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The saga continues. To recap, In Odessey 285, I related how I couldn't get my Pismo PowerBook's VST SuperDisk expansion bay drive to mount a floppy in OS X. I got a dialog informing me that the disk couldn't be read. A trip to the SmartDisk/VST Website informed me that the VST SuperDisk drive was not supported in OS X Jaguar, which implied that I was out of luck. To make sure that the drive itself was working properly, I booted into OS 9.1, and determined that the SuperDisk drive would not work there either until I installed the VST driver software. Once that was done, the drive mounted floppies happily -- both Mac OS and DOS formatted. The necessity of a proprietary driver even in OS 9 seemed to indicate that the non-support in OS X was due to the fact that no OS X driver is available for this device. A reader wrote that the VST SuperDisk module wouldn't work in OS X on his Lombard either. However, reader Walther Jensen took the trouble to write two letters noting that the VST SuperDisk module for his WallStreet PowerBook, the first of which I posted in Odessey 286. Here's the second:
Just a little follow up on the floppy support subject. I have noticed that the WallStreet has different performance depending on which port the SuperDisk is connected to. It can be connected to either the port in the Battery bay or in the port in the CD-ROM bay.
1. If I use the CD-ROM bay everything works fine even without a restart. I can make a hot swap with the CD-ROM drive and the SuperDisk is working immediately.
2. If I try the same in the Battery bay the drive will only work after a restart, so the IDE-port in the CD-ROM Bay is better supported.
3. Before I switched to OS X I saw the same preference, when I tried to install early versions of OS X to a VST Hard disk mounted in one of the bays. I could only install on the removable disk if it was mounted in the CD-ROM bay.
I don't know if you can use any of this to solve the problem on your Pismo, but I don't think it is a missing driver, because the SuperDisk is working with the WallStreet without any extra driver installation. On both PowerBooks the SuperDisk has an IDE-interface, so the drive should work directly in OS X on the Pismo.
Walther Jensen Thanks for your perseverence, Walther. The Pismo only supports expansion bay devices in the right bay, unlike the WallStreet, which is ambidextrous, so that variable is eliminated. However, I decided, what the hey? I would take another crack at trying to get the VST drive to mount a floppy in OS X, so I inserted a disk, and cowabunga! -- it mounted without any muss or fuss. I popped out that Mac OS formatted disk and inserted a DOS formatted floppy. That mounted too. Now, the only thing that has changed is the shutdown and reboot into X, and the installation of the VST driver software in OS 9.1, however, I can't imagine how that would affect mounting floppies in OS X, as I didn't have Classic running at the time, and OS 9.1 isn't my Classic OS anyway -- OS 9.2.2 is, and it currently has no VST driver installed. I'm even using the same floppy disk. Very strange, Anyway, I'm delighted to have floppy disk support after all in OS X, which will make swapping work-in-progress files with my PowerBook 1400 very convenient. Thanks again to Walther for his encouragement, and to everyone else who wrote on this issue. I have learned quite a bit about floppy support in OS X in the process. Speaking of which, on Tuesday MacReviewZone reader Meta Sienkiewicz posted a short review of a VST USB floppy drive, noting: "I had it working also under 10.1 but now under Jaguar it doesn't do so well. The VST web site (actually SmartDisk now) says that this model (FDUSB) is not supported with Jaguar.... You may be able to get it to work by loading the floppy and then hot plugging the USB cable in your hub or computer... There are other models of the VST floppy drives that do work with Jaguar, check their web site (http://www.smartdisk.com)" For the full review, visit here. However, I can now affirm from experience that non-support from VST doesn't necessarily mean that the drive won't mount floppies in OS X. Floppy support in OS X Re: OS X Floppy Support - Not Floppy support OS X floppy drive Floppy Support From Daniel Knight If I recall correctly, it's not possible to format any drive under 30-32 MB as HFS+, since it would not improve space usage vs. HFS. This definitely applies to floppies. Although Zips and other high capacity removable drives (probably even those old 5.25" 44 MB Syquest carts) can be formatted HFS+, it's simply not an option for floppies.
Dan Knight, president, Cobweb Publishing, Inc.
Hi Dan;
That solves that.
Charles
From Jack Russell Excellent article as usual. You are absolutely correct. Sometimes nothing beats the convenience and flexibility of a floppy, via sneaker net. I found the lack of floppy support one of few things to dislike about OS X. After using various workarounds with my unsupported PTP, and and other Mac's around here. I finally bit the bullet and bought a USB floppy. (I got one of YE Data's units as it was the smallest I could find.) While I originally resisted an external, I must say I am a happy camper now. This thing is small, compact, bus powered, works with everything I have plugged it into from a new MDD with 10.2.4 to an old 9500 with a PCI USB card, peecee's and power books. Considering that only a few years ago I felt spending over $150.00 for a Apple external floppy drive, for my 2300 duo, was perfectly reasonable. Then this device, at less than half the money, and one 6th the size, is a pretty good deal. Now I no longer care whether the box builder put a floppy drive in or not. Being a curmudgeon who hates change and genetically programmed to be a tightwad, I greatly resisted the idea of having to buy "another external device". However, this is a very worthwhile addition. No financial interest, etc., etc., just a satisfied user.
Keep up the great columns.
