Member Avatar for skullptura

i am would like to install a clean version of windows xp
i boot with the disk
and when i try to load the boot disk so i can start installiing xp it says nothing was found in my floppy drive
i have all the cables in the right spot and it still wont find anything i put into the drive
i currently have a bad version of xp installed but i need a new slate
any help at why my floppy drive is acting this way would be good
thx

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by caperjack

Dani AI

Generated

This expands on ’s question and the replies from and with practical checks and alternatives that weren’t mentioned in the thread.

First, narrow whether the problem is hardware or configuration. At power-on watch the POST messages — many BIOS show “Floppy drives: 1” or “None found.” If the drive is not listed, the motherboard isn’t seeing it (hardware or controller disabled). Enter BIOS and confirm the floppy controller is enabled and the drive type is set (for a 3.5" disk use “1.44M, 3.5in” rather than Auto). If the BIOS sees the drive but it still won’t read disks, the drive’s mechanics (heads/motor) are likely at fault.

Useful hardware checks (quick to try):

  • Swap the floppy cable or try the drive on another PC to rule out cable/motherboard failure.
  • Confirm the ribbon cable orientation: the red stripe = pin 1 on both drive and motherboard header, and use a 34‑pin floppy cable (not a 40‑pin IDE cable).
  • Make sure the small 4‑pin power connector (Berg connector) is attached and not loose.
  • Test with a known-good, bootable floppy to rule out a bad disk.

If the drive is dead or unreliable, avoid needing a working internal floppy:

  • Install Windows XP from the CD (or USB) — floppy is only needed during text-mode setup when you must load third-party RAID/SATA drivers via F6. For that case you can either create a driver floppy, slipstream drivers into the XP CD (tools such as nLite), or use a USB-based installer solution.
  • As a convenience replacement, cheap external USB floppy drives read/write standard 1.44MB disks and are often the fastest fix.

Background reading: Floppy disk drive and BIOS. If BIOS doesn’t list the drive after the above checks, replacement or an external USB floppy is the most reliable next step.

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Member Avatar for mjdodd

try checking what the first boot device is in the bios setup. I suggest disable the floopy drive until you have done what you want, it sounds to me as though it is lookinig there for a boot system.
M

Member Avatar for caperjack

i am would like to install a clean version of windows xp
i boot with the disk

do you mean a floppy disk or a winxp cd.you can install winxp from the cd ,just make sure that the cdrom is the first boot device set in the bios to do so .anyway check this out .
http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread55459.html

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