FDD access problems - please help

Wigwam

Senior member
Dec 26, 2002
943
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i have a slightly weird problem on my machine which i wonder if anyone can shed some light on:
whenever i try to access anything on a floppy - be it by clicking on the floppy icon in "my computer" to trying to open a file on it in any program [word/exceletc] i get a message either asking me to insert disk and press retry, warning me there is no disk and press cancel, or telling me there was a disk access error - insert disk and retry:
yet whenever i press retry/cancel it reads the disk and anything on it no problem

okay i know it is something i can like with, and am doing but little quirks like this are very annoying so if anyone has a fix i'd be most grateful!

Thanks
 

amdskip

Lifer
Jan 6, 2001
22,530
13
81
Try replacing the cable and if that doesn't work try replacing the floppy drive to see if it's just the drive or the computer with the problem.
 

Nemmeh

Senior member
May 13, 2003
209
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hmm, this may be a shot in the dark and you may have already checked this... so don't flame me for this suggestion.

Open up the case, remove the cable completely. Look clearly on the motherboard and determine which PIN is 1 and insert the cable accordingly. Then make sure you're using the last connector on the fdd cable and that the red stripe is closest to the power connector on the fdd.

I've seen many many people have their cables all messed up causing problems very simliar to yours.

Just a suggestion, even the most informed users can make simple mistakes they didn't mean to.
 

straubs

Senior member
Jan 31, 2001
908
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0
In my experience, this kind of problem from a floppy drive results in two things (as long as it happens with most or all floppies you've tried):

1. Bad/dirty drive. Solved by replacing it with a different one.
2. Flopply cable bad or attached wrong.
 

amdskip

Lifer
Jan 6, 2001
22,530
13
81
If the floppy cable was backwards the drive light would remain on, he didn't seem to mention that.