Transfering files using a 3 1/2" floppy disk

  • Thread starter Thread starter Betty_B_Boop
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Betty_B_Boop

Using WinXP Home Edition to another machine with same
system, and/or WinXP Home Edition to Win98 SE
When I copy a file(s) to a formatted floppy, it copies
fine and I am able to read it on my system. When I put it
into a 3 1/2" drive on another machine it either gives me
a message that I need to format the floppy or it hangs up
and won't read it.
Any suggestions on solving this?
Thanks,
 
Betty_B_Boop said:
Using WinXP Home Edition to another machine with same
system, and/or WinXP Home Edition to Win98 SE
When I copy a file(s) to a formatted floppy, it copies
fine and I am able to read it on my system. When I put it
into a 3 1/2" drive on another machine it either gives me
a message that I need to format the floppy or it hangs up
and won't read it.
Any suggestions on solving this?
Thanks,
Click to expand...

I've read plenty of messages about some floppies formatted in Win9x
not being accepted by XP, but this is the first where a floppy has
been accepted by one XP machine and not by another. My inclination
would be to (re)format some floppies on an XP machine, and hopefully
those will be accepted by all XP computers. I think it has something
to do with a change in the information-reading process. (I transferred
recently from a Win98 machine to one with XP, had everything ready to
go and XP came up blank for over half of my floppies.)
 
from the said:
I've read plenty of messages about some floppies formatted in Win9x
not being accepted by XP, but this is the first where a floppy has
been accepted by one XP machine and not by another. My inclination
would be to (re)format some floppies on an XP machine, and hopefully
those will be accepted by all XP computers. I think it has something
to do with a change in the information-reading process. (I transferred
recently from a Win98 machine to one with XP, had everything ready to
go and XP came up blank for over half of my floppies.)
Click to expand...

More likely it is just a slight alignment difference between two
different drives. Since these things are made for about $5, then
engineering is not exactly 'NASA' standard. Most FDDs will read a
diskette they formatted themselves, but whether they'll read one from
another machine is somewhat of a lottery.... sometimes having the exact
same make of drive helps.
 
Maureen Goldman said:
I've read plenty of messages about some floppies formatted in Win9x
not being accepted by XP, but this is the first where a floppy has
been accepted by one XP machine and not by another. My inclination
would be to (re)format some floppies on an XP machine, and hopefully
those will be accepted by all XP computers. I think it has something
to do with a change in the information-reading process. (I transferred
recently from a Win98 machine to one with XP, had everything ready to
go and XP came up blank for over half of my floppies.)
Click to expand...

Often, the problem lies with the floppy drive rather
than in the OS or in the floppy itself. The head position
setting on one or both drives may be out of tolerance,
which can cause a floppy written on one drive not to
be readable on the other and vice-versa, even though
the floppy can be written and read just fine on the same
drive. If you're doing a one time or just very occasional
transfer, you could do it by removing the drive from one
computer and installing it on the other.

-- Bob Day
 
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