[SOLVED] How to get floppy drive working?

[rustedmetal]

I got a floppy drive that doesn't seem to be working with my laptop. The device seems to be functional and shows up on explorer but once i click on it it stays loading and the laptop doesn't respond. Most of the taskbar icon disappear and come back after i frantically try to close explorer. This sounds like a driver issue but if it is then where in the heck would i be able to find them?

 

[TerryLaze]

I got a floppy drive that doesn't seem to be working with my laptop. The device seems to be functional and shows up on explorer but once i click on it it stays loading and the laptop doesn't respond. Most of the taskbar icon disappear and come back after i frantically try to close explorer. This sounds like a driver issue but if it is then where in the heck would i be able to find them?

Use a different floppy,the disk not the drive,what you describe is windows trying to read a volume and failing at it, your disk is kaputt.

If it is a build-in ancient floppy drive it could be dirty and would need disassembly and a good cleaning, if you can read your disk on a different drive than that's more probable.

 

[rustedmetal]

Use a different floppy,the disk not the drive,what you describe is windows trying to read a volume and failing at it, your disk is kaputt.

If it is a build-in ancient floppy drive it could be dirty and would need disassembly and a good cleaning, if you can read your disk on a different drive than that's more probable.

It was a blank flpy. It's also an external reader, i'll go ahead and try to clean it to see if that works.

 

[TerryLaze]

It was a blank flpy. It's also an external reader, i'll go ahead and try to clean it to see if that works.

A blank floppy is extremely rare, an empty floppy still has stuff written on it to tell the OS what this floppy is.
So even an empty floppy could have corrupted data on it making it hard if not impossible to read,you should always try with multiple floppies to reduce the chance of the problem being with the floppy.

 

[mdd1963]

it's hard to imagine many 3.5" floppy disks without some sort of corrosion on their little semi-exposed/unprotected platter surfaces by now...(perhaps if stored in 0% humidity, in Arizona?)

Many disk surfaces from floppies look moldy after a few years...(same with Zip 100/250/etc) disks)

And will mess up previously floppy drives with said corrosion filling the read/write heads...

 

[rustedmetal]

A blank floppy is extremely rare, an empty floppy still has stuff written on it to tell the OS what this floppy is.
So even an empty floppy could have corrupted data on it making it hard if not impossible to read,you should always try with multiple floppies to reduce the chance of the problem being with the floppy.

Here's the link to the product.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Verbat...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
They are brand new sealed with zero damage. I've tried using 3 different ones by sending a very small pdf to them but windows says to insert a disk in the reader. I guess i'll have to open it and inspect the reader. I can hear parts inside trying to work but i don't know. I'll check it out.

 

[TerryLaze]

They are brand new sealed with zero damage.

Brand new in 1992! In 30 years they can degrade even in the packaging.

You should try formatting the floppies not sending them files and you should try with a different reader as well.
You have to figure out which one doesn't work right before you can try to fix the issue.

 

[rustedmetal]

Brand new in 1992! In 30 years they can degrade even in the packaging.

You should try formatting the floppies not sending them files and you should try with a different reader as well.
You have to figure out which one doesn't work right before you can try to fix the issue.

I can take a picture of the item

Brand new in 1992! In 30 years they can degrade even in the packaging.

You should try formatting the floppies not sending them files and you should try with a different reader as well.
You have to figure out which one doesn't work right before you can try to fix the issue.

I swear they look like they just came out of the assembly line. I had tried formatting them but but windows says to insert a floppy, so the reader shows up on PC but the discs are not recognize? Sigh. I'll in open the reader to see what i find and if i don't find anything....? I guess i'll just try using an older OS.

 

[TerryLaze]

I can take a picture of the item

I swear they look like they just came out of the assembly line. I had tried formatting them but but windows says to insert a floppy, so the reader shows up on PC but the discs are not recognize? Sigh. I'll in open the reader to see what i find and if i don't find anything....? I guess i'll just try using an older OS.

Either your drive can't read floppies or your floppies are bad unless you can test both of these scenarios you can't be sure.

Older OS will not help at all, windows 10 is 100% compatible with floppies.
You might have a weird bios but usually USB devices are detected by all bioses so that shouldn't be a problem either.