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Thread ID: 51450 2004-11-21 06:37:00 A: and B: drives david_h (6430) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
294562 2004-11-22 04:20:00 The cable must be installed so the twisted section is furthest from the motherboard.

The 3½" should be on the end of the cable, so it's device "1 flipped" and is A:. I take it you can access it as A:, and read a disk like that.

The 5¼" should be DS1 or DS2 (depending if there's a DS0 position), and on the middle connector. That will make it device "1 non-flipped), which will be B:.

Try putting it as the only drive, on the end connector. (If you have both types of connector on the cable (5 in total ... 3 "pin header" type, and 2 "edge connector" type) See if it can be accessed as "1 flipped") and if Windows will accept it as A:, and read a floppy in it.
Graham L (2)
294563 2004-11-22 08:22:00 sorry ive tried all this, im beginning to think that my PC just wont accept a B: drive for some unknown reason david_h (6430)
294564 2004-11-23 00:02:00 Frst, m last suggestion was to try using the 5¼" as drive A: . I wonder if it might not work as a drive .

Second, where did you get the cable? There are two types of 34 wire drive cables . ;-)

There is a floppy drive cable, which has a group of wires flipped to allow for two drives . There is an MFM hard disk drive (control) cable, which has a different group of wires flipped to allow for two drives .
Graham L (2)
294565 2004-11-23 03:02:00 i have tried the 5 1/4 on A: and B: and the same with the 3 1/2 but it only reads the drive on A:

i have tried it with two cables, one from the computer from NZDF and with another cable i had lying around. still the same problem.
david_h (6430)
294566 2004-11-23 04:26:00 Have you tried using just DOS? That should establish if it's possible.

There's no autodetect in the BIOS for floppies... you have to explicitly tell it what type the drives are. The big one is probably 1.2MB ...there aren't many 360kB ones around, and even fewer 180kB ones.:D

The BIOS code for floppies works. Harddisks are a late development.;-) Unless people in later years have "improved" it without being forced to use it.
Graham L (2)
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