j++) printf("\n\nSignature for File System is: %#x\n\n\n",buf[j]); printf(" Programed By Seyyed Hossein Hasan Pour\n"); printf(" November 10th 2007 "); printf("\n Thats All "); getch(); return 0; }

and salem about what you mentioned above,, i gotta say that in TC there is no error ..even a warning thats why i just left it blank ...

A semicolon after a for-loop doesn't give an error - it may well be what you actually want in some cases, as it means "don't do anything in the loop". For example, we can write code like this:

Code:

for(i = 0; i < 10; i++) sum += i;

or:

Code:

for(i = 0; i< 10; sum += i, i++) ;

Both do the same thing, one does things IN the loop, the other doesn't.

But I'm sure in your case, you actually want to print two values from 13 to 14, etc.

--
Mats

Compare
for ( i = 0 ; i < 10 ; i++ ) printf("%d\n", i );

With
for ( i = 0 ; i < 10 ; i++ ); printf("%d\n", i );

One character difference in the source code, very different results.
Both are perfectly valid C, yet one of them doesn't do what you want.

so now i see ...
tanx for the tip . .. let me go over the prog again ...

hey guys im sorry om back on this topic again .. but i got a slihgt problem and solved that in a weird way
i know this is not a correct way of solving problems specially in programing ..but i had no other choices .. i noticed that all of the information concerning the floppy disk geometry grabbed by my program is true but 3 of them ...and they are:
by the way i made it some how .. but there is a slight problem here ..
i have difficulties on three point :
1. Bytes per sector(instead of getting 512 , i get 1!)
2.Number of files for root directory(instead of getting 224 , i get 64)
3.Total number of sectors in file system is (instead of geting 2880 i get sth else ..1 or 11 i think ... )

i tried using Sizeof() but id ddint help ... i even used "&" before the Buf[j], but i get a negative number !!!, i really dont know why ..
and after all , i made me add those variables to correct the information ..
is there any body who knows why this is happenig ? or why this gave me a negative numbers ..
here is what i wrote :

Code:

//In the name of GOD //VERSION 1.0.2 /* These Codes were written in order to extract floppy geometry information ,i tested this snippets of code under Dos 16 bit based Compilers such as Tc and it run great ! A Piece of COde that extracts floppy disk geometry information, its been writen in pure C and has been tested and ran seccessfully under TC 3 ... Cod3r :Seyyed HOssein hasn pour in NOvember 12th 2007 www.PersianOs.org Floppy DIsk information grabber ... fixed some bugs :lol runs perfecly under Dos 16 bit based compilers... like TC (ancient fossil compiler :lol) */ #include <stdio.h> #include <process.h> #include <string.h> #include <conio.h> #include <dos.h> int main(void) { int j,i,k,start,sector; char buf[512],ch; int C_S=1030; //Correct Sector int S_R=735;//Correct File Numbers for Root Directory int S_F=3389;//Correct Sector numbers In File System clrscr(); gotoxy(27,5); printf("In the name of God\n"); gotoxy(22,7); printf("A S.Hossein hasan pour Project\n\n"); printf ("This program will show you the information stored on sector 0 of the Floppy Disk\n\n (FAT TABLE INFORMATION).\n\n\n if you are ready press any key to continue "); for (k=0;k<=3;k++){ //delay(50); printf("."); } getch(); sector =0; if (absread (0, 1, sector, buf)!=0) { printf ("Error"); exit(1); } printf("Read Seccessfully !\n"); // fptr=fopen("D:\temp.fds","w"); // for (i=0;i<=1;i++) // { printf("\n\n Begining Of the readind Infos from floppy disk\n\n\n"); printf(" Phase One is now being started\n\n\n"); for(j=0;j<=2;j++) printf("Assembly Jump COde for byte\" %d\" is: %#x \n\n",j,buf[j]); printf("OEM IS: %s\n\n",&buf[j]); //by formating the floppy disk you will get diffrent OEM names.to test this , just quick-format the floppy disk and run the program(make sure the flopy disk remains empty) for(j=11;j<12;j++); printf("Bytes per sector: %d *\n\n",&buf[j+C_S]); for(j=13;j<14;j++); printf("sector per cluster is : %d\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=14;j<15;j++) printf("number of reserved sectors : %d\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=16;j<17;j++) printf("Number of Fats(File Allocation Table) : %d\n\n\n",buf[j]); printf(" Phase 2:get ready for the next infos, when readly press enter\n\n\n\n\n"); getch(); delay(500); for(j=17;j<=18;j++); printf("Number of files for root directory: %d *\n\n",&buf[j+S_R]); for(j=19;j<=20;j++); printf("Total number of sectors in file system is: %d *\n\n\n ",&buf[j+S_F]); for(j=21;j<22;j++) printf("Media Typeis:%#x\n\n",buf[j]); printf("According to Microsoft 0xf8 for fixed disk and 0xf0 for removable disk\n\n\n"); for(j=22;j<23;j++) printf("Sectors allocated for each File allocation table is: %d\n\n ",buf[j]); for(j=24;j<25;j++) printf("Sectors per track is: %d\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=26;j<27;j++) printf("Number of head in storage device is: %d\n\n\n",buf[j]); printf(" Phase 3: this is going to be the third part, get ready and press Enter\n\n\n\n"); getch(); delay(500); // for(j=28;j<=31;j++) //printf("Number of sectors before start of partition(Not applicable for floppy)%d\n ",buf[j]); // for(j=32;j<=35;j++) // printf(" Number of sectors in file system(32-bit value, not applicable for floppy).%d\n",buf[j]); for(j=36;j<37;j++) printf("BIOS INT13h drive numberis: 0x%x\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=38;j<39;j++); printf("Extended boot signature is: %#x\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=39;j<=42;j++); printf("Volume Serial Numbers %d\n",buf[j]); for(j=43;j<=43;j++) printf("Volume label in ASCII %8s\n\n",buf[j]); for(j=54;j<=61;j++); printf("File System Type %c\n\n",buf[j]); printf("Phase 4:Now get ready for the boot sector infos \n\n\n"); getch(); printf(" Boot Code, otherwise contains information to replace disk( in Assembly codes)\n\n"); for(j=65;j<=509;j++) //note that you can also use "%#x"instead of"%c" to see the whole codes in hex,and also in that case meaningful, //This contains both boot sector stuffs and the message altogether ,but as i mentioned before they will be printed as Hex codes printf("%c",buf[j]); for(j=510;j<511;j++); printf("\n\nSignature for File System is: %#x\n\n\n",buf[j]); printf(" Programed By Seyyed Hossein Hasan Pour\n"); printf(" November 10th 2007 "); printf("\n wWw.Persianos.org "); getch(); return 0; }

