Floppy quit

[condor46]

computer says A:drive port is OK. changed out drive three times all do the same thing, run light comes on and never goes off. will never read disk any help? also changed cable etc

 

[jsc]

This is going to sound like a stupid question, could you have the ribbon cable plugged into the drive backwards?

The power cable will go into the connector on the right side of the back of the drive. The ribbon cable should go with red wire pointing to the left side of the drive.

This is just opposite from the way that PATA hard drive cables work.

 

[wuzy]

As jsc has already mentioned in the first phrase, "run light comes on and never goes off" indicates that the floppy connector plugged into either the floppy drive or the motherboard end has been reversed. Unfortunately some floppy cable are not keyed (notch in the middle) like IDE connector is, or the connectors on the ribbon are keyed, but the floppy drive itself isn't (just open pins).
The floppy connector on modern motherboards are almost always keyed (to accept the notch).

If you've reversed the connector and the same problem persist, try the 2nd floppy connector, the connector after the 'twist' in ribbon has been made.
It's been a while since I've used an internal floppy drive (got a USB one now), but I seem to remember all my floppy drives only works after connected to the 2nd connector.

 

[photonboy]

Agree.
That's likely the cause.

Otherwise it's a defective floppy drive but I don't think the light would stay on.