Old floppy drive to new computer fit problems

[stinger96]

Hey everyone,
Just tried to transfer my old floppy over to the new Dell 4600 and the screw alignment does not match. On my new computer, the screw tab from the dvd/cd-rw casing hangs down from above the floppy about 1/4 inch at about the front 1/3 of the floppy and the floppy's screw holes are 1 about an inch from the front and two in the back 1/3 of the drive--all along the bottom. Any easy ways to fix this issue without buying an entire new floppy drive? Thanks, Trent

 

[Shooters]

I'm having trouble visualizing what the heck you're talking about, but basically if it doesn't fit then it doesn't fit.

So the floppy came from an old computer and you're trying to put it in a Dell? If that's the case then I would say the Dell is causing the fit problems, not the floppy. For the most part, the location of mounting holes on non-OEM specific drives are pretty standard...Dell cases are not (i.e. not ATX).

 

[stinger96]

Shooters,
Thanks for the reply. You verbalized the problem much simpler than me! It seems as if the problem is with the Dell brackets. Is it worth trying to buy new brackets? The other options would be to forego the floppy--I do have one on my work laptop, so I could email files if I needed floppy storage. Thanks, Trent

 

[Shooters]

Sorry, I've never really looked inside of a Dell, so I don't know what you mean when you say "brackets". All of the cases I've worked in just have the drive bays with a set of holes in each bay for mounting your drives. I'm not understanding how one bay interferes with another. Do you have a digital camera to take a pic? That would really help.

I guess if you really don't need the floppy then go ahead and omit it, but I still use mine from time to time so I still have it installed.

 

[stinger96]

I don't have immediate access to the digital camera. I will probably just keep it aside for now.
Thanks again, Trent

 

[Pretty Cool]

That is how Dell nickels-and-dimes you to death. In that case, Dell only provides the proper connections for their proprietary bracket that you must buy from them when you purchase a floppy drive. Cost is about $20. If you check their user forums, a part number is often posted for their $9 bracket along with their sales telephone number. However, Dell goes out of its way to discourage these transactions and has been known to cancel their orders or delay them for months on end. Pathetic, in my opinion. Users who are refuse to pay another penny to Dell have created their own solutions by manufacturing their own bracket using flexible material such as PCI slot covers.

 

[stinger96]

Thanks for the help. I really wish I would have found this forum prior to the purchase. I would have ordered a custom/pre-built by Monarch or ABS. I am dealing with their nightmare of a customer service dept. as we speak regarding returning an ATI9800(non-pro) card that they screwed up on. Live and learn. Thanks again.