Cannot read any disk in floppy drive

[bill b.]

My OS is XP Pro on both computers. Comp1 will not read any floppy disk; it
does not see the disk in the drive and commands "insert disk." when I click
on floppy drive A in My Computer. I should note that some time ago, these
disks were read by comp1 and it operated properly.

Comp2 reads all the disks. I bought a new floppy drive, as I wanted to use
the Windows backup that requires a boot floppy (or is there another way?)
Same problem with new drive. Exchanged drives with comp1 & 2; 1 still does
not see disk, 2 sees disk. The only thing I didn't change is the cable from
the drive to the MB (or could there be a problem with the MB?). Do the
cables ever go bad? I should note that Windows Device Manager says the drive
is operating properly. I updated drivers, none available and I uninstalled
and allowed Windows to find new hardware and reinstall.

Would appreciate your help.

 

[zulu]

My OS is XP Pro on both computers. Comp1 will not read any floppy disk;
it
does not see the disk in the drive and commands "insert disk." when I
click
on floppy drive A in My Computer. I should note that some time ago, these
disks were read by comp1 and it operated properly.

My (old) Dell had a problem wherby the push switch on the Dell case was
misaligned with the push switch on the actual floppy drive.
It might be worth a look....

 

[Allan]

My OS is XP Pro on both computers. Comp1 will not read any floppy disk;
it
does not see the disk in the drive and commands "insert disk." when I
click
on floppy drive A in My Computer. I should note that some time ago, these
disks were read by comp1 and it operated properly.

Comp2 reads all the disks. I bought a new floppy drive, as I wanted to
use
the Windows backup that requires a boot floppy (or is there another way?)
Same problem with new drive. Exchanged drives with comp1 & 2; 1 still
does
not see disk, 2 sees disk. The only thing I didn't change is the cable
from
the drive to the MB (or could there be a problem with the MB?). Do the
cables ever go bad? I should note that Windows Device Manager says the
drive
is operating properly. I updated drivers, none available and I
uninstalled
and allowed Windows to find new hardware and reinstall.

Would appreciate your help.

The floppy drive controller is embedded in the Mobo. You may not be able to
use floppies at all on "comp1". Try running a hardware diagnostic on the
floppy drive. If you don't have one already installed try #1-tufftest. Try
it on your working "comp2" first.
Since you cannot access the floppy on "comp1" you cannot test the installed
floppy using that machine, but you could test it by replacing it on "comp2".
Sometimes even a brand new floppy drive could be bad; run the diagnostic
tests after installing it. It is enabled in the Bios isn't it?
http://www.tufftest.com/

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

My OS is XP Pro on both computers. Comp1 will not read any floppy disk; it
does not see the disk in the drive and commands "insert disk." when I click
on floppy drive A in My Computer. I should note that some time ago, these
disks were read by comp1 and it operated properly.

Comp2 reads all the disks. I bought a new floppy drive, as I wanted to use
the Windows backup that requires a boot floppy (or is there another way?)
Same problem with new drive. Exchanged drives with comp1 & 2; 1 still does
not see disk, 2 sees disk. The only thing I didn't change is the cable from
the drive to the MB (or could there be a problem with the MB?). Do the
cables ever go bad? I should note that Windows Device Manager says the drive
is operating properly. I updated drivers, none available and I uninstalled
and allowed Windows to find new hardware and reinstall.

Would appreciate your help.

You've asked this question before, and gotten replies. If you haven't
gotten the answer you need, and want to post again, please do so by
replying to a message in the original thread. Do not start a new
thread, as you've done here. That just fragments the situation, and
leads to repetition, because people replying can't see what's been
said before.

As I said in the other thread, yes, it could be the cable.

 

[zulu]

ReplyNo 2...!!

After accepting that i _had_ to install IF7, when it came to the crunch
there was an option _NOT_ to install it (at the bottomm of the blue install
panel).
WTF couldn't that have been on the first popup that told me that it had been
downloaded?
Idiots.
No pizes for guessing what I did. <VBG>
Up yours Microsoft.

 

[bill b.]

You've asked this question before, and gotten replies. If you haven't
gotten the answer you need, and want to post again, please do so by
replying to a message in the original thread. Do not start a new
thread, as you've done here. That just fragments the situation, and
leads to repetition, because people replying can't see what's been
said before.

As I said in the other thread, yes, it could be the cable.

Thanks for the advice re a new post; I shall keep it in mind. The reason I
started a new post was that I was unable to get to it for several days and I
was concerned that no one would see it.

Regarding the comp1 that cannot see the disk in the floppy drive, I
neglected to say that when I open the drive, the light comes on and I can
hear it attempting to read the disk. Then I get the message to insert a
disk. This occurrs with all three drives, i.e., the one that was in comp1,
the new one, and the one that I traded with comp2. All three drives work
properly in comp2.

