Floppy Drive Power Light Always On, Can't Read Floppy

Status
Not open for further replies.

Savage1701

Posts: 154   +1
I recently built a system with an Intel 955 Motherboard. All is well, except for one curious thing - the floppy drive activity light is always on, from the moment of startup, even before WinXP loads, and the system can't read a floppy. It just keeps requesting that I insert a floppy into my a: drive. It does not sound like the floppy spindle is running, and there are no solenoid-like clicks when I insert the floppy as though the system is trying to read it, just the mechanical "snap" of the eject spring.

Any thoughts? Did I miss something in BIOS? I tried 2 different, brand-new floppy drives and they both act the same way. I've never encountered this before.
 
Yep, Howard is right, as usual :cool: if you hook up the floppy cable backwards that is exactly what will happen.
 
I assume your are talking about the floppy cable to the motherboard and not the floppy power cable.

If I install it the other way I will be violating the tab/notch arrangement on the floppy data cable and the drive.
 
The floppy drive cable has a twisted section at one end. This is the end that plugs into the floppy drive. The other plain end plugs into your mobo.

Of course it`s also possible that the floppy drive itself is faulty.

Regards Howard :)
 
Well, ok, that's a new one for me. I reversed the cable at the floppy and it worked. It is a round cable, so there are no twists like the old ribbon cables. Of the 6 or so computers I have build this is the first time I noticed that the floppy drive's connector is notched on both the top and the bottom. Must have gotten lucky on all my other installs and oriented the cable correctly. Thanks for your help.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back