Solve : A: is not accessible?

1.	Solve : A: is not accessible?
Answer» "A" drive cannot read 3 1/2 floppy disk. Error msg "No ID address mark was found on floppy disk". The 3 1/2 disks in question is 1.44 MB Formatted new disks, I tried reading the disks in 3 different PC,s. I need to make a boot disk to upgrade BIOS in an older PC. CMOS is set to 3 1/2 floppy 1.44MB for A drive So as i understand it none of the 3 PC's are able to read the FLOPPIES. This points to an issue with the floppy discs and not the drive. If you can access the drive via "my computer" right click on the icon for the floppy drive and then with a disc in the drive try a "format" process and see if you can format the disc that way and then use it. truenorth Quote from: truenorth on December 19, 2010, 01:13:16 PM So as i understand it none of the 3 PC's are able to read the floppies. This points to an issue with the floppy discs and not the drive. If you can access the drive via "my computer" right click on the icon for the floppy drive and then with a disc in the drive try a "format" process and see if you can format the disc that way and then use it. truenorth I tried your suggestion and it is unable to format disk. I tried 2 different disks and both with same results, I am going to return the disks for refund, I wanted to check with PCHope first to make sure I didn't didnt miss anything. Thanks for your helpWhat is on these floppies ? ? Quote from: patio on December 19, 2010, 01:26:46 PM What is on these floppies ? ? nothing, they are new formated disksThis is unlikely to advance your issue. However i must state it in the very remote possibility that it exists. It should NOT as these are "New" floppies. There is a small tab on one of the corners (the upper right as the disk is facing you on the label side when the write portion is at the bottom). This tab is movable to allow a situation (user selected) to CREATE it so that the disk cannot be overwritten. This would NOT prevent reading the disk however it would prevent writing to it (as in trying my process of format). So try moving the tab to the opposite position that it is in now and try the format route again. truenorth Quote from: truenorth on December 19, 2010, 02:27:55 PM This is unlikely to advance your issue. However i must state it in the very remote possibility that it exists. It should NOT as these are "New" floppies. There is a small tab on one of the corners (the upper right as the disk is facing you on the label side when the write portion is at the bottom). This tab is movable to allow a situation (user selected) to create it so that the disk cannot be overwritten. This would NOT prevent reading the disk however it would prevent writing to it (as in trying my process of format). So try moving the tab to the opposite position that it is in now and try the format route again. truenorth I checked the tabs, they are in write position (hole covered). The properties show 0 bytes used and 0 bytes available with write protect on (hole open)Do you have a floppy upon which you know there is written data? If you place that floppy in the drive can it be read?truenorth P.S. I should probably await your reply but in order to try to MOVE the issue forward as quick as possible i am amending this post. Has this floppy drive EVER WORKED properly? If not I'll be coming forth with more info re the proper method for installing a floppy drive. Quote from: truenorth on December 19, 2010, 03:11:50 PM Do you have a floppy upon which you know there is written data? If you place that floppy in the drive can it be read?truenorth P.S. I should probably await your reply but in order to try to move the issue forward as quick as possible i am amending this post. Has this floppy drive EVER worked properly? If not I'll be coming forth with more info re the proper method for installing a floppy drive. Quote from: cstitt on December 19, 2010, 12:50:05 PM I tried reading the disks in 3 different PC,s. BC ,with all due respect the "discs that the O/P is most likely referring to are the "new" discs. This is not my question. It is any "other"discs? At this point i am allowing for the possibility ,while remote as i stated in one of my earlier posts, is that there "might" be a problem with his own floppy drive.truenorth Quote from: truenorth on December 19, 2010, 03:38:13 PM is that there "might" be a problem with his own floppy drive.truenorth Ok. And how does that problem with his floppy drive affect the other floppy drives that they have been tried in?It doesn't . Also how do YOUR posts advance the O/P's issue towards a solution? truenorthI second truenorth's question of "are there any other discs that work in these drives?". And to clarify, you are running Windows? I would give DOS a try-- open up command PROMPT, type "a:" (w/o quotes). Quote from: Shark Fin 101 on December 19, 2010, 10:42:24 PM I second truenorth's question of "are there any other discs that work in these drives?". And to clarify, you are running Windows? I would give DOS a try-- open up command prompt, type "a:" (w/o quotes). I have never used a: drive on these pc's and I don't have any disks with data or files to check. I got A> prompt on DOS window but I have forgotten all DOS cmd's and syntaxTry DIR while it displays "A:\>"

Answer»