The problem lies in the cable, which I have not switched, the OS on comp1
that is the same as comp2, or the mother board. Several months ago the drive
operated properly in comp1. I did reinstall XP Pro as I was having some
minor problems; it was not a clean install but a repair. I do not remember
if I tried the floppy after the repair. Knowing more of the story, any
suggestions as to the sequence of trouble shooting the problem?

 

[Plato]

My OS is XP Pro on both computers. Comp1 will not read any floppy disk; it
does not see the disk in the drive and commands "insert disk." when I click

XP may NOT like any disks formatted w/win9X.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

XP may NOT like any disks formatted w/win9X.

If these diskettes were formatted by Windows 9x, this is the media
descriptor byte problem described at
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=140060

 

[Plato]

If these diskettes were formatted by Windows 9x, this is the media
descriptor byte problem described at
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=140060

Thanks Ken.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Thanks Ken.

You're welcome. Any time.

 

[Donald L McDaniel]

The floppy drive controller is embedded in the Mobo. You may not be able to
use floppies at all on "comp1". Try running a hardware diagnostic on the
floppy drive. If you don't have one already installed try #1-tufftest. Try
it on your working "comp2" first.
Since you cannot access the floppy on "comp1" you cannot test the installed
floppy using that machine, but you could test it by replacing it on "comp2".
Sometimes even a brand new floppy drive could be bad; run the diagnostic
tests after installing it. It is enabled in the Bios isn't it?
http://www.tufftest.com/

Here's my solution:
Pull the darned floppy out of the machine, and throw all your floppies away. If
they're older than a year or so, the magnetic charge on the surface of the media
is pretty much completely discharged by now.

I haven't owned a computer which had a floppy drive for at least 4 years now.
They are ANCIENT, and manufacturers were right to discontinue adding one to
their newer off-the-shelf machines.

 

[Donald L McDaniel]

If these diskettes were formatted by Windows 9x, this is the media
descriptor byte problem described at
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=140060

If they were formatted by 9x, I would just throw them away, they are so old and
decrepit.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Here's my solution:
Pull the darned floppy out of the machine, and throw all your floppies away. If
they're older than a year or so, the magnetic charge on the surface of the media
is pretty much completely discharged by now.

I don't agree. True, floppies are not the most reliable of media. But
that's not to say that all, or even most, floppies are unreadable
after a year or so. I have often successfully read much older
floppies.

I haven't owned a computer which had a floppy drive for at least 4 years now.
They are ANCIENT, and manufacturers were right to discontinue adding one to
their newer off-the-shelf machines.

And I, on the other hand, have floppy drives in all my machines
(except my laptop) and would choose to have one installed if I bought
a new computer tomorrow.

True, one needs them very seldom these days. But considering that they
can be bought for around $10 US or so, I want one just in case. There
are situations in which they come in very handy, such as loading SATA
drivers.

 

[mayayana]

True, one needs them very seldom these days. But considering that they

can be bought for around $10 US or so, I want one just in case. There
are situations in which they come in very handy, such as loading SATA
drivers.

I actually still use floppies regularly for minor,
hour-by-hour-type backups. And I still use
boot floppies. All of my floppies are several
years old and all of them work fine. I do find,
though, that it's not unusual for one to just die.
For that reason I always use two for any
backups. I would suspect the OP just has a bum
floppy. According to your link, the "media
descriptor byte problem" is only caused by old
floppies that have never been formatted on
Windows - 9x OR NT.

 

[Donald L McDaniel]

I don't agree. True, floppies are not the most reliable of media. But
that's not to say that all, or even most, floppies are unreadable
after a year or so. I have often successfully read much older
floppies.




And I, on the other hand, have floppy drives in all my machines
(except my laptop) and would choose to have one installed if I bought
a new computer tomorrow.

True, one needs them very seldom these days. But considering that they
can be bought for around $10 US or so, I want one just in case. There
are situations in which they come in very handy, such as loading SATA
drivers.

That may be true for you.
But in my case:
1) My Intel motherboard will not allow the use of on-board floppies (so says the
builder at Pacific Solutions, Inc. in Portland, OR.) Unless, of course, she was
lying to me.
2) NO need to install SATA driver in my machine. Vista has one for my on-board
controller OOB.

Perhaps one day, such drivers will be supplied on a CD rather than floppies.
Example: my force-feedback digital earphones were supplied with a mini-CD
rather than a floppy. Thankfully, my DVD burner will use them. Many won't.

Unless, of course, I am using RAID, in which case, that is all handled by the
BIOS on my machine. I did get a RAID driver with my machine, but its never
been necessary, since I have only a single SATA drive, and it is not being used
in RAID mode.

