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GoTek floppy emulator Qs

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First post, by DaveDDS

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I've just picked up a "GoTek" floppy disk emulator and I quite like it!

I do have a few questions...

I went on their website and found:

1980-01-01    99,801 How_to_use_format_function.pdf
1980-01-01    70,826 Select_right_model_of_emulator.pdf
1980-01-01   148,870 SFR1M44-U100.pdf
1980-01-01   233,844 U100_version.pdf
2009-10-20   114,688 UFDISKManager.exe
2014-04-15 3,579,158 USB_Floppy_Emulator_1.40i.exe
2007-08-18     4,818 v2.0\UFBfilte.sys
2010-03-11   131,072 v2.0\UFloppyManager.exe
2088-10-20    40,774 v2.0\SysFile\OS6A
2088-10-20    38,138 v2.0\SysFile\OS6B
2088-10-20    54,645 v2.0\SysFile\OS6C
2088-10-20   125,960 v2.0\SysFile\OS7A
2088-10-20        30 v2.0\SysFile\OS7B
2088-10-20    94,292 v2.0\SysFile\OS7C

These seem, kinda old - Is there anything newer?
Have I missed anything?

I've not looked at the software yet, as I want to set up my "test" system...
I don't like just installing "stuff" until I've looked at it - my test system
can be easily restored from the factory install DVD.

I have put the drive in a DOS system and can format/use virtual disks just as
easily as read ones.

The USB stick get formatted in what appears to be quite unusual way...
The GoTek docs say it is formatted with partitions which can be selected from
the front panel (this works well).

Looking at the stick in WinBlows, it shows up as a single 1.4m disk, and the
first "GoTek partition" shows up there and I can read/write files on the first floppy
disk image. In ComputerManagement->DiskManagement as well a DISKPART, it shows
as a single 500mb partition (the size of the stick I'm using)

Are there ways (perhaps with the provided software) to read/write to other
floppy images, and is there a way to read/write complete floppy images
(Typically .IMG files) to/from them?

I still have about a dozen or more actual floppy drives, but they are getting
old, unsupported and media is quite hard to find.

One of the main reasons I wanted the emulator was because I still have several
old DOS systems which only "cold install" from floppy...

And I can format/S the emulator and boot from it - just fine. And I
can use my XDISK tool (low level read/write/format) to put images on
the emulated disk - and that works fine!

But ... I have to have a working DOS system to make that bootable
image. In the even that I eventually have no boot floppy setups, this
would be a problem.

I can think of a couple ways to "work around" this ... a couple of my
DOS systems will boot from CD and I have made up bootable DOS CDs. I
also have one that will boot from USB .. but again, you need DOS to
format a bootable DOS stick. I'm just hoping there might be an easier
way to directly put floppy images to/from the emulator without needing
a DOS system?

Dave ::: https://dunfield.themindfactory.com ::: "Daves Old Computers"->Personal

Reply 1 of 15, by myne

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You haven't used the software yet..?

I would assume "the software" would be for a modern system and would know how to talk to the sticks formats and bulk load images onto it.

ufloppymanager stands out to me as the most likely

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Reply 2 of 15, by Cyberdyne

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Better use FlashFloppy to overwrite te internal firmware. And you can use simple floppy images from a folder.

I am aroused about any X86 motherboard that has full functional ISA slot. I think i have problem. Not really into that original (Turbo) XT,286,386 and CGA/EGA stuff. So just a DOS nut.
PS. If I upload RAR, it is a 16-bit DOS RAR Version 2.50.

Reply 3 of 15, by StriderTR

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Personally, I use the recommended "USB Floppy Emulator V2 Software": https://www.philscomputerlab.com/gotek-floppy-emulator.html

Yes, it shows up weird to Windows (exactly as you describe), but works fine within the software itself. You can format, copy files, and write disk images directly from within the software. It works reasonably well, good enough for me anyway. I have mine set to do 100 images, 0-99. I find it easy enough and have very few problems with it.

I have not updated the firmware to HxC yet, mainly becasue it works as-is for my single DOS machine needs.

