Need help with floppy drive...please

  • Thread starter Thread starter henry_mullis
  • Start date Start date
H

henry_mullis

New member
I just finished building my first computer. ( I had one RAM-compatibility problem, but I fixed that) the only problem now is that everytime I boot up my comp beeps and says Incorrect a: drive type - run setup. So I ran the setup and had the option to change what kind of floppy drive is setup to run. I made sure the setting was for 1.44mb - 3 1/2 drive (which is what I have). That does not fix the problem. I don't think it is the cable because it has to recognize the drive because it says that it is the wrong type. I am at a loss. Please reply with any ideas that might help me fix the problem. After this is fixed then everything should be working fine. Thanks a lot.

Henry
 
No, the led is not staying on. It lights up like floppy drives usually do and then goes off.
 
henry_mullis said:
No, the led is not staying on. It lights up like floppy drives usually do and then goes off.
Click to expand...
That would have been an indication that the power plug was in backwards.
What brand drive is it ?
 
You dont have a floppy disc in the drive do ya ?
Also, try changing the boot sequence in the bios to floppy last and see what happens.

Explanation: The system has detected that the type of floppy disk drives it sees in the system does not match what you have defined in the BIOS setup program. In fact, many systems will not report this but will just malfunction when the drive(s) are set up incorrectly.

Diagnosis: The floppy disk settings in the BIOS setup are incorrect.
 
The floppy drive (assuming it's the only floppy) has to go at the end of the cable, after the "twist". Typically on most floppies you'll put pin 1 (the red stripe) away from the power connector, but that's not rule. It's VERY easy to accidentally get a floppy cable only on half the pins or to miss a couple pins on the end, either on the drive side or the motherboard side. Start over from scratch with the cable and this time pay very close attention how the cable is going on. Also, since the cable might have been put on incorrectly, take a look at the pins on the drive and motherboard and make sure that none of them are bent. If they are, straighten them out gently with your fingernail or a pen.

The 4 pin power cable really only goes on one way nicely...take a look at the shape of the cable and then take a look at the shape of the connector on the drive...

This is an error with the data or power cable, not the BIOS.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Ok, I appreciate the advice so far. Does anybody have an idea what might be wrong with my BIOS. I set it up for the kind of drive I have, but I don't know what else to change. Thanks.

Henry
 
There is nothing wrong with your BIOS...I believe you're seeing a "phantom error" (e.g. remember, this is just software we're talking about).

There will only be ~5 floppy settings in the BIOS. The first is the actual drive selection, which you've set to 3.5" 1.44MB correctly. The second is the "floppy seek on startup" option, which is obviously on. The third will be "swap floppy" drive letters, which is unnecessary. The fourth will be somewhere in peripheral setup and will be to enable or disable the floppy controller. The fifth will be an option to select the mode in which the floppy operates (leave it alone). Other than that, there's of course the boot selection option in which you can tell the machine which devices to boot from in which order.

It is my guess that you have the floppy cable on backwards (e.g. the drive end on the motherboard and the motherboard end on the drive end), or that you don't have the floppy at the *end* of the cable after the twist. Aside from that, I would also check that you've got the cable on all the pins correctly. Finally, your cable could be bad or it might not be a 1.44MB floppy drive (maybe a 720K or an LS120).

Slackmaster 2000
 
Slackmaster2K said:
...or that you don't have the floppy at the *end* of the cable after the twist.
Click to expand...

YES... it's one of the most happen. You need to hook your cable END to END. It means snap one edge to the motherboard, and another to Floppy. Leave the middle alone. Check it out.

;)
Jaymz
 
Hey,
Well, I got the problem fixed. I feel so dumb. When it comes to computers I am not really that stupid. I have fooled around with them enough to know what I am doing. I am actually taking CISCO networking at the moment. Anyway, all that was the matter was that the cable was turned around. I guess I assummed that Floppy drive cables were the same as IDE cables in that they can only be plugged in one way. I was wrong. The floppy cable when fit nicely both ways. Anyway, thanks you guys for the info. You have been a real help.

Henry
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top