Intel really makes excellent motherboards, by the way.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I actually still use floppies regularly for minor,
hour-by-hour-type backups. And I still use
boot floppies. All of my floppies are several
years old and all of them work fine. I do find,
though, that it's not unusual for one to just die.

Yes, as I said, they are not the most reliable of media.

For that reason I always use two for any
backups.

That's fine. You also might want to consider buying an inexpensive
thumb drive or two.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

That may be true for you.
But in my case:
1) My Intel motherboard will not allow the use of on-board floppies (so says the
builder at Pacific Solutions, Inc. in Portland, OR.) Unless, of course, she was
lying to me.

I don't know whether that's true or not, but I do know that *most*
motherboards support floppies without a problem. To verify what she
said, just look at the motherboard (or its documentation) to see if
there's a connector for a floppy cable.

2) NO need to install SATA driver in my machine. Vista has one for my on-board
controller OOB.

OK, but SATA drivers were just an example. Needs for floppies
sometimes come up. Those needs are certainly rare, but for many people
they are not non-existent. Some people may occasionally want to boot
to an MS-DOS diskette, for example.

Although I can't remember the last time I used my floppy drive, I am
much more comfortable having it there just on case. It cost me next to
nothing, and, as I said, I'll have one in my next computer too.

 

[Tony Meloche]

I'll back this viewpoint. I just grabbed a floppy 12 years old and put
it in the drive, then copied from the floppy to my HD, and opened the
files - everything exactly as I left it. The idea that after a year or
so the magnetic surface of the floppy becomes "discharged" is odd, to
say the least. I have cassette and reel-to-reel tapes pushing 30 years
old that still play fine. But the floppy drive on this computer will be
the last one I own, yes. The writable CD and especially the USB flash
drive have buried the floppy and marked the grave (and as far as that
goes, the ZIP disc too, IMO). Even for their quick handiness for small
files, the floppy writes and reads at the pace of an arthritic snail by
todays standards.

Tony

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I'll back this viewpoint. I just grabbed a floppy 12 years old and put
it in the drive, then copied from the floppy to my HD, and opened the
files - everything exactly as I left it. The idea that after a year or
so the magnetic surface of the floppy becomes "discharged" is odd,

It happens, but it typically takes substantially longer than a year or
so.

to
say the least. I have cassette and reel-to-reel tapes pushing 30 years
old that still play fine.

There's a giant difference, though, between analog recordings like
those, and digital recordings.

With analog recordings, as the years go on, the quality of the
recording may suffer slightly. Depending on how good your hearing is,
you may or may not perceive a difference.

With digital recordings, you can either read it or you can't. The
quality doesn't degrade gracefully. At some point, it's just gone.

But the floppy drive on this computer will be
the last one I own, yes. The writable CD and especially the USB flash
drive have buried the floppy and marked the grave (and as far as that
goes, the ZIP disc too, IMO). Even for their quick handiness for small
files, the floppy writes and reads at the pace of an arthritic snail by
todays standards.

I agree with everything you say. There is almost never a good reason
to create a floppy disk these days. My only point is that rarely, but
occasionally, the need comes up to read an existing one. So I'm
willing to pay the extra $10 on my next computer to have it there,
just in case.

 

[Donald L McDaniel]

I don't know whether that's true or not, but I do know that *most*
motherboards support floppies without a problem. To verify what she
said, just look at the motherboard (or its documentation) to see if
there's a connector for a floppy cable.\

Well, I did want a floppy in, but she said they put one in, and it failed to
work, so she concluded that floppies were a no-go for my particular motherboard.
Now that my machine is home, the warranty is now in effect. She claims that my
warranty does not allow me to open the case, or I would put one in and see for
myself. Since my brother paid for this machine, he refuses to allow me to open
the case till the warranty is run out (about a year).

However, I do know that there is a floppy connector on the motherboard.

OK, but SATA drivers were just an example. Needs for floppies
sometimes come up. Those needs are certainly rare, but for many people
they are not non-existent. Some people may occasionally want to boot
to an MS-DOS diskette, for example.

I haven't had such a need since I switched from 9x to XP. With Vista, I have no
such need. It simply no longer exists (at least, it doesn't exist for me. I'm
sure it exists for many others.)

I would never use a version of Linux which required a floppy to start its
installation, or boot the machine up.

Although I can't remember the last time I used my floppy drive, I am
much more comfortable having it there just on case. It cost me next to
nothing, and, as I said, I'll have one in my next computer too.

I would also be much more comfortable with one there. When she was unable (she
claimed) to install one and have it work, she put a multi-SD thingie in. It's
not very helpful, so I think it was a waste of my brother's money.

Since I do not have the option of opening the case (how anyone would find out, I
don't know. But I am honest to a "tee", and wouldn't be able to live with
myself if I opened the case at this time.)

Anyway, the Aussies have a saying, "Every cat has its own rat."
Very true.