You can check that out here if interested: https://hxc2001.com/docs/gotek-floppy-emulato … -partition.html

Not sure if any of that helps. 😀

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Reply 4 of 15, by Yoghoo

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I flash all my GoTek's with the FlashFloppy firmware. Just drop all *.img, *.ima etc files to the USB stick and you're done. I normally create the (bootable) floppy images on my retro PC or I am using an existing bootable image file and use PowerISO or similar tool to remove all files I don't need (leaving the 3 required boot files) and add the files I need and save it.

Reply 5 of 15, by DaveDDS

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StriderTR wrote on 2025-07-18, 15:58:

Personally, I use the recommended "USB Floppy Emulator V2 Software": https://www.philscomputerlab.com/gotek-floppy-emulator.html ...

Is this the v2.0 software I downloaded from GoTek (shown in my original post)

The site you linked doesn't appear to directly have software, but says "the software that came with it was disappointing ...
use this instead" which is a link to a non-existent germain page - it has the option to go their homepage - but its not clear
where from there

Last edited by DaveDDS on 2025-07-18, 18:34. Edited 1 time in total.

Dave ::: https://dunfield.themindfactory.com ::: "Daves Old Computers"->Personal

Reply 6 of 15, by DaveDDS

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myne wrote on 2025-07-18, 14:30:

You haven't used the software yet..?

I would assume "the software" would be for a modern system and would know how to talk to the sticks formats and bulk load images onto it.

ufloppymanager stands out to me as the most likely

Agreed and the V2.0 might be something as well.

No, I've not used the software yet. Like all third-party software, I wand to install it on a recoverable system
to check it out first... (which I will do ... just wanted to get any insights from here first)

I think it says good things about the product that I was able to use if for it's primary purpose without having to
use "extra stuff".

Dave ::: https://dunfield.themindfactory.com ::: "Daves Old Computers"->Personal

Reply 7 of 15, by DaveDDS

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Cyberdyne wrote on 2025-07-18, 15:03:

Better use FlashFloppy to overwrite te internal firmware. And you can use simple floppy images from a folder.

I had read about that (on here!) and quite likely will do that "someday".

I'm just not keen to fundamentally alter a "new" (to me) product until I know it better
(and also can verify that it's going to keep working)

Dave ::: https://dunfield.themindfactory.com ::: "Daves Old Computers"->Personal

Reply 8 of 15, by DaveDDS

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StriderTR wrote on 2025-07-18, 15:58:

...
You can check that out here if interested: https://hxc2001.com/docs/gotek-floppy-emulato … -partition.html

Forget to thank you for the info/link in my first reply!

Dave ::: https://dunfield.themindfactory.com ::: "Daves Old Computers"->Personal

Reply 9 of 15, by DaveDDS

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Btw, do any such emulators exist for DD drives?

The GoTek officially only does 1.44 3.5" - but I tried setting it in BIOS to a 1.2m 5.25"
and it actually worked! (as a 1.2m 5.25" drive)

Which kinda makes sense - both 1.44 and 1.2 are 500kbps data rate.. I'm assuming it takes it's
index/sectors-numbering etc. from the data stream when formatting.

I would be curious to know if the "update" FlashFloppy firmware still supports 1.2m 5.25"
Since I'm told it works directly with image files, it may not be "smart" enough to look at the .IMG
size to determine proper sector numbering etc... Also simple .IMG doesn't have sector numbering/interleave
information etc...

I'll have to some trials with ImageDisk ... I can format with any sector numbering /interleave I want
and I'm curious how well the emulator supports/represents what is actually formatted.

I had thought at one time to design/build my own emulator (which would have supported all disk
types and formats possible with standard FDCs - not sure if I would have bothered with Apple][ as
that needs a special/modified drive and doesn't use the same type of data stream) - but this GoTek
was cheap, took no work and does a lot of what I wanted!

Dave ::: https://dunfield.themindfactory.com ::: "Daves Old Computers"->Personal

Reply 10 of 15, by DaveDDS

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Another (slightly related) question 😀

USB floppy drives exist (I have several)

Is there any USB adapter to interface to a standard drive via USB?
(all four of mine have "unique" drives in them - I don't know if this
was done for cost-cutting, or for some other reason)

Can a USB flash stick be formatted somehow to look like a USB floppy drive?

** One of my DOS systems began life as an AASTRA telephone system (running XP)
and although it does not have a floppy drive, its BIOS does recognize a USB
floppy drive, can boot DOS from it and it showes up as a fairly normal floppy
drive (It also has an internal Conpact-Flash socket which looks like an IDE
drive - I was able to just boot/install DOS like any other system).

