cook@cpsvax.cps.msu.edu (Thomas E Cook) (11/29/89)
I have a 1.2M floppy drive in an IBM PC-AT compatible computer. I usually don't use the floppy drive much, except for backing up the hard disk. Recently, whenever I try to write to a floppy disk, I get a write protect error. The disk is not write protected, and I am able to read the disk with no problems. I found that if I do a cold boot, I can write to the floppy (this doesn't work with warm boot), but if I remove the floppy and try to write to another, the problem returns. Has anyone else experienced a similar problem? Does anyone know if there is anything I can do to correct it? Thanks. Tom Cook (cook@cpsvax.cps.msu.edu) | ``The truth cannot be asserted without 1628 Spartan Village #E | denouncing the falsehood.'' East Lansing, Michigan 48823-5928 | -- Leslie Stephen
AIN14922@merrimack.edu (Doug Linder) (11/29/89)
In article <5569@cps3xx.UUCP>, cook@cpsvax.cps.msu.edu (Thomas E Cook) writes: > Recently, whenever I try to write to a floppy disk, I get a write > protect error. The disk is not write protected, and I am able to read > the disk with no problems. > > I found that if I do a cold boot, I can write to the floppy (this > doesn't work with warm boot), but if I remove the floppy and try to > write to another, the problem returns. I'd have to take a look, but it sounds to me off the top of my head like it is a purely mechanical problem rather than an electronics one. There are sensors (which vary from drive to drive) which mechanically detect the notch on a floppy. It sounds like once you take the disk out, the thingamabob (please excue my highly technical terms :-) falls into place and will register incorrectly until the drive is reset. During a cold boot, many computers preform short diagnostics/setup routines so the OS knows how everything stands. Hence the strange noises you frequently hear from your floppy during bootup. It sound like you need some repairs. Pull the drive out and send it back. That probably didn't help at all, but... -- Douglas D. Linder, Merrimack College, N. Andover, MA CSNET: ain14922@merrimack.edu UUCP: {uunet,wang,ulowell}!samsung!hubdub!ain14922 "Mac? Isn't that just like a computer, only slower?"