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Hmmmm, Where is the floppy drive in XP?



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 14th 17, 01:27 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
No_Name
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 177
Default Hmmmm, Where is the floppy drive in XP?

I'm not used to having a floppy drive on an XP machine.
I plugged in a NEW floppy drive, which I just got in the mail. I used
that twist cable which I mentioned. (twist on drive end), and connected
the power cable. Everything is plugged in properly.

I am not seeing the A: drive in My Computer.

I am not sure where else it should show up.

I confirmed this drive works by plugging it into the existing cables
connected to the internal floppy drive and it works fine. I read, wrote
and formatted a floppy.

In XP, I went to control panel, hardware, and I can see the floppy
listed. It says it's working fine.

I went to the command line, and typed A:
It says "Invalid drive specification".

The only thing I can think is that maybe that cable is defective???


Ads
  #3  
Old November 14th 17, 04:34 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
R.Wieser
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,302
Default Hmmmm, Where is the floppy drive in XP?

James,

I am not seeing the A: drive in My Computer.

I am not sure where else it should show up.


Have you already checked for the B: drive ?

The only thing I can think is that maybe that cable is defective???


Nope. That cable is designed to support *two* floppy drives, with one
before the twist, and the other after (as regarded from the connector thats
connected to the motherboard).

In short: Move your drive from before the twist to after (or vise verse),
and you most likely will see your A: drive appear. :-)

Hope that helps.

Regards,
Rudy Wieser

P.s.
Googeling for "floppy cable with twist", or even "drive cable with twist"
shows an explanation as the first hit ...


  #5  
Old November 14th 17, 04:57 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
J. P. Gilliver (John)[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,679
Default Hmmmm, Where is the floppy drive in XP?

In message ,
writes:
On Tue, 14 Nov 2017 06:27:43 -0600,
wrote:

I'm not used to having a floppy drive on an XP machine.
I plugged in a NEW floppy drive, which I just got in the mail. I used
that twist cable which I mentioned. (twist on drive end), and connected
the power cable. Everything is plugged in properly.

I am not seeing the A: drive in My Computer.

I am not sure where else it should show up.

I confirmed this drive works by plugging it into the existing cables
connected to the internal floppy drive and it works fine. I read, wrote
and formatted a floppy.


To clarify: your computer already had a floppy drive, and connecting the
new drive in its place, works. So how are you connecting it when it
_doesn't_ work, presumably with the (new?) cable-with-a-twist you
mention? To the same place on the motherboard as the existing one? If
the existing one has a cable with no twist, which side of the twist are
you connecting?

In XP, I went to control panel, hardware, and I can see the floppy
listed. It says it's working fine.

I went to the command line, and typed A:
It says "Invalid drive specification".


Even with a (formatted OK) floppy in?

The only thing I can think is that maybe that cable is defective???

(Possibly, though I'd have thought it wouldn't show in control panel.
Does it show a drive letter there [I presume you mean Device Manager]?
Does it show a drive letter for C: there?)

5 wire twist or 7 wire twist?
Do you have the power cable plugged it?

I did wonder that too (-:

Did you boot the machine?
Does it spin on the boot?

Good question: many BIOSes have a setting for whether it should try the
floppy on boot; turning it off saves time (and arguably wear on the
drive, though minimal). Though if there's something about that setting
that's stopping it working, I'd have expected it to stop the existing
one working, hence the question re how you're connecting the new one.

Does its light flash - on boot? When you try to access it? At any other
time?
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"If just one child is saved, then we'll have created a police state for the
benefit of just one child."
  #6  
Old November 14th 17, 08:42 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
No_Name
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 177
Default Hmmmm, Where is the floppy drive in XP?

On Tue, 14 Nov 2017 16:34:35 +0100, "R.Wieser"
wrote:

James,

I am not seeing the A: drive in My Computer.

I am not sure where else it should show up.


Have you already checked for the B: drive ?

The only thing I can think is that maybe that cable is defective???


Nope. That cable is designed to support *two* floppy drives, with one
before the twist, and the other after (as regarded from the connector thats
connected to the motherboard).

In short: Move your drive from before the twist to after (or vise verse),
and you most likely will see your A: drive appear. :-)

Hope that helps.

