PREMIO Computer, Inc. Troubleshooting Guide : Floppy Disk Drive (FDD)

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Last revised:
06/28/1999

PREMIO Troubleshooting Guide
Floppy Disk Drive (FDD)

Jump to the self-diagnostic flowchart, or select the specific problem you're having with your floppy disk drive (FDD):

I'm getting a FDD controller error at startup.
I can't bootup from the floppy drive.
I can't read my floppy disks.
I can't write to my floppy disks.
I'm getting a drive A: not ready error.

I'M GETTING A FDD CONTROLLER ERROR AT STARTUP
1. Check your BIOS setup and make sure the onboard FDD controller is enabled.
2. Also,
check the FDD power connector and cable. Make sure both are connected properly.
3. If you have added an additional I/O card with a floppy controller, then make sure you disable it, otherwise it will conflict with the onboard FDD controller.

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I CAN'T BOOTUP FROM THE FLOPPY DRIVE
1. Make sure the disk you have is a
bootable disk.
2. Check the boot up sequence in the BIOS setup. Make sure it is set to A, C. And if you have a floppy seek at boot option in the BIOS, make sure it is also enabled.
3. If you need to create a boot disk, click here for detailed instructions.

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I CAN'T READ MY FLOPPY DISK
1. If you have another system, check to see if that system is able to read the floppy disk.
2. If you are having problems reading the disk in Windows 9x, then restart Windows 9x and boot into the command prompt only (hit F8 during startup for 95, or hold down the CTRL key for 98) and see if you can read the disk.
3. If you're able to read the disk in command prompt mode, but not in Windows 9x, then most likely it's caused by an application or driver you are loading in Windows 9x.

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I CAN'T WRITE TO MY FLOPPY DISK
1. Make sure your disk is not write protected.
2. There is a notch at the upper left hand corner (if you're looking at the backside of the disk); make sure the notch is down. If the notch is in the up position, then it is write protected.

I'M GETTING A DRIVE A: NOT READY ERROR
1. An object blocking the drive read/write head will cause such an error message.
2. Make sure there's no foreign object (such as a Post-It note or paperclip) stuck inside the drive.

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SELF-DIAGNOSTIC FLOWCHART
Begin at the circle START symbol, and follow the flowchart below to troubleshoot your problem. Remember to click on the GREEN boxes for more detailed instructions!

Floppy Disk Drive (FDD) Troubleshooting Flowchart - 15K

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CHECK FDD CABLE AND POWER CONNECTOR
1. Check the power cable going to FDD; make sure it's connected properly.
2. If the FDD LED is always on, then you may have reversed the FDD cable. Try reversing the FDD cable and see if that fixes the problem.

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CHECK BIOS BOOT SEQUENCE
1. First, set and check the boot sequence in your BIOS.
2. For systems with an AWARD BIOS, go to BIOS Features Setup, and set the BOOT SEQUENCE to A,C,SCSI.
3. For systems with an AMI BIOS, set the first boot device to FLOPPY, and the second boot device to IDE0.

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TEST DISK ON ANOTHER SYSTEM OR TRY ANOTHER DISK
1. If you can't read a disk, then try the disk on another system first.
2. Also, try a different disk. Sometimes a disk created on one system cannot be read on another system, and vice versa. This may be due to the fact that the FDD head is slightly out of alignment on one system.

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MAKE SURE DISK IS NOT WRITE PROTECTED
1. You will not be able to write to your disk if it is write protected. Even though you will still be able to read from the disk.
2. The write-protect notch on a 3.5" disk is at the upper left hand corner (if you're looking at the backside of the disk); make sure the notch is down. If the notch is in the up position, then it is write protected.

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