Floppy Drive Not Recognised

[spliffy]

I have been trying to install a floppy drive to my HP PC.
There is a FDD connector on the motherboard, and I've power the drive with 5V supply.
In the BIOS, I have changed the floppy drive setting from NOT INSTALLED to 3.5" FLOPPY and saved the settings.
On reboot, the floppy was still not recognised.
When I checked the BIOS, it still said NOT INSTALLED.
What am I doing wrong?
(Phoenix Award BIOS)
H E L P !

[aedipuss]

a floppy needs the flat 4 pin power connector with +5, +12, and 2 grounds.

[spliffy]

Are all the supplies / gounds necessary ?

[spliffy]

I was thinking that the problem was more to do with the BIOS settings.
I keep trying to change the setting, but when I reboot, it keeps reverting to' NOT INSTALLED'.

[DB83]

Do you have a constant on light with the drive (assuming that the power connection is right) ?

Constant light on - cable is attached the wrong way. much easier to do with a floppy than you may think.

[spliffy]

No light on at all.
The floppy does work in another PC.
What's worrying me, is that I am unable to change the bios setting.
If the device is not operating, for some reason, would this cause the bios setting to revert to NOT INSTALLED, even though I selected and saved setting as 3.5" FLOPPY ???

[spliffy]

I have +5V and 0V connected. Maybe I should try connecting the +12V and 0V pins as well. I assumed that they were not needed.
But surely that wouldn't affect the bios setting ??

[CobraPilot]

With your comments about using using the various voltage pins, it sounds like you are not using a standard power cable for a floppy drive.

Is that the case? If so, why not use a standard cable rather than what sounds like a "mix and match" effort? If you are using a standard cable, are you sure it's good?

What type cable did you use to test it in the other computer? Can you borrow that same cable and try it in your "problem" computer?

As to the BIOS not keeping your setting, that may be because your computer just doesn't find it because it's not being powered properly.

I once tried to set the BIOS for a different AGP speed BEFORE installing the new video card (a dumb move, I now know), but it wouldn't keep the setting until I actually installed the card. Might not be an equivalent situation, but it might be a hint.

[DB83]

A matter of elimination dear Watson. The power connector for floppy is standard. There should be one coming from your power supply. If not then you will need an adapter.
Having ascertained that your power supply is providing power to the drive then you can consider the data conenction.
The final point - bios level - there is something in the back of my mind of some bios's having more than one setting to set up drives - it may well be that there is a setting for the FDC port or smth like that - If you do not have it, then you need to get hold of the manual for your motherboard as that will explain all the settings. Phoenix/Award may be a standard name but not all versions are created equally.

[spliffy]

OK thanks...will look into that.
My connector is 'mix and match', simply because this is a modern SATA computer, and there is no standard power lead for an old-type floppy drive.

[classfour]

Floppy is 4 pin, not IDE connection; and the only one that would properly fit a floppy power connection (they only go on one way).

The key is to also connect the ribbon cable from the motherboard to the floppy drive with the proper cable (not a HDD ribbon cable).

My 3 year old Dell has the proper mobo connection for a floppy (as well as the bay and psu connection), not certain if new ones do.

[classfour]

I hang onto an external USB floppy drive for just this reason. I've had crashes caused by just this type of thing on a new machine to eat up hours of my time. If these aren't right: You don't boot.

[DB83]

OK thanks...will look into that.
My connector is 'mix and match', simply because this is a modern SATA computer, and there is no standard power lead for an old-type floppy drive.

Amazing !. I do not think I have ever seen a PSU that did not have a floppy power connector.

[Nelson37]

There is no light on the drive, it does not have power. You are attempting to use a non-standard power connector.

Is it not GLARINGLY OBVIOUS to all that this is where the problem lies? Get a standard floppy power adapter that connects to a standard molex connector. Quit screwing around and risking doing damage when a $3.00 part will solve the problem.

Yes, the BIOS will change to NOT INSTALLED when it does not detect the floppy drive, which it will do when the drive does not have power. There may also be a settting to ENABLE the floppy controller in the BIOS. But, WITHOUT POWER, it still will not work.

[spliffy]

I phoned HP today. They say that, although there is a FDD slot on the motherboard, and the BIOS has a floppy drive option, it has been disabled in my machine.
I find this hard to believe.
Does anyone know how to re-enable it ?
Does this involve re-flashing or simply a jumper needs to be installed ?
After holding for 30 minutes, HP were absolutely no help to me.
The Motherboard is MS-7525 and the bios is Phoenix Awards.
Help would be much appreciated.
As a last resort, I started looking for a FDD to USB or FDD to SATA converter, but can't even find one of those.

[zoobie]

look at www.newegg.com for adapters

[Nelson37]

A quick search shows that to be an MSI motherboard, with floppy drive support. It is possible HP required a change to the design to disable the floppy, or they snipped a pin to do so. No fix in such a case, however I have never heard of a floppy being disabled in such a way.

