Solve : 5 1/4" drive trouble?

1.	Solve : 5 1/4" drive trouble?
Answer» I recently tried an old 1.2mb 5.25" FDD in my 500mhz Celeron PC running windows 98. No matter what combination I USE with the ribbon cable, it would not work even though the 3.5" FDD on the same cable would. I tried both 360 and 1.2mb in the BIOS and all I would get is a Drive A: (Or B:, depending on how I had jigged it up) after POST, or in Windows 98 it would reply Drive A:\ (Or B:\) Not Ready. I got this with 3 different floppy cables (Card edge connector) and assumed it was the drive. I have just got 2 brand new tandon metal chassis 1.2mb 5.25" still sealed, and I get the same results. Surely they wouldn't make the mobo incompatible but put the option in the BIOS? How can I solve this? I have never connected a large 5.25" FDD but are you sure you properly connected the ribbon cable? Pin 1 is the red line and it should go on.. Pin 1.. Also, keep in that mind that Connector A: is the connector with the twist in the cable.Yes, I have set the connector every which way and the jumpers on the drive as well. The closest I have managed is to get the computer to recognise the drive. When I click on it's Icon in windows the motor twitches up and down for a minute and then states that Drive A: is not ready. For the purposes of simplification I removed the 3.5" and said so in the BIOSQuote I have just got 2 brand new tandon metal chassis 1.2mb 5.25" still sealed, and I get the same results. Surely they wouldn't make the mobo incompatible but put the option in the BIOS? How can I solve this? I'm amazed to hear you can still buy those things. Why would anyone buy them? They were obsolete long ago. If you need a floppy drive, why not get a 3.5 inch drive? I work with really old hardware, these are very useful for data transfer. Currently, I have an XT clone and a IBM compatible luggable that are very nice doorstops right now cos I can't get a boot disk. Also, once they boot Iwould like to be able to transfer files and use SOFTWARE on 5.25" disk.Curious: Why would you work with machines as old as that?I do so by choice For the following reasons: 1) I'm Curious 2) They're easier to understand 3) You have greater control over the hardware - You know exactly what's going on 4) If i break one messing about, it's no biggie. They rarely cost more than £50, often for free. 5) A wierd feeling of nostalgia - Wierd as in I'm not old enough to have used most of these before. 6) There are a lot more interesting sounds and smells 7) There's a lot of them They are pretty reliable 9) Interesting media! 10) Huge archive of free and abandoned software/games.Alright. And you are certain the 5.25" FDD is in good condition? Perhaps you should CONTACT the mainboard MANUFACTURER and ask them if your mainboard supports 5.25" FDD's. Sometimes the option to configure them is there, but it might be removed in later BIOS updates because it probably never worked in the first place.I am certain. Two brand new sealed drives and 1 used but working drives - Can't be by chance. I'll contact the manufacturer tonight.You might want to look in your bios for an option "floppy drive detect". It allows the bios to check floppy drives during post. You might also have to set windows to look for floppy drives on each boot. Right click my computer, click properties, click performance, click file system, click floppy drives, check "look for floppy drives on each reboot".I discovered th problem was I was using DD disks in a HD drive. Soons as I can get my hands on some, I'll be fine.You can most likely use those disks under DOS by setting drivparm in config.sys or in Windows by setting it in config.dos. The only drawback is that when you use a different disk type you would have to REM the line in the config files.Hmm, I found out that I was using the right disks anyway, DS DD, I can read 360k ones (Not got any 1.2mb) move, edit copy and save files and programs safely and completely, but can't format any disks. Windows tells me that there is no disk in the drive or the drive is open. DOS FORMATTING gives a Not Ready error.

Answer»

I recently tried an old 1.2mb 5.25" FDD in my 500mhz Celeron PC running windows 98. No matter what combination I USE with the ribbon cable, it would not work even though the 3.5" FDD on the same cable would. I tried both 360 and 1.2mb in the BIOS and all I would get is a Drive A: (Or B:, depending on how I had jigged it up) after POST, or in Windows 98 it would reply Drive A:\ (Or B:\) Not Ready. I got this with 3 different floppy cables (Card edge connector) and assumed it was the drive.

I have just got 2 brand new tandon metal chassis 1.2mb 5.25" still sealed, and I get the same results. Surely they wouldn't make the mobo incompatible but put the option in the BIOS?

How can I solve this? I have never connected a large 5.25" FDD but are you sure you properly connected the ribbon cable? Pin 1 is the red line and it should go on.. Pin 1..

Also, keep in that mind that Connector A: is the connector with the twist in the cable.Yes, I have set the connector every which way and the jumpers on the drive as well.
The closest I have managed is to get the computer to recognise the drive. When I click on it's Icon in windows the motor twitches up and down for a minute and then states that Drive A: is not ready.

For the purposes of simplification I removed the 3.5" and said so in the BIOSQuote

I have just got 2 brand new tandon metal chassis 1.2mb 5.25" still sealed, and I get the same results. Surely they wouldn't make the mobo incompatible but put the option in the BIOS?

How can I solve this?

I'm amazed to hear you can still buy those things. Why would anyone buy them? They were obsolete long ago.

If you need a floppy drive, why not get a 3.5 inch drive?
I work with really old hardware, these are very useful for data transfer. Currently, I have an XT clone and a IBM compatible luggable that are very nice doorstops right now cos I can't get a boot disk. Also, once they boot Iwould like to be able to transfer files and use SOFTWARE on 5.25" disk.Curious: Why would you work with machines as old as that?I do so by choice

For the following reasons:

1) I'm Curious
2) They're easier to understand
3) You have greater control over the hardware - You know exactly what's going on
4) If i break one messing about, it's no biggie. They rarely cost more than £50, often for free.
5) A wierd feeling of nostalgia - Wierd as in I'm not old enough to have used most of these before.
6) There are a lot more interesting sounds and smells
7) There's a lot of them
They are pretty reliable
9) Interesting media!
10) Huge archive of free and abandoned software/games.Alright. And you are certain the 5.25" FDD is in good condition?

Perhaps you should CONTACT the mainboard MANUFACTURER and ask them if your mainboard supports 5.25" FDD's. Sometimes the option to configure them is there, but it might be removed in later BIOS updates because it probably never worked in the first place.I am certain. Two brand new sealed drives and 1 used but working drives - Can't be by chance.

I'll contact the manufacturer tonight.You might want to look in your bios for an option "floppy drive detect". It allows the bios to check floppy drives during post. You might also have to set windows to look for floppy drives on each boot.
Right click my computer, click properties, click performance, click file system, click floppy drives, check "look for floppy drives on each reboot".I discovered th problem was I was using DD disks in a HD drive.
Soons as I can get my hands on some, I'll be fine.You can most likely use those disks under DOS by setting drivparm in config.sys or in Windows by setting it in config.dos. The only drawback is that when you use a different disk type you would have to REM the line in the config files.Hmm, I found out that I was using the right disks anyway, DS DD, I can read 360k ones (Not got any 1.2mb) move, edit copy and save files and programs safely and completely, but can't format any disks. Windows tells me that there is no disk in the drive or the drive is open. DOS FORMATTING gives a Not Ready error.

Solve : 5 1/4" drive trouble?

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