Q: How do I access the floppy drive? How do I copy files onto a floppy disk with UNIX?

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A: This document describes how to access the floppy drive, how to copy files from your floppy to your homespace, and how to copy files from your homespace to a floppy.

To Access the Floppy Drive:

1. Put your floppy disk in the drive.
2. Type:

   volcheck

   and press Return. The "volcheck" program allows the computer to recognize the disk.
3. To change directories to your disk, type:

   cd /floppy/floppy0

   and press return. When your command prompt returns, it will look like this:

   geog29:/floppy/floppy0:

Now you can work off the disk. For example, type "ls" and "Return" to see a listing of the files on your disk. If you tap a program, such as WordPerfect, after you have changed directories onto your disk, it will start up in that directory. You will be able to save directly to your floppy disk.

If you are already in WordPerfect and want to save a file to your disk, go to an x-term window and follow steps 1 and 2, and then specify the floppy path in WordPerfect (i.e. /floppy/floppy0) from the Save As window.

Copying Files from Your Floppy into Your Homespace

1. Put your floppy disk in the drive.
2. Type:

   volcheck

   and press Return. The "volcheck" program allows the computer to recognize the disk.
3. Change directories to your disk, by typing:

   cd /floppy/floppy0

   and press return. It is a good idea to type "ls" and "Return" so that you know what files are on your disk.
4. To copy the file into your homespace, type:

   cp filename ~/.

   The "~" is UNIX shorthand for your homespace directory and the "." means that the file will be named the same when it is copied into your homespace. If you want to rename the file, type a new name instead of using a period:

   cp filenameold ~/filenamenew

5. Run another "ls" to make sure the copy was successful.

Copying Files from Your Homespace onto a Floppy Disk

1. Put your floppy disk in the drive.
2. Type:

   volcheck

   and press Return. The "volcheck" program allows the computer to recognize the disk.
3. Type:

   cp filename /floppy/floppy0/.

   The "." means that the file will be named the same when it is copied onto your disk. If you want to rename the file, type a new name instead of using a period:

   cp filenameold /floppy/floppy0/filenamenew

4. It is a good idea to cd onto your floppy:

   cd /floppy/floppy0

   and run an "ls" to make sure the copy was successful.