FatFloppy

FatFloppy is a PyQt6-based graphical utility for browsing and managing vintage floppy disk images and physical disks via Greaseweazle hardware. It supports FAT12, CP/M, and HDOS filesystems across multiple disk image formats (IMG, IMD, H17, MITS DSK). This is an alpha version, with core features working but more to come.

Key Features

• Multiple Filesystems: FAT12, CP/M, and HDOS support
• Multiple Formats: IMG, IMD, H17, and MITS DSK image formats
• Physical Disk Access: Greaseweazle hardware integration
• File Operations: Read, write, delete files, and create directories
• Drag and Drop: Extract files to your OS or add files to the disk
• Disk Map: Visualize sector usage with head-switching for double-sided disks
• Format Detection: Auto-detects common floppy formats or allows custom parameters

Installation

Windows

Download the latest installer from Releases:

1. Run FatFloppy-{version}-Windows-Setup.exe
2. Follow the installation wizard
3. Launch from Start Menu or desktop shortcut

Requirements: Windows 10 or later (64-bit)

macOS

Download the latest DMG from Releases:

1. Open the DMG and drag FatFloppy.app to Applications folder
2. Right-click the app and select "Open" (first launch only)
3. Click "Open" in the security dialog

Note: The app is unsigned. macOS will show a security warning on first launch.

Linux

Download the latest AppImage from Releases:

1. Make the AppImage executable:

   chmod +x FatFloppy-{version}-x86_64.AppImage

2. Run it:

   ./FatFloppy-{version}-x86_64.AppImage

Double-click to run: On Ubuntu 24.04+, you may need to enable executable text files to run on double-click:

• Open Files (Nautilus) → Preferences → Behavior
• Under "Executable Text Files", select "Run them" or "Ask what to do"

FUSE requirement: If you get a FUSE error, either install FUSE2 or run:

./FatFloppy-{version}-x86_64.AppImage --appimage-extract-and-run

Greaseweazle USB access: To use physical floppy drives with Greaseweazle, install the udev rule:

# Download the rule (or extract from AppImage at usr/share/doc/fatfloppy/)
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/keirf/greaseweazle/master/scripts/49-greaseweazle.rules

# Install it
sudo cp 49-greaseweazle.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules
sudo udevadm trigger

# Physically unplug and reconnect your Greaseweazle

From Source

Requirements:

• Python 3.9+
• PyQt6
• Greaseweazle (for physical disk access)

Install:

git clone https://github.com/your-username/FatFloppy.git
cd FatFloppy
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Usage

fatfloppy

• Open Disk: Use File > Open Disk Image File for .img/.ima files or File > Open Physical Floppy for Greaseweazle-connected drives.
• Navigate: Use the directory tree and file list to browse.
• Manage Files: Extract, add, delete, or create folders via toolbar buttons or drag-and-drop.
• View Disk Map: See sector usage, toggle heads if double-sided.

Building from Source

See packaging/macos/ for macOS, packaging/windows/ for Windows, and packaging/linux/ for Linux build instructions.

# macOS
pip install -e ".[dev]"
make dmg  # Creates DMG installer

# Windows PowerShell
pip install -e ".[dev]"
pip install pyinstaller pillow
.\packaging\windows\build_windows.ps1  # Creates installer

# Linux
pip install -e ".[dev]"
pip install pyinstaller
make appimage  # Creates AppImage (requires linuxdeploy and linuxdeploy-plugin-qt)

Known Limitations

• No disk formatting or new image creation yet
• No progress indicators for long operations
• Limited testing on non-standard or corrupted disks

Contributing

This is a hobby project, and contributions are welcome! Please:

• Report bugs or suggest features via issues.
• Submit pull requests for fixes or enhancements.
• Test on macOS, Windows, or Linux to help ensure compatibility.

License

Unlicense License.

Acknowledgements

• Greaseweazle hardware and software by Keir Fraser
• PyQt6 for the GUI framework
• JetBrains Mono font by JetBrains