Thread: Floppy Drive does not Work

Symptom 1 :

What can I do if my floppy drive does not work, Although floppy drives are definitely on their way out, many of us still depend on them for sharing files with others and backing up important data. Only minor changes have been made to them over the -years, mostly in the area of capacity. The hardware has remained pretty much the same. Here are some things to check if you are having problems with the floppy drive:

• Your floppy drive LED should blink when you are booting your machine, If it doesn't, you should check to make sure it is plugged into the power supply,

• On the flip side, an LED that stays on solid more than likely indicates that the interface cable is not plugged in correctly, Your floppy drive has a connector with 34 pins, This connector will probably have pin 1 clearly marked. Pin 1 should line up with the colored stripe on the interface cable,

• Make sure the drive is being detected by the BIOS. Make sure that a shield from a floppy disk has not been left in the drive. We have personally seen a number of times and it is very difficult to diagnose, If you do discover that this has happened, removing the shield mayor may not be difficult. First. try opening the drive flap and fishing it out with an envelope opener or other thin, long object. Be careful not to bend any internal components of the drive, If this does not prove fruitful, then removing the drive should be next on your list. Once the drive is out, carefully pry off the upper cover and remove the shield, Also be on the lOOKout for the tiny spring that operates the shield, It may have dropped into the drive and should be removed. If it is left in the drive, it may cause damage to any floppy disks that are inserted. Other items to be looked for include Post-it notes, address labels, and disk labels.

• Clean the drive using a cleaning disk and some isopropyl alcohol. In most cases, this will cure a floppy drive that is not readable from a disk,



Symptom 2:

Bad floppy diskette Verify that the floppy diskette that you are attempting to read from is not write protected or bad. Verify that the diskette is not write protected by sliding the tab into the position not allowing light to shine through it. If you do not have a tab, place tape over this hole. Because of the technology of floppy diskette drives it is likely for a floppy diskettes to easily become bad. Verify that other floppy diskettes are not exhibiting the same issue. If other floppies work properly, it is likely that you may have a bad floppy diskette.

Symptom 3:

Bad floppy drive If you continue to experience problems after following the above steps it is likely that hardware within the computer is bad. Attempt to replace the following hardware in the computer in the order:

• Replace the floppy data cable which connects the computer floppy drive to the motherboard \ I/O board.

• Replace the floppy if the floppy data cable did not resolve your issues.

• Replace or request that the motherboard \ I/O Goard be
replaced.

Symptom 4:

How can I prevent my floppy drive from destroying my floppies? Floppies are so delicate and unpredictable that the slightest mistreatment can make them completely unusable. This is particularly important if you have been storing data on a floppy. The following tips will minimize the chances of this happening to you:

• If you haven't used your floppy drive in a while, chances are that a great deal of dust has accumulated inside it. This dust can end up on a floppy disk and will contaminate the disk, resulting in data loss. You can minimize this damage by first inserting a blank or unimportant floppy to take the brunt of the dust attack.

• Clean your drive with a vacuum cleaner. Then thoroughly blow it out with compressed air. This will dislodge any dust and particles that have made a home in your floppy drive.

• Rotate your floppies. Note the date when you started using the floppy disk. You can mark this on the label with a pen or marker. Only use the f~oppy for about six months. After this time, copy all files to another floppy.

Open your PC, and make sure all the necessary cable are connected. If not conenct them correctly.
If they are make sure the floppy drive is enabled in BIOS setup. Go to your BIOS setup and just load the default configuration to correct.
Also try lots of floppies before giving up. If all this fails then it probably has a fault and needs replacement