Floppy Drive Install...Bad Floppy Drive?

[muthabored]

I have a PC that didn't have an internal floppy drive when it was bought but now I want it to have one so I went to Best Buy and bought one (Belkin). The PC's BIOS shows the floppy drive as enabled and the drive shows in My Computer but...I've tried flipping the cables and I either get a solid light on the drive or no drive at all. I though that maybe the cable was bad so I went to get another. Same thing. Could it be the the drive is bad?

 

[synthetic666]

possible bad drive check if the cables are not upside down if so goswitch around check it if not the take it back to best buy my recomendation is buy parts from a computer specialty store compusa or simalar they treat computer components better

 

[John Lewis]

The PC's BIOS shows the floppy drive as enabled and the drive shows in My Computer but. . .

So what is the problem? What happens when you try to read a disk? Can you copy a file to the floppy, and if so can you read it again? Any noise from the drive during any of this?

I've tried flipping the cables and I either get a solid light on the drive or no drive at all.

Solid light indicates that the cable is upside down, so the other way is the correct way. Also indicates that you are getting power to the drive, so that is not an issue.

Check the cable on both ends, controller (motherboard) and drive. Make sure none of the pins are bent over.

 

[mainegeek]

Look in device manager and see if it is disabled there. What OS are you running?

 

[muthabored]

mhkwood: When I put a floppy into the drive, there's no light and immediately after, I recieve, "Please insert a disk into drive A:". No noise, nothing...

Mainegeek: I'm running Windows XP. Device Manager sees it there as enable.

Again, I've tried a different cable and will return this drive and get another. Thx for the replies

 

[franklin97355]

Make sure you have good power to the drive.

 

[mainegeek]

Remove it from device manager, restart and let it redetect it.

 

[John Lewis]

Sounds like your power is OK, cable is OK as you have replaced. I would try removing from device manager and restarting, although I don't really think that will help. I have been surprised before.

If that doesn't work, either the drive or the controller is bad. If you have another computer that you can connect the drive to, try that first. If it works there, you have a controller problem. If not, I would say you have a bad drive. Return it. Exchange for another, avoid Belkin if at all possible. Personally haven't had good luck with anything Belkin, although I haven't tried a floppy.

At this point, my guess would be that you will find you have a bad floppy drive.

 

[muthabored]

Alas, the cable was bad...I purchased another cable and presto! That did the trick. I tell folks all the time that just because something is "brand new", that doesn't mean that something can't be wrong with it.

The simple things...sigh.

Thanks to all!