Regards,
Rudy Wieser

P.s.
Googeling for "floppy cable with twist", or even "drive cable with twist"
shows an explanation as the first hit ...


It's a SINGLE cable. Only one drive connector, and that one has the
twist. Yea, I did try B:.

I planned to pull the (known to work) cable out of my Win98 puter, but I
was downloading something at the time, and I try not to plug/unplug
stuff from the MOBO while the machine is running. Unplugging just that
cable probably woukd not hurt anything, but another cable could get
unplugged in the process, with stuff being crammed together.

I might go to the garage and see what's inside some of the real old
computers that I have. I would assume they all have floppy drive cables.

  #7  
Old November 14th 17, 08:58 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
No_Name
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 177
Default Hmmmm, Where is the floppy drive in XP?

On Tue, 14 Nov 2017 10:39:54 -0500, wrote:

On Tue, 14 Nov 2017 06:27:43 -0600,
wrote:

I'm not used to having a floppy drive on an XP machine.
I plugged in a NEW floppy drive, which I just got in the mail. I used
that twist cable which I mentioned. (twist on drive end), and connected
the power cable. Everything is plugged in properly.

I am not seeing the A: drive in My Computer.

I am not sure where else it should show up.

I confirmed this drive works by plugging it into the existing cables
connected to the internal floppy drive and it works fine. I read, wrote
and formatted a floppy.

In XP, I went to control panel, hardware, and I can see the floppy
listed. It says it's working fine.

I went to the command line, and typed A:
It says "Invalid drive specification".

The only thing I can think is that maybe that cable is defective???


5 wire twist or 7 wire twist?


SEVEN
(why do they make two different types?)
The one which works on my Win98 puter is also SEVEN.

Do you have the power cable plugged it?


Yes

Did you boot the machine?


Yes, several times

Does it spin on the boot?


No

Just for the heck of it, I booted a linux flash drive. I dont see A: or
B: in there either.

However, I am now wondering if it could be possible that something in
the bios needs to be changed? I know I have it set to boot from a flash
drive FIRST, then the HDD, and lastly the CD player. But since this
computer has never had a floppy drive, maybe there is some bios setting
to change?????
I would have looked already, but I cant remember what key to hit to get
into the bios. Its a homemade computer so looking that up may be tricky.
I think I need to start putting labels on every computer saying what key
needs to be pressed to go to the bios.

  #8  
Old November 14th 17, 09:05 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
No_Name
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 177
Default Hmmmm, Where is the floppy drive in XP?

On Tue, 14 Nov 2017 15:57:37 +0000, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
wrote:

In message ,
writes:
On Tue, 14 Nov 2017 06:27:43 -0600, wrote:

I'm not used to having a floppy drive on an XP machine.
I plugged in a NEW floppy drive, which I just got in the mail. I used
that twist cable which I mentioned. (twist on drive end), and connected
the power cable. Everything is plugged in properly.

I am not seeing the A: drive in My Computer.

I am not sure where else it should show up.

I confirmed this drive works by plugging it into the existing cables
connected to the internal floppy drive and it works fine. I read, wrote
and formatted a floppy.


To clarify: your computer already had a floppy drive, and connecting the
new drive in its place, works. So how are you connecting it when it
_doesn't_ work, presumably with the (new?) cable-with-a-twist you
mention? To the same place on the motherboard as the existing one? If
the existing one has a cable with no twist, which side of the twist are
you connecting?


Once again, you are not listening to what I said.
The drive works fine on my WIN98 computer, using the cable inside that
computer.

It DOES NOT work on my XP computer.\

Two entirely different computers!


In XP, I went to control panel, hardware, and I can see the floppy
listed. It says it's working fine.

I went to the command line, and typed A:
It says "Invalid drive specification".


Even with a (formatted OK) floppy in?


Yes


The only thing I can think is that maybe that cable is defective???

(Possibly, though I'd have thought it wouldn't show in control panel.
Does it show a drive letter there [I presume you mean Device Manager]?


Yes

Does it show a drive letter for C: there?)


Yes, as well as D: (CD drive) and other letters if I plug in any USB
sticks.


