VOGONS


First post, by DustyShinigami

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Hi. I'm in need of some help understanding how to set up images on the Gotek FlashFloppy. I've tried reading the various documentation on GitHub, watched a couple of YouTube videos, and checked out a few threads here, but I'm getting different info, it feels like I'm installing multiple programs that do the same thing, and I'm a bit lost on the right way of going about things.

I read somewhere you can reformat the USB pen whilst it's plugged in to the Gotek...? But I can't find where I read that nor am I sure how you do that exactly. I've tried using the regular format option and set it to FAT32 and I've tried USB Floppy Manager that someone suggested on here, but even doing that, I'm not able to put the config files on. Windows doesn't allow me to access or do anything with it.

The attachment explorer_jYCNxFt6oo.png is no longer available

I also read that you can have 100 disks...? Though USB Floppy Manager only seems to list 84. Not a massive deal, but just confused why that is.

And then I read to use HDD Raw Copy Tool and WinImage for disk images. I tried the former last night, but still wasn't able to check the contents of the pen drive afterwards, and the Gotek doesn't appear to list anything present. And WinImage only seems to ask me to upload an already created image file. I was under the impression it was used to 'make' an image file...? So I'm totally lost on the correct way of making an image from the file(s) I want to load up.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

OS: Windows 98 SE
CPU: Pentium III Katmai 450MHz (SL35D)/Pentium III Coppermine 933MHz (SL448)
RAM: SK Hynix 128MB 100MHz/Kingston 256MB 133MHz
GPU: Nvidia 16MB Riva TNT/Geforce 128MB 4 MX 440
Motherboard: MSI-6156/Abit BE6-II

Reply 1 of 11, by StriderTR

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I can't speak to Flash Floppy since I still use Gotek's standard firmware. However, using USB Floppy Manager v1.40i, I have no problems with much of anything. I use a standard 64GB flash drive that I formatted using the Floppy Manager software right in Windows 10, but I've never tried doing via the Gotek.

Windows 10 file manager sees the formatted USB drive as a single 1.44MB disk (the first drive in the list "000"). Windows disk manager will see it as a full FAT partition. I only use 10 disks since I rarely need more than that, but it can indeed do up to 100. All of the disks will only show up in the Floppy Manager software.

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Reply 2 of 11, by DustyShinigami

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StriderTR wrote on Yesterday, 17:43:

I can't speak to Flash Floppy since I still use Gotek's standard firmware. However, using USB Floppy Manager v1.40i, I have no problems with much of anything. I use a standard 64GB flash drive that I formatted using the Floppy Manager software right in Windows 10, but I've never tried doing via the Gotek.

Windows 10 file manager sees the formatted USB drive as a single 1.44MB disk (the first drive in the list "000"). Windows disk manager will see it as a full FAT partition. I only use 10 disks since I rarely need more than that, but it can indeed do up to 100. All of the disks will only show up in the Floppy Manager software.

Yeah, that's how things are set up on mine, too. When I put it into my Gotek afterwards, it just said 'error'. My main sticking point at the moment is figuring out how to create image files. Just plugged the USB back into my PC and it's now recognising it correctly and has an empty config file.

EDIT: Trying to use HDD Raw Copy Tool certainly doesn't do it properly and also makes USB Floppy Manager crash as it can no longer read it right.

OS: Windows 98 SE
CPU: Pentium III Katmai 450MHz (SL35D)/Pentium III Coppermine 933MHz (SL448)
RAM: SK Hynix 128MB 100MHz/Kingston 256MB 133MHz
GPU: Nvidia 16MB Riva TNT/Geforce 128MB 4 MX 440
Motherboard: MSI-6156/Abit BE6-II

Reply 3 of 11, by DustyShinigami

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Yeah, not having much luck at all. I've tried dragging and dropping the file in WinImage and then saving it, but it only saves as a IMA file, not IMG. And even then, when I've accessed the file in Explorer, the file is still showing as an application. If I try and load 000 in USB Manager, it just tells me access is denied. And plugging the drive into the Gotek just gives me Error 34. 🙁

OS: Windows 98 SE
CPU: Pentium III Katmai 450MHz (SL35D)/Pentium III Coppermine 933MHz (SL448)
RAM: SK Hynix 128MB 100MHz/Kingston 256MB 133MHz
GPU: Nvidia 16MB Riva TNT/Geforce 128MB 4 MX 440
Motherboard: MSI-6156/Abit BE6-II

Reply 4 of 11, by StriderTR

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DustyShinigami wrote on Yesterday, 18:46:

Yeah, not having much luck at all. I've tried dragging and dropping the file in WinImage and then saving it, but it only saves as a IMA file, not IMG. And even then, when I've accessed the file in Explorer, the file is still showing as an application. If I try and load 000 in USB Manager, it just tells me access is denied. And plugging the drive into the Gotek just gives me Error 34. 🙁

Hmm...

