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troubleshooting strategies
example 3;
symptom:
The A: drive used to work fine but now it will not read or write to a floppy disk.
remedial work that should be done on a regular basis:
The drive may benefit from some good internal cleaning. Remove the dust and fluff from inside the drive using a brush and vacuum cleaner. The heads should also be cleaned with a proprietary cleaning disk daubed with a small drop of isopropyl alcohol.
diagnosis/cure:
In 64-bit Windows XP, check the drive using a brand new preformatted floppy disk. If fault still persists, click Start > Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > System, and select the Hardware tab and open Device Manager and select Floppy Disk Controllers and double-click on Standard Floppy Disk Controller. Then click on the Resources tab to check to see if there is a DMA or IRQ conflict. If there is a conflict, find out what device is using the same settings and try an unused DMA or IRQ.
Run the Add Hardware Wizard from Start > Control Panel > Add Hardware, it might automatically clear the device conflict.
Even though John's system is not a freshly built system, someone (maybe John himself) may have altered the settings in CMOS setup or disturbed the cables, so check that the A: drive in CMOS setup is set to 1.44MB 3.5". If ok, check the seating of the drive's IDE and power cables.
At this point if the fault persists, quickly test if the drive is at fault by trying a new floppy disk drive. You could also try a new IDE cable. Please note: For most mechanical problems it is usually cheaper to replace the drive rather than spend too much time attempting a repair.
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