Solving Problems 35
Drive Problems

Floppy drive problems

NOTICE: Do not attempt to clean drive heads with a swab. You may accidentally misalign the
heads, which can render the drive inoperable.
ENSURE THAT WINDOWS® RECOGNIZES THE DRIVE Click the Start button and click
My Computer. If the floppy drive is not listed, perform a full scan with your antivirus software to
check for and remove viruses. Viruses can sometimes prevent Windows from recognizing the drive.
TEST THE DRIVE
• Insert another disk to eliminate the possibility that the original floppy disk is defective.
• Insert a bootable floppy disk and reboot the computer.
ENSURE THAT THE DISK IS NOT FULL OR WRITE-PROTECTED Ensure that the disk has
available space and that it is not write-protected (locked). See the following illustration.
CLEAN THE DRIVE Use a commercially available cleaning kit.
not write-
protected
back of floppy disk
write-protected