"A" drive cannot read 3 1/2 floppy disk. Error msg "No ID address mark was found on floppy disk".
The 3 1/2 disks in question is 1.44 MB Formatted new disks, I tried reading the disks in 3 different PC,s.
I need to make a boot disk to upgrade BIOS in an older PC. CMOS is set to 3 1/2 floppy 1.44MB for A drive
So as i understand it none of the 3 PC's are able to read the FLOPPIES. This points to an issue with the floppy discs and not the drive. If you can access the drive via "my computer" right click on the icon for the floppy drive and then with a disc in the drive try a "format" process and see if you can format the disc that way and then use it. truenorth Quote from: truenorth on December 19, 2010, 01:13:16 PM

So as i understand it none of the 3 PC's are able to read the floppies. This points to an issue with the floppy discs and not the drive. If you can access the drive via "my computer" right click on the icon for the floppy drive and then with a disc in the drive try a "format" process and see if you can format the disc that way and then use it. truenorth

I tried your suggestion and it is unable to format disk. I tried 2 different disks and both with same results, I am going to return the disks for refund, I wanted to check with PCHope first to make sure I didn't didnt miss anything.

Thanks for your helpWhat is on these floppies ? ? Quote from: patio on December 19, 2010, 01:26:46 PM

What is on these floppies ? ?

nothing, they are new formated disksThis is unlikely to advance your issue. However i must state it in the very remote possibility that it exists. It should NOT as these are "New" floppies. There is a small tab on one of the corners (the upper right as the disk is facing you on the label side when the write portion is at the bottom). This tab is movable to allow a situation (user selected) to CREATE it so that the disk cannot be overwritten. This would NOT prevent reading the disk however it would prevent writing to it (as in trying my process of format). So try moving the tab to the opposite position that it is in now and try the format route again. truenorth Quote from: truenorth on December 19, 2010, 02:27:55 PM

This is unlikely to advance your issue. However i must state it in the very remote possibility that it exists. It should NOT as these are "New" floppies. There is a small tab on one of the corners (the upper right as the disk is facing you on the label side when the write portion is at the bottom). This tab is movable to allow a situation (user selected) to create it so that the disk cannot be overwritten. This would NOT prevent reading the disk however it would prevent writing to it (as in trying my process of format). So try moving the tab to the opposite position that it is in now and try the format route again. truenorth

I checked the tabs, they are in write position (hole covered). The properties show 0 bytes used and 0 bytes available with write protect on (hole open)Do you have a floppy upon which you know there is written data? If you place that floppy in the drive can it be read?truenorth
P.S. I should probably await your reply but in order to try to MOVE the issue forward as quick as possible i am amending this post. Has this floppy drive EVER WORKED properly? If not I'll be coming forth with more info re the proper method for installing a floppy drive. Quote from: truenorth on December 19, 2010, 03:11:50 PM

Do you have a floppy upon which you know there is written data? If you place that floppy in the drive can it be read?truenorth
P.S. I should probably await your reply but in order to try to move the issue forward as quick as possible i am amending this post. Has this floppy drive EVER worked properly? If not I'll be coming forth with more info re the proper method for installing a floppy drive.

Quote from: cstitt on December 19, 2010, 12:50:05 PM

I tried reading the disks in 3 different PC,s.

BC ,with all due respect the "discs that the O/P is most likely referring to are the "new" discs. This is not my question. It is any "other"discs? At this point i am allowing for the possibility ,while remote as i stated in one of my earlier posts, is that there "might" be a problem with his own floppy drive.truenorth Quote from: truenorth on December 19, 2010, 03:38:13 PM

is that there "might" be a problem with his own floppy drive.truenorth

Ok. And how does that problem with his floppy drive affect the other floppy drives that they have been tried in?It doesn't . Also how do YOUR posts advance the O/P's issue towards a solution? truenorthI second truenorth's question of "are there any other discs that work in these drives?".

And to clarify, you are running Windows?

I would give DOS a try-- open up command PROMPT, type "a:" (w/o quotes). Quote from: Shark Fin 101 on December 19, 2010, 10:42:24 PM

I second truenorth's question of "are there any other discs that work in these drives?".

And to clarify, you are running Windows?

I would give DOS a try-- open up command prompt, type "a:" (w/o quotes).

I have never used a: drive on these pc's and I don't have any disks with data or files to check.

I got A> prompt on DOS window but I have forgotten all DOS cmd's and syntaxTry DIR while it displays "A:\>"

Solve : A: is not accessible?

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