Dunno, your code contains the same mistakes I pointed out a week ago.

I really can't be bothered to play this game any more, you're not going to listen anyway, so there's really no point is there?

So I guess you'll just have to ask some other god for help instead.

well , you told me sth about loops and for .. but if i do so , i wont get the correct answer , thats why i just left them blank .. ( i mean i didnt use ";" after my loops )
if use them the result would be completely different . i tried what you ve told me ..but i got erros .. ( well as default procedure ... i use ";" for every loop .. i know what you meant by that .. thanks for that .. but if you can remember , i mentioned that there would be errors concerning this matter

So , to cut a long story short , i DID not mean to offend you or to cop with your ideas .... I realy appreciate your kindness and generosity of sharing your time and knowledge to help me out ..
i really admit that .i ow you guys very much ... i fi did sth , contrary to your opinion , i didnt mean anything , please forgive me for any mis understanding :(

well at last , i think i made it a bit clearer ...
by the way , you know the reason i sticked to this dos based compiler is that ... to me as mat told me to .. to finish the job i ve started .. and if there is any means ( even primitive and ancient ) that can be used to get what i want out of a floppy disk .. i must do it ... this is considered a challenge to me . and i need your experience and knowledge to overcome this challenge ...
thank you again .. and im so sorry if i did sth wrong that made such a mis understanding ...

Surely a 512 bytes sector doesn't contain the right information at an offset described by:

Code:

int C_S=1030; //Correct Sector

This is roughly two times the size of the data you read... This is CLEARLY not the right way to solve your problem.

--
Mats

Quote:

Originally Posted by matsp

Surely a 512 bytes sector doesn't contain the right information at an offset described by:

Code:

int C_S=1030; //Correct Sector

This is roughly two times the size of the data you read... This is CLEARLY not the right way to solve your problem.

--
Mats

well , thats why im here bro ..
i need to know first of all why this is happening ...everything seemed to be ok but ..
now what do you say ? ?!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masterx

well , thats why im here bro ..
i need to know first of all why this is happening ...everything seemed to be ok but ..
now what do you say ? ?!!

What I'm saying is that you don't understand what we're saying, and you are just GUESSING on the solution by doing strange things. Adding 1030 to an index into a buffer of 512 is obviously not the right solution. Listen to what Salem and I have been saying - you are printing rubbish in some places, because you are NOT printing inside the loop. If you have a loop that goes for(i = 0; i < 6; i++), when the loop is finished, i will be 6, which is probably not what you wanted to print to show index 0..5, right?