You probably know this already, but...

To load an image file, it's just a right click in the manager.

To copy files, double click the disk, opens explorer, copy files, go back to manager and select "Save".

I use WinImage 8.5 (works on Win10) to create floppy images. It creates .IMZ files, but the Floppy Manager software can read/write it just fine, as the GoTek has no issues with it. Just have to select "all files" since it looks for .IMG.

Does any of that help? Or am I completely missing the point? 🤣

Sadly, I'm off to work. Good luck! Seems you're on the right track.

Builds: https://theclassicgeek.blogspot.com/
3D Prints: https://www.thingiverse.com/classicgeek/collections
Wallpapers: https://www.deviantart.com/theclassicgeek
AI: https://creator.nightcafe.studio/u/StriderTR

Reply 5 of 11, by DustyShinigami

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StriderTR wrote on Yesterday, 19:07:
Hmm... […]
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DustyShinigami wrote on Yesterday, 18:46:

Yeah, not having much luck at all. I've tried dragging and dropping the file in WinImage and then saving it, but it only saves as a IMA file, not IMG. And even then, when I've accessed the file in Explorer, the file is still showing as an application. If I try and load 000 in USB Manager, it just tells me access is denied. And plugging the drive into the Gotek just gives me Error 34. 🙁

Hmm...

You probably know this already, but...

To load an image file, it's just a right click in the manager.

To copy files, double click the disk, opens explorer, copy files, go back to manager and select "Save".

I use WinImage 8.5 (works on Win10) to create floppy images. It creates .IMZ files, but the Floppy Manager software can read/write it just fine, as the GoTek has no issues with it. Just have to select "all files" since it looks for .IMG.

Does any of that help? Or am I completely missing the point? 🤣

Sadly, I'm off to work. Good luck! Seems you're on the right track.

Thanks for the advice. I'll give it a go later. 😀 I think I'm using an older version of WinImage, which I saw recommended by someone in an old thread here. That would probably explain the lack of file type options available.

OS: Windows 98 SE
CPU: Pentium III Katmai 450MHz (SL35D)/Pentium III Coppermine 933MHz (SL448)
RAM: SK Hynix 128MB 100MHz/Kingston 256MB 133MHz
GPU: Nvidia 16MB Riva TNT/Geforce 128MB 4 MX 440
Motherboard: MSI-6156/Abit BE6-II

Reply 6 of 11, by DustyShinigami

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StriderTR wrote on Yesterday, 19:07:
Hmm... […]
Show full quote
DustyShinigami wrote on Yesterday, 18:46:

Yeah, not having much luck at all. I've tried dragging and dropping the file in WinImage and then saving it, but it only saves as a IMA file, not IMG. And even then, when I've accessed the file in Explorer, the file is still showing as an application. If I try and load 000 in USB Manager, it just tells me access is denied. And plugging the drive into the Gotek just gives me Error 34. 🙁

Hmm...

You probably know this already, but...

To load an image file, it's just a right click in the manager.

To copy files, double click the disk, opens explorer, copy files, go back to manager and select "Save".

I use WinImage 8.5 (works on Win10) to create floppy images. It creates .IMZ files, but the Floppy Manager software can read/write it just fine, as the GoTek has no issues with it. Just have to select "all files" since it looks for .IMG.

Does any of that help? Or am I completely missing the point? 🤣

Sadly, I'm off to work. Good luck! Seems you're on the right track.

Nope. Still no luck. 🙁 Added the file in WinImage 8.5. Tried saving it as both IMA and IMZ. If I try IMZ, it says the file format of the image isn't FAT12. The Batch Manager only formats it to FAT. I don't even have an option for FAT32. If I confirm anyway, it just says 'n/a'. If I add an IMA file, it supposedly adds it, but once I insert it into the Gotek, it just keeps saying Error 34. I can only assume it's because it needs to be FAT32...? But as I say, there's no option to specify in the Batch Manager.

So I don't even know if I'm creating the image files correctly or using the right tool.

