Stupid question about floppy disk...

[ddeder]

I cannot remember if this happened when I built my first computer or not...

Here is my system:

EP-8K7A mobo
1.33 GHz Athlon 266 FSB
Radeon 32 MB DDR LE AGP
WD 40 gig HD 7200 RPM
Floppy Drive

I just put this together and powered up for the first time. Right away I get a floppy disk failure (40) message. The light on the floppy drive stays on.

The twisted end of the cable is plugged into the floppy drive. The connectors are plugged in properly (there is a notch on each connector making it impossible to plug it in backwards). I tried two different twisted cables (one of which I know works) and three different floppy drives (all brand new). All with the same result...

Now the stupid question:

Is this supposed to happen the first time I boot the computer and if so, what do I do next?

Thank you for any advice you can give me!

 

[Mapidus]

Your cable is on backwards. Some drives have their connectors on backwards and so if you plug it in with the notch in the proper position, it still won't work. You will either have to buy a cable without notches or force the one you have on backwards. There should be either an arrow or number indicating where pin 1 is on the drive. The red stripe on the cable should line up with this pin 1.

 

[WarCon]

I am pretty sure that almost all floppy drives have the red stripe on the left side as you look at the back of the drive. I would also make sure I was plugging it in correctly on the motherboard and that I hadn't bent any pins over.

Your symptoms are that of a reversed cable.

 

[NelsonMuntz]

Or a loose cable. I had one doing that to me yesterday. Just went in and pushed everything on to make sure it was secure and it went away.

 

[ddeder]

Now I really feel stupid. I did not notice that there is a notch on both the top and bottom of the floppy connector. I flipped the cable over and now it works fine. SHEESH! Thanks for telling me to check again...