Floppy not recognized

[silverplate]

I bought a floppy for no reason. I plug in the data and power connectors, and boot up. My mobo doesn't recognize it. I open up the case again and, just for the hell of it, switch the data connector attached to the floppy upside-down. I boot again, and now a green LED on the floppy lights up. BIOS should see it now, right? The green light means something...

But the BIOS still doesn't see it. What is going on?

 

[silverplate]

And I still get...



Tried with connector both ways, light on and off



Is this a DOA, or another case of hardware noob? I am genuinely curious.

 

[billdcat4]

And I still get...



Tried with connector both ways, light on and off



Is this a DOA, or another case of hardware noob? I am genuinely curious.

What kind of power connector does it use?

The floppy drive that I use in my Dell has a connector that has 4 wires coming out of it.

You can try out my floppy drive if you cant seem to get yours to work.

I see in the last pic that your BIOS does recognize the floppy drive.
Check device manager in control panel. also try the Add Hardware wizard.

 

[billdcat4]

cable is likely inverted. Recent cables dont seem to have the notch. turn the cable on the floppy upside down. or at the mobo. Been there done that.

good call

should be 4 possible combinations for cable positions at mobo and drive.

1. moboA and driveA
2. moboA and driveB
3. moboB and driveA
4. moboB and driveB

try em all

 

[chuckshissle]

I can see the floppy cable is right since the power (green light) is on. It could be DOA or mobo not recognizing it. How is the floppy connected? Is it using the same cable as the media drives?

 

[billdcat4]

I can see the floppy cable is right since the power (green light) is on. It could be DOA or mobo not recognizing it. How is the floppy connected? Is it using the same cable as the media drives?

the power could be fine, but the data inverted at either the drive or the mobo

 

[chuckshissle]

I know OP said that he has inverted the cable. I know it can be installed the wrong way.

Hey OP do you have any other computer in your place. If so test the floppy on them to make sure that it is not the drive that is defective.

 

[silverplate]

Hey OP do you have any other computer in your place. If so test the floppy on them to make sure that it is not the drive that is defective.

My other comp went to that great big landfill in the sky a week ago... perfect timing.

the power could be fine, but the data inverted at either the drive or the mobo

I have already tried all four combinations, billdcat. My motherboard only accepts one of the two possible combinations due to a small notch on one side, so there is one possible solution for that. On the floppy side, only one of the two possibilities brings up the little light, so I am assuming the other means it isn't working.

 

[billdcat4]

Hey OP do you have any other computer in your place. If so test the floppy on them to make sure that it is not the drive that is defective.

My other comp went to that great big landfill in the sky a week ago... perfect timing.

the power could be fine, but the data inverted at either the drive or the mobo

I have already tried all four combinations, billdcat. My motherboard only accepts one of the two possible combinations due to a small notch on one side, so there is one possible solution for that. On the floppy side, only one of the two possibilities brings up the little light, so I am assuming the other means it isn't working.

now what?

 

[silverplate]

Hey OP do you have any other computer in your place. If so test the floppy on them to make sure that it is not the drive that is defective.

My other comp went to that great big landfill in the sky a week ago... perfect timing.

the power could be fine, but the data inverted at either the drive or the mobo

I have already tried all four combinations, billdcat. My motherboard only accepts one of the two possible combinations due to a small notch on one side, so there is one possible solution for that. On the floppy side, only one of the two possibilities brings up the little light, so I am assuming the other means it isn't working.

now what?

Anyone know any good jokes?

Well billdcat, this stage of the problem solving process usually involves all parties sitting around the same screen until one comes up with something novel. Course, the cause could have already been mentioned. I am leaning towards RMA and if second drive doesn't work... well, deal with that bridge when I cross it.

 

[billdcat4]

Hey OP do you have any other computer in your place. If so test the floppy on them to make sure that it is not the drive that is defective.

My other comp went to that great big landfill in the sky a week ago... perfect timing.

the power could be fine, but the data inverted at either the drive or the mobo

I have already tried all four combinations, billdcat. My motherboard only accepts one of the two possible combinations due to a small notch on one side, so there is one possible solution for that. On the floppy side, only one of the two possibilities brings up the little light, so I am assuming the other means it isn't working.

now what?

Anyone know any good jokes?

Well billdcat, this stage of the problem solving process usually involves all parties sitting around the same screen until one comes up with something novel. Course, the cause could have already been mentioned. I am leaning towards RMA and if second drive doesn't work... well, deal with that bridge when I cross it.

why dont you try it in my xps? while your at it bring your 7600gt and edimax wifi card....

tomorrow?

 

[gent]

The light isn't a power indicator, it's an access indicator; if it's on all the time the data cable is reversed.

 

[billdcat4]

The light isn't a power indicator, it's an access indicator; if it's on all the time the data cable is reversed.

yea, he did say that it was on all the time....

if the cable is set right, then the light should only go on when a disk is accessed right?

 

[BustedSony]

The light isn't a power indicator, it's an access indicator; if it's on all the time the data cable is reversed.

yea, he did say that it was on all the time....

if the cable is set right, then the light should only go on when a disk is accessed right?

Yes that's right, the light should NOT be on. It will go on briefly at initial powerup, then again briefly when the Bios is looking for boot devices. If it DOES light the second time then that means the floppy drive is connected correctly. IF the light goes on then the Bios says "Floppy disc fail" that means it is trying to boot from a non-system floppy. (or a bad system floppy.) Do NOT have a floppy disc in the drive while booting! Reversing the connector cable CAN fry the drive, it's happened to me, but it usually doesn't unless it's left reversed-connected for a long while.

Boot order in bios can be set to HD first, CDrom first, or Floppy first.

 

[silverplate]

Yes that's right, the light should NOT be on. It will go on briefly at initial powerup, then again briefly when the Bios is looking for boot devices. If it DOES light the second time then that means the floppy drive is connected correctly.

The light fails to come on at all when plugged in "correctly". The first time I used this thing I plugged it in as such - so while I do not doubt that plugging it in as I did after could break it, that was the second thing I did, not the first. If it is broken, I do not think that plugging it in incorrectly would be the cause, as I only did so after.