Computer Hope

Hardware => Hardware => Topic started by: Simon Billinge on December 03, 2005, 12:19:38 PM

Title: write protected floppy drive
Post by: Simon Billinge on December 03, 2005, 12:19:38 PM

I am having trouble writing to my A: (floppy) drive.  I can read files from a floopy disk but whenever i try to save files to the floppy drive i am told that the drive is write protected.
The disks are formatted, The tab on the disk is set correctly to allow writing to the floppy disk and the disk is not full.
I am able to write to the disks on another PC, I have checked the drivers for the floppy and am told by the pc that they are up-to-date.  I have also tried using a different floppy drive but still get the same message.
I am using Windows 2000 professional on a Micron millenium PC with a PIII 500Mhz chip and 512Mb.

Can anyone help with this problem?

Title: Re: write protected floppy drive
Post by: merlin_2 on December 03, 2005, 02:19:42 PM

How may mb are you trying to write to the floppy disk?


Have you move the plastic slider on the f/d to write to it....if you flip the f/d over before placing in the drive.....you will see an unlock padlock symbol.....and a locked symbol.....

Title: Re: write protected floppy drive
Post by: Simon Billinge on December 03, 2005, 03:42:40 PM

The disk tab is in the right place to allow me to write to the floppy disc.  I am trying to save very small data files, just to test the floppy drive, so there is not a problem with me trying to save a file that is too large for the floppy disc.  They are new discs so there is not a vrus issue (Norton Anti virus run on PC successfully).  The disc can also be written to on a different PC. This problem occurs with all floppy discs in my PC!

Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing this?

Title: Re: write protected floppy drive
Post by: merlin_2 on December 03, 2005, 03:46:30 PM

Buy a new floppy drive unit..........does it read ok.......

Bit of an old way to store data.......dont you think?

What data is written to f/disks......

Title: Re: write protected floppy drive
Post by: Simon Billinge on December 03, 2005, 04:33:42 PM

I have tried two different floppy drives, with the same result.
Floppies are a bit archaic, but I'm trying to transfer files from an old laptop that only has a floppy drive (it doesn't have the capacity to support a USB card).

Title: Re: write protected floppy drive
Post by: Admin_ merlin_2 on December 03, 2005, 04:40:13 PM

Data link..........nul modem cable......

Does the job
!

Or an ide adapter.......laptop drive...........>to pc....(c local>.drive...

Title: Re: write protected floppy drive
Post by: 2k_dummy on December 03, 2005, 05:33:43 PM

Sometimes this works, sometimes not.
Go into the BIOS and enable floppy drive detect. It is normally disabled by default. While in BIOS make sure the floppy is set to correct parameters (1.44).

Title: Re: write protected floppy drive
Post by: Simon Billinge on December 04, 2005, 04:40:24 PM

The floppy drive can read discs and open files from discs but cannot write to then. Is it likely to be an issue with the BIOS not detecting the drive?

Title: Re: write protected floppy drive
Post by: 2k_dummy on December 04, 2005, 04:53:58 PM

It is more likely to be an issue within windows. Log in to the admin account and check to see if write permission has been denied to any accounts.

Title: Re: write protected floppy drive
Post by: patio on December 04, 2005, 04:58:49 PM

2K is correct... if the drive can read files fine it is not a hardware issue.

patio.  8)

Title: Re: write protected floppy drive
Post by: Fed on December 04, 2005, 08:54:00 PM

Have you tried it with a different data cable?

Title: Re: write protected floppy drive
Post by: Simon Billinge on December 05, 2005, 11:06:17 PM

Thank you all for your suggestions.
Patio, sorry to be a complete dunce but how would i check for write protection on the accounts?
I know that i do not have any problems with saving data to the hard drive or writing to the CD writer.

Once again, many thanks to everyone for their help.