--
Mats

Yep .. got it ... let me do sth and i l inform ya ..
tanx

Mission accomplished !!:Lol
After all i decided to use a structure to hold data ( i was tired of using loops to give a variable different numbers in order to get what i want(ex.going exactly to the Byte "12" of the floppy disk and then try to read it .. as you guys kindly mentioned it before that This is not correct , ( i know , but i couldnt get what oyu were telling me ) after all the codes are complete;t different ... here it is , tell me if any thing is wrong .. if all are alright .. if there is a better way of expressing it i would be very thankful if you tell me

Code:

//In the name of GOD /* Using Structure to hold data version 0.1 A Piece of COde that extracts floppy disk geometry information, its been writen in pure C and has been tested and ran seccessfully under TC 3 ... Cod3r :Seyyed HOssein hasn pour in NOvember 12th 2007 www.PersianOs.org*/ //||||||||||||||||||Define Session|||||||||||||||||||||| typedef unsigned char BYTE; typedef short int WORD; typedef int DWORD; //|||||||||||||||||||Main Session||||||||||||||||||||||| void profile_1(void); #include <stdio.h> #include <process.h> #include <string.h> #include <conio.h> #include <dos.h> int main(void) { //|||||||||||||||||||Structure To hold data||||||||||||| struct Floppy_DISK_INFORMATION { BYTE jumpCode[3]; BYTE oemName[8]; WORD bytes_Sector; BYTE sec_Cluster; WORD size_Sector_Reserved; BYTE fatCount; WORD Max_Root_Entry; WORD Total_Sector_FS; BYTE Media_Type; WORD sectors_per_fat; WORD sectors_per_track; WORD total_Head_Count; DWORD no_Sectors_Before_Part; DWORD no_Sector_FS32; BYTE BIOS_13h_Drive_No; BYTE reserved; BYTE ext_Boot_Part_Signature; DWORD vol_Serial_Number; BYTE vol_Lebel_Name[11]; BYTE FS_Type[8]; BYTE boot_Code[448]; WORD signature; } fdi; //|||||||||||||||||||Declaring variables||||||||||||||||| int j,i,start,sector; char buf[512]; profile_1(); sector =0; //|||||||||||||||||Reading From Floppy Disk ||||||||||||| if (absread (0, 1, sector,&fdi)!=0) { printf ("An Error Has Occurred!"); exit(1); } printf("Read Seccessfully !\n"); // fptr=fopen("D:\temp.fds","w"); // for (i=0;i<=1;i++) // { // Print floppy information on Console. printf("Floppy Disk Information: \n"); printf("===========================\n"); printf("Assembly Instruction to jump to Boot code: 0x%x\n", fdi.jumpCode); printf("OEM Name: %s\n",&fdi.oemName); printf("Bytes per sector: %d\n",fdi.bytes_Sector); printf("Sector per cluster: %d\n", fdi.sec_Cluster); printf("Size in sector for reserved area(Boot Sector): %d\n", fdi.size_Sector_Reserved); printf("Number of FATs(File Allocation Table): %d\n", fdi.fatCount); printf("Number of files for root directory: %d\n", fdi.Max_Root_Entry); printf("Number of Sectors in File System: %d\n", fdi.Total_Sector_FS); printf("Media Type\n(According to Microsoft,0xF8 == fixed disk and 0xF0 == Removable disk):0x%x\n", fdi.Media_Type); printf("Number of Sectors for each FAT: %d\n", fdi.sectors_per_fat); printf("Sectors per track: %d\n", fdi.sectors_per_track); printf("Number of head in storage device: %d\n", fdi.total_Head_Count); printf("BIOS INT13h Drive number: 0x%x\n", fdi.BIOS_13h_Drive_No); printf("Volume Serial Number: %d\n", fdi.vol_Serial_Number); printf("Volume label Name: %s\n", fdi.vol_Lebel_Name); printf("Boot Sector Signature: 0x%x\n", fdi.signature); printf(" Programed By Seyyed Hossein Hasan Pour\n"); printf(" November 10th 2007 "); printf("\n wWw.Persianos.org "); getch(); return 0; } void profile_1(void) { int k; clrscr(); gotoxy(27,5); printf("In the name of God\n"); gotoxy(22,7); printf("A S.Hossein hasan pour Project\n\n"); printf ("This program will show you the information stored on sector 0 of the Floppy Disk\n\n (FAT TABLE INFORMATION).\n\n\n if you are ready press any key to continue "); for (k=0;k<=3;k++){ //delay(50); printf("."); } getch(); }

by the way how can i edit my posts? !!! i just wanted to edit some post , but i noticed i cant

Code:

// fptr=fopen("D:\temp.fds","w");

I know it's a comment and all, but consider changing that \ to \\. :)

Quote:

by the way how can i edit my posts? !!! i just wanted to edit some post , but i noticed i cant

You can't after a certain period of time, a few days I believe.

