to flop or not to flop

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rickey
  • Start date Start date
R

Rickey

When i insert a pre-formatted or pre-loaded disk into my floppy drive, it
reads it. However, when i erase/format one and/or try to put data on a
disk, it indicates an error during format, copy, etc. Once removed, disks
are no longer accessible or formattable. Is something wrong with my drive?
or the disks.
 
Rickey said:
When i insert a pre-formatted or pre-loaded disk into my floppy drive,
it reads it. However, when i erase/format one and/or try to put data
on a disk, it indicates an error during format, copy, etc. Once
removed, disks are no longer accessible or formattable. Is something
wrong with my drive? or the disks.
Click to expand...


At $7 for a floppy drive
(http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=21-103-109&depa=1),
tis cheap 'nuff to replace and test. Could be your old floppy's write
head isn't putting out enough flux strength to erase reliably. Since it
reads okay any pre-formatted or pre-loaded diskettes, your floppy drive
is not out of alignment (or it is similarly as out of alignment as the
floppy drive that wrote those working diskettes which is not likely).
If the read heads are in alignment then so, too, are the write heads
(unless the heads are physically damaged - any one been shoving the
diskettes in upside down and forcing them in?) Could be it's time you
finally got around to cleaning the read and write heads (read
http://www.computerhope.com/cleaning.htm). I prefer wet cleaning
diskettes.

How Floppy Drives Work
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/floppy-disk-drive.htm
 
Check if those floppies are working on other pC's

If they were new floppies (which you say got damaged when you inserted into
your floppy drive), then your floppy drive might be faulty. Otherwise, its
your floppies that need to be replaced.
 
Shijaz said:
Check if those floppies are working on other pC's

If they were new floppies (which you say got damaged when you
inserted into your floppy drive), then your floppy drive might be
faulty. Otherwise, its your floppies that need to be replaced.
Click to expand...

I can forsee a time when floppy drives will be obsolete, replaced by a
single USB2 (or whatever) port for a bootable flash drive. I've just bought
one for my father and he wonders how he ever managed without it! The floppy
drive died on his system (it's an Optiplex GX150) and, because of the shape
of the case, an ordinary drive wouldn't fit (damned Dell!) so I bought him a
256MB flash drive as part of his Christmas present. He thinks it's
fantastic, now I have to buy another one for my mother. They have everything
going for them - bootable (well most are), reliable, almost indestructable
(PC Format here in the UK subjected five drives to five punishments - first
they were driven 450yds with a three wood, then they were fed to pet rats
(don't ask). Those that survived that (and one bowed out at the first
hurdle) were boiled for 10 minutes (one died then). The remaining three were
put in a jeans pocket and then subjected to a 40°C wash, a long spin and
then tumble dried for an hour (they survived that). Finally, they were run
over by the reviewer's car - all three survived that - Crucial, Belkin and
Alkar drives are indestructable - all three were still readable!). Just
don't buy a PlexFlash - it didn't even survive the golf club!)

The main reason is price - I paid £15 for the drive, and it can hold the
equivalent of 180 floppies. Now, a box of floppies costs £4 (average price)
4x18=£72 - or, in other words, you could have 1.28GB of flash storage for
the price of the floppies! The floppy is dead! Long live the flash drive!
 
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