5 wire twist or 7 wire twist?
Do you have the power cable plugged it?

I did wonder that too (-:

Did you boot the machine?
Does it spin on the boot?

Good question: many BIOSes have a setting for whether it should try the
floppy on boot; turning it off saves time (and arguably wear on the
drive, though minimal). Though if there's something about that setting
that's stopping it working, I'd have expected it to stop the existing
one working, hence the question re how you're connecting the new one.

Does its light flash - on boot? When you try to access it? At any other
time?


No

  #9  
Old November 14th 17, 10:08 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
J. P. Gilliver (John)[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,679
Default Hmmmm, Where is the floppy drive in XP?

In message ,
writes:
On Tue, 14 Nov 2017 15:57:37 +0000, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
wrote:

In message ,
writes:
On Tue, 14 Nov 2017 06:27:43 -0600,
wrote:

I'm not used to having a floppy drive on an XP machine.
I plugged in a NEW floppy drive, which I just got in the mail. I used
that twist cable which I mentioned. (twist on drive end), and connected
the power cable. Everything is plugged in properly.

I am not seeing the A: drive in My Computer.

I am not sure where else it should show up.

I confirmed this drive works by plugging it into the existing cables
connected to the internal floppy drive and it works fine. I read, wrote
and formatted a floppy.


To clarify: your computer already had a floppy drive, and connecting the
new drive in its place, works. So how are you connecting it when it
_doesn't_ work, presumably with the (new?) cable-with-a-twist you
mention? To the same place on the motherboard as the existing one? If
the existing one has a cable with no twist, which side of the twist are
you connecting?


Once again, you are not listening to what I said.
The drive works fine on my WIN98 computer, using the cable inside that
computer.


Once again (I think - not sure about last time), you think you said
something you didn't. What you said was, "I confirmed this drive works
by plugging it into the existing cables connected to the internal floppy
drive and it works fine." No mention of that being a different computer!

It DOES NOT work on my XP computer.\

Two entirely different computers!

_Now_ you tell us (-:

In XP, I went to control panel, hardware, and I can see the floppy
listed. It says it's working fine.

[]
The only thing I can think is that maybe that cable is defective???


Does sound possible. Borrowing the cable from the computer on which it
works sounds worth trying. (And possibly the drive too, to check
combinations of cables and motherboard.)
[]
Does its light flash - on boot? When you try to access it? At any other
time?


No

Hmm. Are there volts at the power connector (should be, relative to the
black wires, +5V on the red one and +12V on the yellow, IIRR).
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

If you believe in telekinesis, raise my right hand
  #12  
Old November 15th 17, 08:34 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Paul[_32_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 11,873
Default Hmmmm, Where is the floppy drive in XP?

wrote:
On Tue, 14 Nov 2017 10:39:54 -0500,
wrote:

On Tue, 14 Nov 2017 06:27:43 -0600,
wrote:

I'm not used to having a floppy drive on an XP machine.
I plugged in a NEW floppy drive, which I just got in the mail. I used
that twist cable which I mentioned. (twist on drive end), and connected
the power cable. Everything is plugged in properly.

I am not seeing the A: drive in My Computer.

I am not sure where else it should show up.

I confirmed this drive works by plugging it into the existing cables
connected to the internal floppy drive and it works fine. I read, wrote
and formatted a floppy.

In XP, I went to control panel, hardware, and I can see the floppy
listed. It says it's working fine.

I went to the command line, and typed A:
It says "Invalid drive specification".

The only thing I can think is that maybe that cable is defective???

5 wire twist or 7 wire twist?


SEVEN
(why do they make two different types?)
The one which works on my Win98 puter is also SEVEN.

Do you have the power cable plugged it?


Yes

Did you boot the machine?


Yes, several times

Does it spin on the boot?


No

Just for the heck of it, I booted a linux flash drive. I dont see A: or
B: in there either.

However, I am now wondering if it could be possible that something in
the bios needs to be changed? I know I have it set to boot from a flash
drive FIRST, then the HDD, and lastly the CD player. But since this
computer has never had a floppy drive, maybe there is some bios setting
to change?????
I would have looked already, but I cant remember what key to hit to get
into the bios. Its a homemade computer so looking that up may be tricky.
I think I need to start putting labels on every computer saying what key
needs to be pressed to go to the bios.


