Hi,

I have three computers that developed problems with reading floppy disks.
Note: This problem occurred at a different time for each computer.

What is the most common problem with floppy disk drives?

Thanks in advance, Brad

Before you type your password, credit card number, etc.,
be sure there is no active keystroke logger (spyware) in your PC.

Brad wrote:
Hi,

I have three computers that developed problems with reading floppy disks.
Note: This problem occurred at a different time for each computer.

What is the most common problem with floppy disk drives?

Thanks in advance, Brad

Before you type your password, credit card number, etc.,
be sure there is no active keystroke logger (spyware) in your PC.


From my experience, the most common fault is a dirty head. Open up the
drive and clean the heads with alcohol. That sometimes is enough to
allow the drive to read.

Keep in mind however, that there are several comments about drives used
by Windows XP that encounter problems that other operating systems do
not encounter. Most believe this is due to the formatting of the disks
by a lesser OS. You might explore this possibility before you condemn
your drives.

On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:36:05 GMT, (Brad) wrote:

Hi,

I have three computers that developed problems with reading floppy disks.
Note: This problem occurred at a different time for each computer.

What is the most common problem with floppy disk drives?

Age, combined with moving parts.

Brad ) writes:
Hi,

I have three computers that developed problems with reading floppy disks.
Note: This problem occurred at a different time for each computer.

What is the most common problem with floppy disk drives?

I paid hundreds of dollars for my first 5.25" drive in 1984, and the last
time I bought a floppy drive it would have been twenty dollars. Nevermind
that I can have all the floppy drives I want (and actually far more) out of
scrapped computers for free.

That likely impacts on things, since they had to do quite a bit
in the design to get those prices so low.

But also, that 1984 floppy drive was being used. I had no other means of
saving things. Hence it didn't sit around for months waiting for some
use, it got used every time I used the computer. The last time I used the
floppy drive on this computer, it was months ago.

That likely means they don't get lubricated well, because the lubricant
on the moving parts isn't getting moved around a lot.

And while useage may get things "dirty", I suspect the lack of useage
makes it worse. The dirt piles up, and rather than getting distributed
it just sits there.

Years ago, I got an old Mac drive, and immediately it was clear that
the lubricant had dried out.

I was later given an old Mac, and they even said the floppy drive
didn't work. But, once I opened it, it was clear there was no way
it could work, even if it had at some point, because it was just to
clogged up with dirt that had been sucked through. And likely beyond
a certain point, that dirt caused other problems besides lack of movement;
if the dirt jammed things, then other parts would try to compensate and
burn out.

That said, unlike the old days floppy drives are generally cheap, which
is what we said the last time this question (or something like it) was
asked here. WHen they cost hundreds of dollars, repair and clearning
and alignment were worth the effort. But, now you can buy a floppy
drive for next to nothing, and you might as well start fresh.

Michael

On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:36:05 GMT, (Brad) wrote:

Hi,

I have three computers that developed problems with reading floppy disks.
Note: This problem occurred at a different time for each computer.

What is the most common problem with floppy disk drives?

Thanks in advance, Brad

Before you type your password, credit card number, etc.,
be sure there is no active keystroke logger (spyware) in your PC.


If the disks are stored in a damp environment they will have mildew on
them. The mildew is transferred to the head making subsequent "good"
disks malfunction as well. Clean the heads. A head cleaner disk will
usually work well enough - no need to take it apart.

Magnetic VHS tape has similar problems in damp places - mildew just
loves the recording media.

Clean the bad disk(S) if you want to try taking it apart. It is hard
to clean the disk when it is badly contaminated with mildew (the stuff
you can actually see). It is easy to destroy one while trying to
clean it. Use your head - alcohol is a good solvent if it contains
nothing that leaves a residue - soap and water works well - but give
it a wipe with alcohol so you don't have any minerals from the water
on the disk.