Your indentation could use improvement.

Since DOS labels can be up to 11 characters long, your 11-character array might not always be NULL-terminated. So don't go printing it as if it were.

BTW, it's spelled "label" . . . :D

tanx ..

about that "D:\*.fdi) yes , i you are write ..but i comment it cause i dont need it any more , and by actualy i forgot to delete it )
I used that "Lebel " instead of "Label" cause i thought its some how a better idea not to use the same word . it may get errors you know
thats why i wrote such word( cause we have "Lable " in C .. that is why .. and now i think i was wrong any way.. it wont give me any errors though !)"
printf("Volume label Name: %s\n", fdi.vol_Lebel_Name);

tanx

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masterx

tanx ..
i used that "Lebel " instead of "Label" cause i thought its some how a better idea not to use the same word . it may get errors you know
thats why i wrote "
printf("Volume label Name: %s\n", fdi.vol_Lebel_Name);

tanx

Incorrectly spelling words in code is never a good idea. Abbreviations is sort of OK, but misspelings are always bad - someone else will use the correct spelling and then wonder why it's not working right. In this case it would probably be OK, but may not be in other cases [typical case is overriding classes in C++].

--
Mats

Sorry for being such an ignorant but what's the floppy disk?
I can see it here on Computer in Linux but what is it exactly?

What are the WORD & BYTE and all the other type definitions you mentioned at the begging? I've never seen them before on a code.

What does absread do?

Thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eXeCuTeR

Sorry for being such an ignorant but what's the floppy disk?
I can see it here on Computer in Linux but what is it exactly?

What are the WORD & BYTE and all the other type definitions you mentioned at the begging? I've never seen them before on a code.

What does absread do?

Thanks.

Why don't you look at some decent code instead of stuff that would work better on a 10 year old machine than todays machines? This piece of code is DEFINITELY NOT a good example of how to write code.

A floppy disk is a removable storage media with a capacity of about 2.8MB per disk, or less, depending on model. Try searching on the web if you want more info.

--
Mats

Quote:

A floppy disk is a removable storage media with a capacity of about 2.8MB per disk, or less, depending on model. Try searching on the web if you want more info.

I must say, nearly every floppy disk I've ever come across was 1.44MB. It's true that Microsoft floppy disks are sometimes slightly larger, but that's a MS extension and not very common.

That's for high density disks, which are the norm these days. The old ones (double-density) were 720KB. You can tell them apart by the little hole that 1.44s have punched in the corner. Really, really old disks are 400KB or less (DOS 3.21 disks or ancient Mac ones).

There's a little tab on one corner of all 3.5" disks. It's really neat. You slide a cover across it, and the disk is writable. You slide the cover back to expose the hole, and the disk is read-only! Very useful for transferring data to rather suspect systems. I seem to remember that it's next to impossible to circumvent this with software, so even the nastiest worm can't touch your disk. (You can always format it afterwards if you're paranoid like me.)

On the opposite corner is the hole I mentioned. If there's a hole, it's a high density disk (1.44MB). If there isn't, it's a double density one (720KB). The smaller sizes you can't really tell apart until you read them.

Oh, and don't try to format a double-density disk as a high density one . . . their drums or whatever are not of the same quality, usually, and it doesn't last long. The other way around is fine AFAIK.

All of that is for 3.5" (inch) floppy disks. Really, really, really old disks were 5.25" across, the same size as a CD or DVD. They held 320KB or 1.2MB in their different incarnations, I believe. They really were floppy -- you could bend them easily. They were like semi-thick sheets of paper. Really, really, really, really old floppy disks were 8" across.

I read somewhere that an absurdly high percentage of the world's information is still stored only on 5.25" floppy disks -- like 65% or something. Take this with a truck-sized grain of salt, however, as someone else once said. (brewbuck?)

Taking apart floppy drives is really fun . . . I have so many of them around that nearly every single 3.5" slot on the desktops around (the ones that work) have floppy drives in them . . . some of them I installed upside-down, but hey . . . .

And all floppy disks are really, really ssslllooowww . . . .

</floppy-digest>

Or, read all about it at Wikipedia! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floppy_disk