Which makes it one system I wouldn't be able to use the GoTek emulator on!

You can see it here: Re: Using XT-IDE on 386 with Compact Flash larger than 512MB - My tests.

Dave ::: https://dunfield.themindfactory.com ::: "Daves Old Computers"->Personal

Reply 11 of 15, by Cyberdyne

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FlashFloppy supports 720 1.44 2.88 and even custom sizes. I got maximum of 4.3MB from 1.44 bios floppy.

Gotek/FlashFloppy largest possible FAT12 / HD disk

I am aroused about any X86 motherboard that has full functional ISA slot. I think i have problem. Not really into that original (Turbo) XT,286,386 and CGA/EGA stuff. So just a DOS nut.
PS. If I upload RAR, it is a 16-bit DOS RAR Version 2.50.

Reply 12 of 15, by Yoghoo

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DaveDDS wrote on 2025-07-18, 18:48:

Is there any USB adapter to interface to a standard drive via USB?

Those exist. I bought this one a couple of weeks ago: https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/10050065719543 … 7Cquery_from%3A

Works well with 3.5" drives (tested with Windows 11 & Linux). Never tried it with 5.25" drives.

Reply 13 of 15, by DaveDDS

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Yoghoo wrote on 2025-07-18, 22:09:

Those exist. I bought this one a couple of weeks ago: https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/10050065719543 … 7Cquery_from%3A

Thanks - useful to know.

Sigh, it probably doesn't support 5" DD ... It specifically says it supports 1.44 3.5" - and it probably will do DD (because 1.44hd drives can do DD)
but it's a different data rate for 5.25" (250kbps) than 3.5" (300kbps)

Like to GoTek, 5.25" HD probably works as well, because it is also 500kbps (the reason 5.25" HD = 1.2m vs 3.5" HD = 1.4m) is because of the
difference in rotation speed (less bits at faster RPM)

Dave ::: https://dunfield.themindfactory.com ::: "Daves Old Computers"->Personal

Reply 14 of 15, by Yoghoo

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DaveDDS wrote on 2025-07-18, 22:17:
Thanks - useful to know. […]
Show full quote

Thanks - useful to know.

Sigh, it probably doesn't support 5" DD ... It specifically says it supports 1.44 3.5" - and it probably will do DD (because 1.44hd drives can do DD)
but it's a different data rate for 5.25" (250kbps) than 3.5" (300kbps)

Like to GoTek, 5.25" HD probably works as well, because it is also 500kbps (the reason 5.25" HD = 1.2m vs 3.5" HD = 1.4m) is because of the
difference in rotation speed (less bits at faster RPM)

A quick search and a Youtube video confirmed that 5.25" with those adapters is not very viable. It's working under DOS (including booting from USB with DOS startup files on floppy). But with Windows 98 and later it's not working correctly.

Reply 15 of 15, by DaveDDS

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Well... I fired up my test system and tried all of the software I mentioned in my first post.

USB_Floppy_Emulator_1.40i.exe
v2.0\UFloppyManager.exe

Both appear to relating to USB drives... "FloppyManager" looks interesting as it looks like
it might "fake" a bootable floppy on a USB flash drive.

UFDISKManager.exe

Is all in a foreign language (to me - not English) and I can't really tell what it
does. It shows nothing different with or without a flash stick in the GoTek device
(which Windows can see as a floppy with files) ...

I downloaded these from a website printer on a little piece of paper which was
packaged with the drive

I do recall that when initially looking at the GoTek I read a comment somewhere
that said the software was "hard to find".

Can anyone tell me where to actually get the official tools that work with the
GoTek floppy emulator (I'm not ready to flash something different yet)

Fortunately, I did recall a small tool called DSKWRITE I found while creating some
DOS recovery disks which can write a .IMG to diskette within Windows.
That should cover off the thing I actually wanted it for, which is the
ability to recover a floppy-only-boot system without floppy drives/media.

I'll also check how well VMWARE works with it as it has the ability to assign a physical
drive to the virtual machine.

Dave ::: https://dunfield.themindfactory.com ::: "Daves Old Computers"->Personal

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