Store disks in an environment that stays dry and away from magnetic
fields or keep them sealed with a desiccant, or switch to CDRW. Some
disks seem more resistant to mildew than others - but I don't use
floppy any more so I haven't kept up with them.
--

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In article ,
says...
|On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:36:05 GMT, (Brad) wrote:
|
|Hi,
|
| I have three computers that developed problems with reading floppy disks.

A user who is a smoker can really gum up the works, as well as dust and
dirt. Contrary to popular belief of the masses, non moving electronics
components do wear out with time, especially capacitors.

Hi!

What is the most common problem with floppy disk drives?

Alignment problems and bad capacitors seem to top the list of things I've
seen causing failures. Gummed up or worn away grease can cause problems too.
On drives that use them, I've seen some failures of the density detection
and write protect switches... You can fix the capacitor problems if you
want...alignment is a bit tougher.

For all the posters that have suggested dirty heads as a cause, I have only
ever found a few drives that were affected by dirt or dust on the heads. In
many of these cases, the drive was packed full of dust or lint.

William

Hi!

then other parts would try to compensate and burn out.

I just can't see that being a problem unless it is a very poorly made drive.
The stepper motors that are usually used to drive the heads up and down the
surface of the disk have a lot of power. Even when stuck they seem to be
content to sit and hum or pulse with no lasting damage.

I have yet to see one of the "pancake" motors get stuck by lubrication
failure.


WHen they cost hundreds of dollars, repair and clearning and alignment
were worth the effort. But, now you can buy a floppy drive for next to
nothing, and you might as well start fresh.

Which is fine when your system uses a conventional drive. If it
doesn't...then knowing how to repair one could be handy. And it can be done
in many cases. This especially applies to users of older Macintosh computers
and the IBM PS/2 line. (Both of which are still regularly used in the right
circles.)

William

Brad wrote:
Hi,

I have three computers that developed problems with reading floppy disks.
Note: This problem occurred at a different time for each computer.

What is the most common problem with floppy disk drives?

Thanks in advance, Brad

Before you type your password, credit card number, etc.,
be sure there is no active keystroke logger (spyware) in your PC.



Head alignment or wear generally, but with brand new ones under 10 bucks
in most cases, I don't think anyone repairs them anymore.

William R. Walsh wrote:
For all the posters that have suggested dirty heads as a cause, I have only
ever found a few drives that were affected by dirt or dust on the heads. In
many of these cases, the drive was packed full of dust or lint.

You are IMHO, very lucky. While a CD Lens cleaner has saved many a CD/
DVD drive from impacted dust for me, something gets on the heads of many
drives that I see. I often fix up OLD computers (the last one was an 18
year old Mac/SE) and cleaning the heads fixed it right up.

I don't know what was on them, but using a cleaning diskette and 95%
grain alcohol fixed it. Mac drives are special because the have autoloading
mechanisms which gum up and need to be cleaned and relublicated.

Something also comes from the disks themsevles, when trying to read an old
disk I sometimes have to clean the heads to read it.

I use the grain alcohol because at $4 for 750ml, it's cheaper than
anything else and works fine.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 Fax ONLY: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

I wrote:
I use the grain alcohol because at $4 for 750ml, it's cheaper than
anything else and works fine.

Meat Plow replied:

And you can also mix it with orange juice.


Actually, it's cheaper than orange juice. :-)

Geoff.
--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 Fax ONLY: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

On Thu, 25 Jan 2007 00:02:28 GMT, Steven Stone
wrote:

In article ,
says...
|On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:36:05 GMT, (Brad) wrote:
|
|Hi,
|
| I have three computers that developed problems with reading floppy disks.

A user who is a smoker can really gum up the works, as well as dust and
dirt. Contrary to popular belief of the masses, non moving electronics
components do wear out with time, especially capacitors.

A smoker can be SOL with CDRW too. Coats the lens inside the CDRW,
probably coats everything but leaves a visible film on the lens. Q
tip and alcohol will fix that.
--

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