Floppy Drives
Floppy disk drives remain the standard removable-media mass-storage device. Although they are remarkably slow and offer punny-storage capacities when compared to hard drives and other mass-storage devices.
Floppy drive interface
Floppy drives use a 34-pin signal interface and a 4-pin "mate-n-lock" power connector.
Floppy disk troubleshooting
Symptom 1: The floppy drive is completely dead (the disk does not even initialize when inserted). If the drive light doesn't illuminate during power-up, or you see and error message indicating that the drive is not ready, follow the steps below:
- Check the power connector. Make sure the 4-pin power connector in inserted properly and completely. If the drive is being powered by a Y-connector, make sure any interim connections are secure. Use a voltmeter and measure the +5 volt (pin 4) and +12-volt (pin 1) levels. If either voltage (especially the +12-volt supply) is unusually low or absent, replace the power supply.
- Check the signal connector. Make sure the 34-pin IDC header is connected securely at both the drive and the controller. If the cable is visibly worn or damage, try a new one.
- Check the CMOS setup. Enter the CMOS Setup routine and make sure that the drive is listed and selected properly. For example, if the drive is listed in CMOS as an A: drive but is physically cabled as a B: drive that controller won't recognize it. Pay particular attention to the drive type (1.44 Mbytes, 1.2 Mbytes, and so on)
- Replace the floppy drive, replace the floppy controller.
- Replace the drive controller. If problems persist with a known good floppy drive, replace the floppy controller.
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