FNM Interactive Floppy Disk

[u/neontownescape]

Update: the file I uploaded doesn't work, I'll keep trying with the tips I've received.

I bought this KFAD floppy disk around 30 years ago, and recently had it returned after I thought it was lost when I moved interstate. I've got a MacBook so I can't use it, but I've been able to (I believe) copy the file from the disk.

It was made for Windows 3.1 and may not run on more recent Windows, but I do remember using it on Windows 95. The exe was an install file (instructions are on the disk and back cover, pics included). It has a few soundbytes, a few frames from Digging The Grave, and I vaguely remember a paint tool where the brush is the KFAD dog with a circle around it. If anyone wants to give it a try for me, I've uploaded it to my Google Drive.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CqPk7vXM21fy81OiTlJiPP8IMQD9PP2R/view?usp=sharing

Please let me know if it works, it took me three days to get the floppy drive to read the disk.

Enjoy.

[u/thearniec]

Well I have some bad news... as exciting as it is to discover this floppy even exists...the file uploaded to Google Drive is not in tact.

I opened it in a hex editor and every single byte of the 1.4MBs is 0s. There's no "there" there... Either the copy from the floppy didn't work or the floppy itself is damaged and the copy tried to recover and ended up taking 1.4MB of space with a file that is empty.

But you said you use Mac, right? Finder is known for things like this if you just dragged and dropped the EXE from one window to another. Or to Google. You COULD try a byte copy. Here's the steps.

1) Open terminal
2) diskutil list

this gives you a list of all disks attached to your system. Find the floppy drive, perhaps something like /dev/disk4

For the future instructions I'll put /dev/disk4 but replace that with whatever this command gives you for your floppy drive.

3) Unmount the drive with
diskutil unmountDisk /dev/disk4

(this unmounts it from the operating system but should NOT eject the floppy)

4) Now do the byte copy. This is a sudo command which will require your system password. And, again, replace /dev/disk4 with whatever you got from step 2.

sudo dd if=/dev/rdisk4 of=~/Desktop/FNM.img bs=512 conv=noerror,sync

NOTE: This step is safe but be sure you're pointing at the right disk. Running dd on the wrong disk isn't necessarily damaging, but it's not good to do.

This will create a file called FNM.img on your desktop. It will be byte-for-byte what's on the disk.

It's VERY possible the disk is damaged after 30 years and so thsi IMG may still be nothing, or it could be a recoverable (and sharable) version of the disk.

5) When the copy is done, try

ls -l ~/Desktop/fFNM.img

This will give the size of all files in the IMG. Ideally it will be 1474560.

Then upload that IMG to Google Drive. I can give it another go from there.

Thanks for finding this cool relic!!!

[u/Icy-Reception-7605 → u/thearniec]

This guy Mac's

[u/neontownescape → u/thearniec]

Thanks. I'll give it a try later. It's a cheap eBay drive and doesn't always work.

[u/JCss202xr → u/thearniec]

Thanks for checking it is not malware lol jk

[u/neontownescape → u/thearniec]

I'm only getting something that's 1122bytes. 😢

[u/thearniec → u/neontownescape]

Not good. Probably a very damaged disk.

You can send it away for attempted recovery. Not cheap, but given the rarity of this it might be worth it. I’d pitch in a few bucks if you wanted to crowdsource it.

And even then there’s no guarantee that the file would be usable. If it’s an EXE a single lost sector could corrupt the entire installer.

Sad to hear. But now that I know this exists I’m on the hunt to find one myself and maybe it will be more functional.

[u/neontownescape → u/thearniec]

Ta.

[u/thearniec]

Wow. I’ll be figuring out how to run this on Parallels on Mac today.

Do you remember how this was distributed? Because I was a computer nerd and FNM obsessive back then. I remember getting so excited about Cranberries putting out a CD that had a Windows program, so I’d have been all over this floppy.

[u/neontownescape → u/thearniec]

I hope it works! Good luck! I'm really disappointed that I couldn't get it going.

The .exe is an install file, so Wine and Crossover wouldn't work for me. And with this Japanese keyboard, I can't enter the ~ on DOSBox to mount it.

[u/I-x-I-x-I]

wow 🙂 just a when im think i see everything!😮😮😮

[u/AhfackPoE]

Nice one! Never seen this

[u/butterypowered]

Funny timing - I saw someone post a Windows screensaver to the Smashing Pumpkins subreddit about a week ago.

Would love to see what it contains if anyone does get it running!

[u/_xcrazycatladyx_ → u/butterypowered]

Ohhh didn't know, will search SP sub ☺️

[u/butterypowered → u/_xcrazycatladyx_]

This might save you a search :)

https://www.reddit.com/r/SmashingPumpkins/s/AMLF92uQ2N

[u/_xcrazycatladyx_ → u/butterypowered]

Thank you, couldn't find it. That's very cool and great marketing for back then too! Miss those days!

[u/_xcrazycatladyx_]

Wow, have never seen that before! Ahh good old discs and old technology, nostalgic. Good luck with cracking it 🤞🏻🙂

[u/AwarenessNo5226]

🙏 Thank you so much for this

[u/techdistractions]

it's full of zeros - the copy failed im afraid, we gotta get this copied and on internet archive stat! :) very rare find indeed

[u/Hose2903 → u/techdistractions]

Absolute Zero?

[u/neontownescape → u/techdistractions]

Bugger. Thanks for letting me know.

[u/JCss202xr]

I am still hopefull :)