Windows 7 - 5.25" Floppy Drive

Asked By Olen R. Pearson

27-Jan-07 09:20 PM

Hi,

Yes, you read that correctly.  This is about a 5.25" floppy drive - namely
getting one to work.  (I know!  I know!  Don't say it!!)

I need to add a 5.25" drive to my Win XP Pro system.  I have installed the
drive and new cable to handle both this and the 3.5" drive but without
success.  The BIOS does provide an option for a 5.25" floppy.  The 3.5"
works fine, but when I try to add the 5.25" (any configuration on the
cable), neither drive works.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Olen

28-Jan-07 04:30 AM

There are several things to remember and check when installing
multiple floppy disk drives. First, the FDD at the end of the
cable id always Drive A whilst the FDD in the middle is Drive B.
Knowing this, match the bios setup accordingly. Third, know where
is Pin 1 in either FDD and at the motherboard connector. If one
of the FDD's show a persistent active light, then one of the 3
cable connectors is wrong. And, finally, do not assume that the
existing 5.25" FDD is even working, especially if it has been in
storage for some time.

28-Jan-07 05:10 AM

XP may not support the old drive, may need 3rd party
drivers.
VM Back
This is a virtual floppy drive for Windows NT / 2000 /
XP (works also on 2003 ... Now you can specify either 3.5"
or 5.25" for 640KB, 720KB and 1.2MB media. ...
chitchat.at.infoseek.co.jp/vmware/vfd.html - 16k -
Cached - Similar pages

How To Getting Floppy Drive Type Information
devType) { case 0: // 5.25 360K floppy case 1: // 5.25
1.2MB floppy dwRc ... Microsoft Windows 2000 Standard
Edition. Microsoft Windows XP Professional ...
support.microsoft.com/kb/163920 - Similar pages

Floppy Disk is Not Accessible, Not Formatted, or Not
Recognized by ...
DiskProbe (Dskprobe.exe) is included with the Windows
Support Tools for Windows XP Professional and Windows XP
64-Bit Edition, the Windows 2000 Support ...
support.microsoft.com/kb/140060 - Similar pages
[ More results from support.microsoft.com ]

eBay - Want It Now Post - 5.25 floppy drive w 1.2 MB
capacity ...
eBay - Want It Now Post - 5.25 floppy drive w 1.2 MB
capacity - 300055821775. ... A older floppy disk reader that
will work with Windows XP or Windows 2000. ...
wantitnow.ebay.com/5-25-floppy-drive-w-1-2-MB-capacity_W0QQadidZ300055821775
- 39k - Cached - Similar pages

Wanted 5.25" floppy drive - The Vintage Computer Forums
I have a 1.2MB 5.25" drive connected to my Pentium 4,
I haven't yet seen a BIOS that ... Also worth noting is that
Windows XP and 2000 don't seem to support ...
www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/showthread.php?p=35951
- 60k - Cached - Similar pages



floppy drive - namely
have installed the
drive but without
floppy.  The 3.5"
configuration on the
installing
the
Drive B.
know where
If one
the 3
that the
been in

28-Jan-07 06:37 AM

Try it with only the 5.25" drive connected.

28-Jan-07 11:23 AM

I have an XP machine with a 3.5" and 5.25" floppy...
both work fine and I did not have to do anything other than enable the B
drive in the bios.
It's simply a matter of getting the cables right.

The drive at the end of the cable (the cable must have a "twist" in it)
is the A: drive
The drive closest to the mobo is the B: drive.

IIRC some of the 5.25" drives had jumpers that designated A or B...
but it's been a while since I fooled with that

29-Jan-07 08:22 AM

That's what I'd also do just to make sure the parts actually work. Then add
the 3¼ drive.

In the end, it might be easier to dig up an old 386 that has both drives and
transfer from big disks to small disks with xcopy. BTDT...

-John O

02-Feb-07 02:07 PM

Some Intel Mainboards will not support 2 floppy drives.