MS-DOS floppy disks and DS_store files

[tigrr]

I admit, I'm old fashioned
Is there a way to remove .DS_store files from floppy disks so that they won't cause problems on other computer systems?

Another thing: why is it that floppy disks sometimes report as being unreadable on the Mac, and refuses to be formatted, but on another (non-Mac) computer I can format the same disk just fine?
After formatting it on the other computer it reads fine on the Mac as well. Strange.

 

[MisterMe]

...
Is there a way to remove .DS_store files from floppy disks so that they won't cause problems on other computer systems?

A .DS_store file cannot possibly cause a problem on a computer system that doesn't understand it.

Another thing: why is it that floppy disks sometimes report as being unreadable on the Mac, and refuses to be formatted, but on another (non-Mac) computer I can format the same disk just fine?
After formatting it on the other computer it reads fine on the Mac as well. Strange.

Since you have given zero (0) information about the floppy disks or the Mac that you are using to access them, any comment about your problems reading the disks would be a shot in the dark.

 

[tigrr]

Yes, those files can actually cause problems:
Since they pop up everywhere (even inside folders) the other computer will complain about them when trying to copy those folders because the files use non-standard characters.
It's also a mess to look at and waste disk space.
The alternative is to open up each folder one by one, select the "legit" files inside, then copy only those over to the other computer. Not very efficient.

However, I believe I found the perfect solution to the problem myself! I know about a lot of applications for removing DS_store files, but few of them handle floppy disks. I found a free tool called Clean Up Non Mac Disks (go to the very bottom of that page).
Once installed, place it in the Dock.

So once you've written something to the floppy on the Mac, drag/drop it on to that app's icon.
It'll "clean" the floppy disk by removing all those pesky DS_store files, then unmount the floppy from the Finder desktop. Perfect!

As for my other problem. I really can't say more about those floppy disks. I can't remember what/how I used them last time.
I do however wonder if the Mac is very picky about floppy disks: they either have to be unformatted, or be in a format that the Mac understands.
Perhaps I'd used them on a PC or another computer which didn't format it 100% like the Mac expected. I don't know if any of this makes any sense, but I've experienced the same thing before, and when I reformat the disk on another computer (an Atari in this case) it's perfectly fine on the Mac as well.

 

[tigrr]

By the way, can someone check if the "Clean up non Mac disks" works on Intel Macs? "Show info" seems to indicate that it's PPC only (I'm on a PowerMac G4, so it works fine here).

 

[MisterMe]

Yes, those files can actually cause problems:
Since they pop up everywhere (even inside folders) the other computer will complain about them when trying to copy those folders because the files use non-standard characters.
It's also a mess to look at and waste disk space. ...

You are talking about aesthetic issues having nothing to do with the operation your computer.

...

As for my other problem. I really can't say more about those floppy disks. I can't remember what/how I used them last time.
I do however wonder if the Mac is very picky about floppy disks: they either have to be unformatted, or be in a format that the Mac understands.

...

I have come to the conclusion that you are are typing at random. In your OP, you complain about floppy disks on the Mac but now claim not to use them. It is not at all clear that you even use a Mac.

 

[tigrr]

I've already pointed out that DS_store files pose a problem for my Atari computer, so it's not just an aesthetic problem as you claim.

I never said I didn't use floppy disks. I said that I wasn't sure why they sometimes refused to format or be unreadable on the Mac while after formatting them on the Atari (or a PC) they worked fine on the Mac.
If I didn't use them I wouldn't post about these problems, now would I!

As for not having a Mac.... well, now you've really lost me.
Or perhaps I've just missed the fact that you might be a troll.
Now, why don't you try to be a little helpful instead of pointing out all my supposedly wrongly written questions?

Fortunately I did find a solution to my problem with the application mentioned earlier. I just wanted to repost that information here in case others are having the same issues.
Since I don't have an Intel Mac it would be interesting to know if it works with those computers as well since the application seems to be PPC only.