Floppy Drive Won't Read Diskette

[SonofAdam]

I am running an HP Pavilion 760n, with a standard floppy drive, Microsoft driver version 5.1.2600.0, Windows XP.
I took a training class from CompUSA Introduction to Windows XP. With the material comes a diskette with files to be used in the course. The first step is to run the setup program that comes on the diskette. However, when I try to do anything at all with this diskette, the drive continually reads/hunts, with the light on continuously, even with something simple as Explore. It won't stop searching even after stopping the task in task manager, and requires a cold boot to stop. The drive will read other diskettes, copy, paste, etc. The diskette has worked fine when I returned to the CompUSA store and they checked it by putting it in their machine and it does what it is supposed to. Any thoughts?
Thanks
jphanley@ix.netcom.com

 

[Snickle]

I'd take a freshly formatted [on your computer] disk with the original back to the store and have them make a copy of the original onto your disk. There may be a timing issue with the heads in your drive.

 

[SonofAdam]

Thanks Berton. Actually, I started out to do that yesterday. However, when I got to the store, they offered to give me a replacement diskette from another copy of the workbook. I did that instead of getting a copy made, and that may be a mistake because the replacement diskette behaved exactly the same as the original. Next visit I will insist on having the copy made as you suggest. Incidentally, CompUSA's online tech service is called DialaTech, and I spoke on the phone extensively with them today; their thought was that the CompUSA computers may have specific software on their hard discs to use in conjunction with this diskette, because they are the ones they use for their training classes, and I wouldn't have that on mine. I will also ask the CompUSA training people about that on Monday as well. Thanks again.
jphanley@ix.netcom.com

 

[edfair]

You might also try copying it to a temporary location on your hard drive. If it copies you have a software issue, if it doesn't copy you have a hardware issue.
Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[SonofAdam]

I stumbled onto a way out of my dilemma with this diskette, and somewhat along Mr. Berton's thought. I found the feature called "Copy Disc". I first put a diskette in the drive that I knew worked. I opened Explorer, clicked on 3 1/2 inch floppy, and got the normal view in the right pane. Then I removed the known floppy, and inserted the CompUSA diskette. Then right-clicked on 3 1/2 floppy, and got the drop-down menu, clicked on "Copy Disc", which opened the Copy Disc box. I clicked Start, and the diskette began reading, and continued until it finished, and light went out! I removed the CompUSA diskette and inserted a freshly formatted new diskette, and clicked to continue the copying onto the new diskette. That finished fine. Then I did as the CompUSA manual directed, and did a Run A:\Setup, and the new diskette moved its files onto my desktop as designed! It seems that the key was to start the process with a normal diskette, and not to do an Explore on the CompUSA diskette. I am in business, but left with the mystery of why the 'Copy Disc' command worked, but none of the regular Explore features worked. Ain't computers wonderful?

Good thought also from edfair (TechnicalUser) Jun 30, 2002
'You might also try copying it to a temporary location on your hard drive. If it copies you have a software issue, if it doesn't copy you have a hardware issue.' -- the problem is that as soon as I left-clicked on 3 1/2 floppy to bring up the files, it would start the hunting and never give me a chance to copy to the hard disk. Thanks for all your thoughts.
John
jphanley@ix.netcom.com