There is a guide here on the floppy cable design.
The floppy drives are all (virtually) jumpered as B drives.
The connector "after the twist" (your config) makes
that defacto B drive, an A-drive. So the one on the
end is A.

http://www.pcguide.com/ref/fdd/confCable-c.html

Now, what if your drive was so old, it actually had
a jumper ? Then the problem might be that your drive
simply isn't being selected at the moment.

The twisted part, consists of four active signals.
Two for each drive. The twist swaps the signals, so
that one connector can have an A personality and the
other a B personality. (Just like a CS Cable Select method.)

The scheme described, works without problem if
all the drives are internally jumpered as B.
My spare drive here, there isn't any jumper position
on it, just the data cable and four pin power.
And there's nothing in the labeling to suggest
B-jumpering (which becomes A for the connector
after the twist).

That doesn't explain though, why you have
one equipment configuration that works. Which
suggests a BIOS problem.

I don't think your machine isn't that old, because it
does have one IDE and two SATA.

"ALIVE6100 VSTA [S754 AMD]"

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Pro...uID=24&LanID=0

IT8715F

The manual "ALIVE6100%20_VSTA1.0B.pdf" has
this - a single setting to disable the FDC.
Enabled is the default. If you can see it
in Device Manager, then that's probably proof
enough this is set to Enabled.

Onboard FDC Controller (Enabled)

This option enables the onboard floppy disk drive controller.

To get into the BIOS:

Press DEL to enter SETUP

which makes it the same as an Asus ? It should
put that prompt on the first visible screen.

The manual is from the year 2008, yet there is no mention
of popup boot. The line below "Press DEL..." should
identify the popup boot key (which gives a one-time boot
menu for starting the system).

A picture I can find of a Phoenix BIOS, doesn't show
a popup boot key choice. Just the del one.

HTH,
Paul
  #14  
Old November 15th 17, 09:27 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
No_Name
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 177
Default Hmmmm, Where is the floppy drive in XP?

On Tue, 14 Nov 2017 21:23:38 +0000, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
wrote:

In message ,
writes:
On Tue, 14 Nov 2017 13:58:54 -0600, wrote:

[]
I would have looked already, but I cant remember what key to hit to get
into the bios. Its a homemade computer so looking that up may be tricky.
I think I need to start putting labels on every computer saying what key
needs to be pressed to go to the bios.


On most, they tell you on screen during boot, especially desktops rather
than laptops. (If a CRT monitor, sometimes before the monitor has warmed
up, though, if it is turned on at the same time as the PC.) Sometimes
hidden behind a splash screen, though _that_ usually has a "press xx to
dismiss splash screen" on it somewhere.

You are probably on to something. Go into BIOS setup and be sure the
FDD adapter is enabled.

[]
Though the lack of any flash from the drive's LED makes me suspect it
isn't getting power ...


IT WORKS NOW.
Turns out the bios was set to "NONE' for floppy drives. I changed that,
and it works. It tried to boot from the floppy in that drive, which just
contains a text tile. I had to remove the floppy so XP would load from
the HDD.

Thanks for all who helped. Is one of you who made me suspect the bios. I
actually did not know floppies could be disabled in the bios. Now I do!


  #15  
Old November 15th 17, 03:16 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion
J. P. Gilliver (John)[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,679
Default floppy drives and cables

In message , Paul
writes:
[]
The twisted part, consists of four active signals.
Two for each drive. The twist swaps the signals, so
that one connector can have an A personality and the
other a B personality. (Just like a CS Cable Select method.)

[]
I've always assumed it was that, and thought it was a clever solution
(admittedly, requiring unusual cable construction).

So presumably there is something like (_at the drive_):

01 - A
10 - B

(or vice versa).

Does that mean there is the _possibility_ of _four_ drives, using up the
00 and 11 options?
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

I reckon in a few years we'll have GoogleBum. You'll type in someone's name
and it will show you what their bum looks like. Even if they've never posted a
nude picture, it will reconstruct their bum from bits of their face and leg
and whatever else they can find. - Charlie Brooker, RT 2014/12/13-19
 




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