IMO, extremely likely that they "disabled" it by not providing the correct power connector. I WILL REPEAT, a $3.00 part will answer this question and almost certainly solve your problem.

Is there some good reason you have chosen to ignore the quick, easy, and obvious solution to this issue? I know you think you have properly supplied power, but the lack of the light on the floppy drives indicate that you are incorrect in that assumption. I would also re-check the drive in another PC, it is possible that you fried it. By not using the $3.00 part mentioned earlier.

[spliffy]

The good reason is that I do not want to wait 3 or 4 days for the connector to arrive, when I can make one in 10 minutes.
I have used a floppy power plug and connected the power pins correctly, i.e. 5V, 0V, 12V, 0V.
Both drives still working (and not 'fried') in another computer, I just checked them !
The green light should not come on (with power cables connected) if the FDD is not installed, which it isn't. So no surprise, no green light !
The question I am asking does not relate to power (I am 1000% sure that power is correct).
The question is down to motherboard / BIOS.
Apparently (so they tell me), the HDD has been disabled on this machine.
Question is...how to re-enable it ???

[aedipuss]

looks like they intentionally left a couple pins on the fdd connector disconnected. the schematics on the hp site show extra blanked pins.

[spliffy]

I just knew I shouldn't have bought an HP PC !

[spliffy]

Why on earth would they have done that ???

[DB83]

Why on earth would they have done that ???

Now you know what 'HP' really stands for. 'Highly Patched'

They probably thought that no one would dream of opening up their case to actually install a floppy drive. And another thing, does this case, presumably supllied by HP actaully have a drive bay for a floppy ?. You would have fun fitting one in a standard bay unless you do not mind the spaces left on either side.

But it's already been said, and more than once, start with a proper power connector - those pins are there for a reason. And is 3 days so important ? You have already wasted one in arguing the case.

Looking at a pinout diagram (not absolutely sure about this) it appears that pins 4 and 6 - the two missing at the top - are not used anyway and neither are the bottom pins.

[aedipuss]

I have used a floppy power plug and connected the power pins correctly, i.e. 5V, 0V, 12V, 0V.

check me to make sure but i remember the power connector voltage order for the floppy being 5v, grnd, grnd, 12v

[spliffy]

I did not come on this forum to 'argue a case', merely to try and solve a problem.
Yes, the power order is correct 5-0-0-12.
(By the way, I have an adaptor to fit the floppy drive to the bay)
Although many think they are out-dated, floppy drives can still be useful.

[DB83]

I did not come on this forum to 'argue a case', merely to try and solve a problem.
Yes, the power order is correct 5-0-0-12.
(By the way, I have an adaptor to fit the floppy drive to the bay)
Although many think they are out-dated, floppy drives can still be useful.

Indeed. You asked for help and you got the help. But you also 'argued' that your self-created cable was working when it obviously was not as the drive showed no sign of power (light) when electricity was applied to it.

For the sake of a few days and a few bucks you can get that adapter and then see if the unit can accept the drive, subject to the other help that has been offered. And if it does not, after exploring these possibilites, all you have lost is a few bucks and a few days.

[spliffy]

You seem fixated on the power cable issue. Maybe I should take your advice and buy a cable. You can then apologise to me for leading me in the wrong direction.
By the way, I do not like your attitude.

[DB83]

Well explain to me why I should lead you in the wrong direction.

You have, yourself, stated that the drive worked when you put it in another PC with a standard power connector.
You seem equally fixated that your own Heath-Robinson approach which you are adamant actually works except for your own words - or what part of your own words 'no green light on the drive' do you not understand.
My only attitude was that I came on here and actually tried to help you. But I am not the only one who has told you that you need an adapter. You cannot rely on your own creation as you only have one bit of gear to test it on. If it worked then you would not have created this thread in the first place.

Of course if you were to buy the adapter, and it did work, would you come back on here and admit that you were wrong ?

[spliffy]

DB83........I would prefer it if you no longer responded to this thread.
Goodbye and good luck !

[drjtech]

http://www.amazon.com/Syba-SY-CAB65011-5-Inch-Molex-Female/dp/B002KQ5KBQ

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812186077&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_m...yba-_-12186077

-drjenkins

[usually_quiet]

If you can't make your internal drive work, even with a purchased molex-to-floppy adapter cable, maybe a USB floppy drive would be useful. They work well enough for most purposes, and you may need it later on if you continue to use floppies.

Although most of the aftermarket PSUs I see still have floppy and molex power connectors, and most motherboards still have floppy connectors as well as parallel and serial headers or external ports, eventually all of this will go away. The manufacturers will want to cut costs, or make room for other things, or satisfy those with a cable-management obsession and a distaste for old tech.

Call me old-fashioned. I installed a floppy drive and salvaged two newish IDE HDDs from my old computer when I built my new system in the Fall of 2009. I added a serial port too, since my motherboard only had a serial port header. Now, I sort of wish I bought a USB floppy drive.