Can I use a 3 1/2" and 5 1/4" floppy drive at the same time?

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gribnitz

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May 14, 2013
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I want to install both a 3 1/2 and a 5 1/4 drive in my older 686 PC. The problem I have is the machine only seems to see one drive. I can use the 3 1/2 or the 5 1/4, but it will not see both when I have them connected to the same ribbon cable. I need both so I can move data around off both formats of disks.
 
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popatim

popatim

Titan
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Dec 2, 2009
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PC floppy drives don't have jumpers. There was a twist in the cables between the two drive connectors. The two sized drives did use different connectors but you could buy cable with both on it. I think you are using such a cable but its meant for just 1 drive (it doesnt have the twist in it)

Heres a pic of a dual drive cable that supports both sized floppies.
(max is 2 drives not 4)
fddcable02.jpg
 
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gribnitz

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May 14, 2013
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I have a few of the twisted cables and none seem to allow me to use 2 disk drives. I set up the 5 1/4 on the A connector and the 3 1/2 on the B connector, or vise versa and it only ever seems to see the drive on the A connector. My BIOS is showing Diskette Controller: Enabled Diskette A: (then use +/- to switch) and Diskette Write Protect Disabled. The computer is a Dell Dimension V400 if that makes a difference.
 
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