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RE: df and floppy seeks [was: [ANNOUNCEMENT] Updated: findutils-20041227-1]


----Original Message----
>From: cygwin-owner On Behalf Of Corinna Vinschen 
>Sent: 28 February 2005 14:07

> The problem is that the mount table returns these automatic /cygdrive
> mounts.  If there's a drive a available, a /cygdrive/a mount is returned.
> df checks all drives with statfs (or whatever), which results in
> accessing all drives mentioned in the moun table.  Accessing a floppy
> drive always results in the "is a floppy in the drive" check in Windows.

  It is indeed an unfortunate fact of life that floppy drives only update
the status of the 'disk present' signal when the head is stepped in or out a
track.  Old amiga heads will remember the gentle ticking noise that they
used to emit every few seconds as they polled the drive to see if there was
a disk there or not.

  M$ engineers being illiterate morons however, they misread the specs where
it says "step the heads one step to test the disk present signal", and
thought it meant "step the heads all the way to the end of their range and
bash them repeatedly against the endstop for several seconds".

  Or maybe they just thought they had to run it all the way to the end in
case you'd only put a very _small_ floppy in?

    cheers,
      DaveK
-- 
Can't think of a witty .sigline today....


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