Installing floppy drive in Packard Bell

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

"Egbert" <cde4@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news 28f3i$sq2$1@news7.svr.pol.co.uk...
> Tried to install a standard 1.4 Mb floppy drive in my Dad's Packard Bell
> Windows XP Home Edition computer. No problems with hardware or
> connections. No problem setting it up in the BIOS. But it won't show up in
> Windows Explorer. Have I missed something? Have Packard Bell done
> something to prevent Windows seeing a floppy? Would be most grateful for
> any hints.

Flip the cable over. You might have installed it backwards. I would suspect
about everyone here has done that at some time or 'nuther.

Ed
>
>
>
>

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

"Ed Medlin" <ed@edmedlin.com> wrote in message
news:scR1e.26055$hU7.7617@newssvr33.news.prodigy.com...
>
> "Egbert" <cde4@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news 28f3i$sq2$1@news7.svr.pol.co.uk...
>> Tried to install a standard 1.4 Mb floppy drive in my Dad's Packard Bell
>> Windows XP Home Edition computer. No problems with hardware or
>> connections. No problem setting it up in the BIOS. But it won't show up
>> in Windows Explorer. Have I missed something? Have Packard Bell done
>> something to prevent Windows seeing a floppy? Would be most grateful for
>> any hints.
>
> Flip the cable over. You might have installed it backwards. I would
> suspect about everyone here has done that at some time or 'nuther.
>
> Ed


Many thanks Ed. I have certainly done that often enough, but in this case I
tried it both ways and made sure it was right. Now I come to think of it,
although I set it up in the BIOS - and added it to the boot sequence in the
BIOS, the computer ignored it at boot-up - ignored the boot floppy I put in.
So maybe the problem is at BIOS level?

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:52:13 +0100, "Egbert"
<cde4@hotmail.com> wrote:

>
>"Ed Medlin" <ed@edmedlin.com> wrote in message
>news:scR1e.26055$hU7.7617@newssvr33.news.prodigy.com...
>>
>> "Egbert" <cde4@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news 28f3i$sq2$1@news7.svr.pol.co.uk...
>>> Tried to install a standard 1.4 Mb floppy drive in my Dad's Packard Bell
>>> Windows XP Home Edition computer. No problems with hardware or
>>> connections. No problem setting it up in the BIOS. But it won't show up
>>> in Windows Explorer. Have I missed something? Have Packard Bell done
>>> something to prevent Windows seeing a floppy? Would be most grateful for
>>> any hints.
>>
>> Flip the cable over. You might have installed it backwards. I would
>> suspect about everyone here has done that at some time or 'nuther.
>>
>> Ed
>
>
>Many thanks Ed. I have certainly done that often enough, but in this case I
>tried it both ways and made sure it was right. Now I come to think of it,
>although I set it up in the BIOS - and added it to the boot sequence in the
>BIOS, the computer ignored it at boot-up - ignored the boot floppy I put in.
>So maybe the problem is at BIOS level?
>

Could be BIOS, but if you recheck the settings and they look
OK then I'd look at other common problems. You could try a
DOS boot floppy to eliminate Windows.

Last time I had a similar problem it was a bad floppy cable.

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

"kony" <spam@spam.com> wrote in message
news:53rf41pfacg7kip1dutk6nr4f134735pe7@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:52:13 +0100, "Egbert"
> <cde4@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Ed Medlin" <ed@edmedlin.com> wrote in message
>>news:scR1e.26055$hU7.7617@newssvr33.news.prodigy.com...
>>>
>>> "Egbert" <cde4@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news 28f3i$sq2$1@news7.svr.pol.co.uk...
>>>> Tried to install a standard 1.4 Mb floppy drive in my Dad's Packard
>>>> Bell
>>>> Windows XP Home Edition computer. No problems with hardware or
>>>> connections. No problem setting it up in the BIOS. But it won't show up
>>>> in Windows Explorer. Have I missed something? Have Packard Bell done
>>>> something to prevent Windows seeing a floppy? Would be most grateful
>>>> for
>>>> any hints.
>>>
>>> Flip the cable over. You might have installed it backwards. I would
>>> suspect about everyone here has done that at some time or 'nuther.
>>>
>>> Ed
>>
>>
>>Many thanks Ed. I have certainly done that often enough, but in this case
>>I
>>tried it both ways and made sure it was right. Now I come to think of it,
>>although I set it up in the BIOS - and added it to the boot sequence in
>>the
>>BIOS, the computer ignored it at boot-up - ignored the boot floppy I put
>>in.
>>So maybe the problem is at BIOS level?
>>
>
> Could be BIOS, but if you recheck the settings and they look
> OK then I'd look at other common problems. You could try a
> DOS boot floppy to eliminate Windows.
>
> Last time I had a similar problem it was a bad floppy cable.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try different cables next time I am there.

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

If the computer did not originally come with a floppy drive, then it's very
possible that the motherboard did not come with a floppy controller built
in. If it didn't then you CANNOT use a floppy drive.

--
DaveW



"Egbert" <cde4@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news 28f3i$sq2$1@news7.svr.pol.co.uk...
> Tried to install a standard 1.4 Mb floppy drive in my Dad's Packard Bell
> Windows XP Home Edition computer. No problems with hardware or
> connections. No problem setting it up in the BIOS. But it won't show up in
> Windows Explorer. Have I missed something? Have Packard Bell done
> something to prevent Windows seeing a floppy? Would be most grateful for
> any hints.
>
>
>
>

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 16:22:29 -0800, "DaveW" <none@zero.org>
wrote:

>If the computer did not originally come with a floppy drive, then it's very
>possible that the motherboard did not come with a floppy controller built
>in. If it didn't then you CANNOT use a floppy drive.


Actually not nearly so likely, the SuperIO chip that does
many other functions also handles the flooopy, BUT maybe
they just left the pin header off the board?

Regardless, a cheap PCI card would handle that if the board
really didn't have a floppy header, but that's pretty easy
to check for on the board.

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

DaveW writes:

> If the computer did not originally come with a floppy drive, then it's very
> possible that the motherboard did not come with a floppy controller built
> in. If it didn't then you CANNOT use a floppy drive.

A motherboard without a floppy controller won't have a socket for a
floppy cable, nor will it have floppy options in the BIOS.

--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

"Mxsmanic" <mxsmanic@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:hvei41pcgtqckmgiuqooj1smicakddqpvp@4ax.com...
> DaveW writes:
>
>> If the computer did not originally come with a floppy drive, then it's
>> very
>> possible that the motherboard did not come with a floppy controller built
>> in. If it didn't then you CANNOT use a floppy drive.
>
> A motherboard without a floppy controller won't have a socket for a
> floppy cable, nor will it have floppy options in the BIOS.


Many thanks for that definitive statement. It not only has those, but also
a conveniently placed power supply cable with connector for floppy drive.
Looks as if a bad or improperly seated cable was my problem. I have some
others I can try.

Thanks to everyone who gave input on this.