[Gllug] Wanted - small (20, 30, 40gb) ide disks for kids' computers

[Matthew King]

Nix <nix at esperi.org.uk> writes:

> On 16 Nov 2009, Peter Childs spake thusly:
>> I'm guessing a floppy would work too. Its the only purpose I've found
>> for good old floppies in the last few years!
>
> Thankfully the newer machines that don't have floppy drives also don't
> have BIOSes with this sort of odious bug. (Not one of my current
> machines has floppies. No problem at all: you can't boot off a floppy
> these days 'cos the kernel won't fit, and any halfway decent machine has
> PXE. Hell, one of my machines gives you the choice of PXE or dismantling
> the machine to swap in a preinstalled drive to boot it for the first
> time. No floppy drive, no CDROM, no booting from USB.)

I recall, vaguely, a problem some time ago where a server was delivered
by HP with a set of Windows installation CDs which couldn't run the hard
drive. I don't recall why, probably SATA when it was new. The drivers
were shipped on a floppy disc, which I dutifully tried to insert at the
appropriate time, only to discover that the machine didn't come with a
floppy drive and didn't even have a connector on the motherboard for one.

I can't remember how we got the system up and running in the end but I
remember I didn't end up with much sleep that night before I woke up at
$dark the next day (Saturday!) to take it to Acton and connect it.

Remind me why I do this job again.

Matthew

-- 
I must take issue with the term "a mere child", for it has been my
invariable experience that the company of a mere child is infinitely
preferable to that of a mere adult.
                                           --  Fran Lebowitz
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