Hi guys,


Celeron 600,
Mobo : ECS p6stp-flc, all a/v/network onbord,
Ram: 128
HD: 10G

problem : Unable to access Drive a:

On boot up (the sequence is a:/C http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif, the LED of the floopy goes on momentary and then goes to c: . In BIOS and DOS, there's Drive a: but when you try to access it, it will spin a long time and says something
" retry, ignore....".
When in Windows 98,window explorer says something like " drive a: not ready" when you click drive a:.

I recently has a faulty Power Supply and this happen when I boot up the pc for the first time after putting in a new one.
Could it be something to do with the bios being damaged by the PSU?

rgds

Does the drive light stay on constantly?

If so then you have the cable connected backwards, try flipping it over and reconnecting it.

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

hi mjc.

no, it is not. and the ribbon with red connects to pin 1.

I have connected a known working floopy as drive b:, window explorer shows it too but when you try to access it. the same story.

rgds

You might want to check the pins,on your floppy also,you could have bended them when you changed the P/S.Floppy cables are funny things,if it is not hooked up backwards,try changeing it out with a new one.
Matt D

Hello fordisand

Here I am with my trusty Diagnostic Charts.

FLOPPY DISK DRIVE
1. The floppy disk drive cannot be accessed.
2. I know youve tested your PSU and the voltages are ok.
3. Is the signal cable ok?
If not replace cable and re-test. [your doing that]
4. Replace drive with a known good drive and re-test with diagnostics.
5. You replaced it with a known good drive and it does not work.
You, therefore, have a faulty system board or adaptor.
[so says the charts]

I was beginning to wonder about this and sent you an Email saying so.
Perhaps a Motherboard/Adaptor fault caused your PSU to go faulty and if you don't fix it it might do the same to your new PSU!
And what if the faulty Board/Adaptor was caused by your faulty Floppy Drive! Perhaps this is a cascade effect and you are gradually working your way toward the source/cause.

Hi Mattd : thanks, yes I have done all that, remember I have attached two
floopies to the same cable and they all responsed to my control (spin and light up) ? Its unconceivable that none of them can read data.

Hi Sylvander: I long suspect that there's nothing to do with floopy drive/cabling/contacts but something to do with the bios and now you
named the mother board as a chief suspect .I recall you mentioned somewhere " to run a m/b diagnostic check from the floopy...." , where can I get the programme to check the m/b ?

In the meantime I will try bios forum as well .

shall keep you guys posted.

rgds

Hello fordisand

Try this web page as a start
http://www.datadepo.com/cliniccompare.htm

I used "Copernic" to search using the phrase "PC Diagnostics".

Hi all,

So here is the other unsolved computer mistery, I booted up the machine the next day, Drive A: was there working and singing.........

Thank you all the same.

When I first built my PC I had a brand new, shiny, blue, 350 Watt Enermax PS with a controller gizmo. First the CD wasn't recognized, then the CD-RW, then the hdd, and finally the floppy drive. When I got one working another thing would fail. It took a number of days until I went to CompUSA and bought a plain, grey, vanilla 400 Watt Antec PS. It worked like a charm. I sent the other back to the dealer, they tested it and gave me a 100% refund.

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They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.
---Edgar Allan Poe

Hi nooyawkah,

I'm a bit luckier,Thanks to Sylvander it only took me a day or so to find out the guilty part, the PSU. But I'm still scratching my head to the bizarre behavior of the floppy drive.

rgds