Hi Jack;
Glad to hear it. As you've read above, my OS X floppy support problem (whatever it was) seems to have been ironed out for the present, but one of those YE Data droives would be nice to extend floppy support to the iBook.
Charles From Andrew Main Charles, I also have a VST Expansion Bay SuperDisk drive (#LSG32), which works fine with my Pismo (512MB RAM) running OS X 10.2.4. I just put half a dozen floppies in it, and all mounted--including one formatted as long ago as 1995. It also mounted a 120MB SuperDisk without problem. I've been having some of the kind of (format not recognized) problems you describe with Zip disks lately, many of which seem to be failing. Not sure what the problem is, maybe a bad drive (I have a USB bus-powered 100MB Zip drive as well as an Expansion Bay 250MB drive), but haven't had time to troubleshoot it. Never liked Zip disks anyway; Iomega always seems to emphasize style over substance. It may be that some VST drives work with OS X and some don't, and SmartDisk is just disclaiming responsibility with their notice. To be sure, the Mac world has been phasing out floppies since 1998, and many never use them anymore. Like yourself, I use them for quick transfers with older Macs. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any really good replacement; Zip disks are needlessly bulky, slow and discouragingly perishable, SuperDisks never caught on (sloooow), CDs are overkill for a single file or two and wasteful. BTW, my experience with MCE's DVD/CDRW Expansion Bay drive didn't turn out so well. It choked the first time I fed it a home-burned CD with a paper label. I'd had the same trouble with a client's PB G4's stock DVD/CD drive recently, which was replaced on warranty (I believe I recall hearing that the early G4's commonly had that problem). I've never quite trusted slot-loading drives anyway, for the same reason I don't care for automatic transmissions: too much can go wrong inside, beyond the user's reach. Fortunately, it turns out MCE has a 30-day return policy; the drive is going back. They tell me they're back to tray-loading drives now (though they won't admit to any problem with the slot-loading model--which was rather poorly designed and built), but I think I'm going to try the Wegener version. Still no word from anyone (MCE, Wegener or Software Architects) on whether any of these drives work with the CDRW software I was telling you about. Not encouraging that the software publisher doesn't seem to be responsive. When I get a good drive and find my CDRW disk, I'll try it with the demo. Andrew Main
Hi Andrew;
As you've read above, the VST SuperDisk drive is now mounting floppies for me in OS X.
I note that the VST Zip module for the Pismo isn;t officially supported by OS X either, and I've found its performance in X spotty, although it works fine in OS 9.
I agree that nothing has really adequately replaced the floppy for quick transfers of small files on non-networked machines.
Sorry to hear about the MCE problems. Let me know how you make out with the Wegener device.
Charles
From Peter Gøthgen Hi Charles, Here's another option, and a relatively cheap one at that: A CompactFlash card and a PC Card adapter. That would work in both the Pismo and the 1400, in 9 as well as X, and with a USB card reader (I'd spend the extra few bucks on a universal) you could also transfer to and from the iBook. Peter Andreas Gøthgen
Hi Peter;
Yes, that would work.
Charles From William Doty Hi Just a suggestion about your floppy drive article. I have used Macs since1992. My first was an LC II , my current a G4 Quicksilver with 10.2. One thing I've always liked about Macs was they could read and write to PC floppy disks. Earlier I had a 6100 and a Zip SCSI drive. This was a great set up. When I handed down my computers to my niece, I could use Zip disks to transfer files. When I ordered the G4 I had Apple install a SCSI card. Then on eBay I got a 250 SCSI Zip drive. I can move files easily with 100mb Zip disks. I use the old Zip drive to move files to other older Macs (my nieces and the macs at school). Zip dives are better than floppy and no less convenient for me to use.For those rare times when I need a floppy disk drive, I have an old LC 580, which will also run the 100mb Zip drive. SO get a Zip drive and forget the floppy!
Bye
Hi Bill;
I have a VST Zip 250 expansion bay module for the Pismo and a SCSI external Zip drive that works with the 1400, as well as my UMAX S-900 and my wife's old LC 520. As you say, Zips make are a pretty good transfer medium for transferring files among a variety of computers old and new, although I would need a USB external Zip drive for Zip support with my iBook.
However, what I would have liked to use floppies for is just to tranfer a few text files that I might be working on at the time between the Pismo and the 1400. It's a lot easier and quicker to just pop a floppy in and out than it is to hook up the SCSI cable to the 1400, which requires a shutdown and restart, etc.
Charles From Martin A. Totusek Fwd (from Curtis Snow): Curtis Snow writes:
Unless the disk is in the drive when I plug it into the USB connector it often fails to recognize the presence of the floppy
So I insert the floppy and then plug in the USB connector (silly but successful)
The OS X Odyssey archives may be accessed here: Note: Letters to Moore's Mailbag may or may not be published at the editor's discretion. Correspondents' email addresses will NOT be published unless the correspondent specifically requests publication. Letters may be edited for length and/or context. Opinions expressed in postings to Moore's MailBag are those of the respective correspondents and not necessarily shared or endorsed by the Editor and/or Applelinks management. If you would prefer that your message not appear in Moore's Mailbag, we would still like to hear from you. Just clearly mark your message "NOT FOR PUBLICATION," and it will not be published. CM
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