OS: Windows 98 SE
CPU: Pentium III Katmai 450MHz (SL35D)/Pentium III Coppermine 933MHz (SL448)
RAM: SK Hynix 128MB 100MHz/Kingston 256MB 133MHz
GPU: Nvidia 16MB Riva TNT/Geforce 128MB 4 MX 440
Motherboard: MSI-6156/Abit BE6-II

Reply 7 of 11, by DustyShinigami

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Can't say this Gotek FlashFloppy is proving to be a worthwhile investment. 😒 Just tried creating an IMG file of the file I need using ImgBurn. Someone said in a GitHub comments section not to use the USB Floppy Manager. That you should just copy and paste the image file directly in Explorer. Well, I tried that, plugged it into the Gotek, and that gives me Error 31.

OS: Windows 98 SE
CPU: Pentium III Katmai 450MHz (SL35D)/Pentium III Coppermine 933MHz (SL448)
RAM: SK Hynix 128MB 100MHz/Kingston 256MB 133MHz
GPU: Nvidia 16MB Riva TNT/Geforce 128MB 4 MX 440
Motherboard: MSI-6156/Abit BE6-II

Reply 8 of 11, by bertrammatrix

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And here I am burning CDs for every few files 😀

No experience with those things. Considered buying one but then it seems there is a bunch of extra steps like you describe that you need to do, which to me seems clumsy....I'd just like my floppy please

Have you tried a different USB drive?

Reply 9 of 11, by jtchip

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First off, ignore the USB Floppy Manager, that's for the Gotek's original firmware.

For FlashFloppy, just format the USB flash drive as FAT32, you can use Windows (or any other operating system) for that. Then put the floppy image files into the root directory of the USB drive with extension .IMG. For PC 1440KB floppies, this is just a raw image of exactly 1474560B. Don't think ImgBurn is suitable program, looks like that's for optical disc images.

Error 31, according the wiki means "Bad Image File: The selected image is invalid or unsupported". Try with a known working floppy image first like the FreeDOS floppy edition.

Reply 10 of 11, by DustyShinigami

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bertrammatrix wrote on Today, 00:34:

And here I am burning CDs for every few files 😀

No experience with those things. Considered buying one but then it seems there is a bunch of extra steps like you describe that you need to do, which to me seems clumsy....I'd just like my floppy please

Have you tried a different USB drive?

Yeah, tell me about it. And as is usually the case for me and my family, nothing is ever a smooth and easy process. 😬😅

At the moment I can’t use any USB drive. It’s the drivers for the controller I’m trying to transfer over before I can use my pen drive and transfer all the goodies across, such as drivers, software, patches etc. I’ll probably just wait until I get a new floppy drive for this case, or re-try at getting my old one working. I had issues with getting the CD-ROM to be recognised, but managed it in the end, so I should hopefully be able to get it working right.

OS: Windows 98 SE
CPU: Pentium III Katmai 450MHz (SL35D)/Pentium III Coppermine 933MHz (SL448)
RAM: SK Hynix 128MB 100MHz/Kingston 256MB 133MHz
GPU: Nvidia 16MB Riva TNT/Geforce 128MB 4 MX 440
Motherboard: MSI-6156/Abit BE6-II

Reply 11 of 11, by DustyShinigami

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jtchip wrote on Today, 00:59:

First off, ignore the USB Floppy Manager, that's for the Gotek's original firmware.

For FlashFloppy, just format the USB flash drive as FAT32, you can use Windows (or any other operating system) for that. Then put the floppy image files into the root directory of the USB drive with extension .IMG. For PC 1440KB floppies, this is just a raw image of exactly 1474560B. Don't think ImgBurn is suitable program, looks like that's for optical disc images.

Error 31, according the wiki means "Bad Image File: The selected image is invalid or unsupported". Try with a known working floppy image first like the FreeDOS floppy edition.

Okay, thanks for the advice. I’ll give that a go later after work. If not using the USB Floppy Manager though, how do you access the 80-100 disks? Just dropping the files on sounds like it would be treated as just a single disk…? And if not ImgBurn, what would be a suitable program to use? It’s the only one I have installed that gives the option to create an IMG file. WinImage only seems to do IMA and IMZ.

OS: Windows 98 SE
CPU: Pentium III Katmai 450MHz (SL35D)/Pentium III Coppermine 933MHz (SL448)
RAM: SK Hynix 128MB 100MHz/Kingston 256MB 133MHz
GPU: Nvidia 16MB Riva TNT/Geforce 128MB 4 MX 440
Motherboard: MSI-6156/Abit BE6-II