"Floppy is Write Protected". NOT!

Hi,

I installed a regular floppy drive in my Dell 2400, (had to buy the
adapter also). Set it up in the BIOS. All OK!

It will read all floppy disks I have, about(4) of them.

But it will NOT Write!! Error message: floppy is write protected.

Does Dell hate me or does my floppy hate me or both ????

Thanks!!!

Mike

Problem with this world is that there is too much apathy!!! But who
cares??

I don't know about your Dell, but a lot of computers have a floppy write
protect setting in the bios. Check and see if it is there and disable it if
it is.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi,

I installed a regular floppy drive in my Dell 2400, (had to buy the
adapter also). Set it up in the BIOS. All OK!

It will read all floppy disks I have, about(4) of them.

But it will NOT Write!! Error message: floppy is write protected.

Does Dell hate me or does my floppy hate me or both ????

Thanks!!!

Mike

Problem with this world is that there is too much apathy!!! But who
cares??

wrote:
But it will NOT Write!! Error message: floppy is write protected.

Sounds like a hardware problem with the write-protect sensor on the
floppy drive. Could also be a bad cable between the drive and the MB,
or a motherboard problem, but I'd suspect the drive first. Get a DVM
or scope and track down the write-protect line. Pin 28 according to
http://www.bbdsoft.com/floppy.html

Problem with this world is that there is too much apathy!!! But who
cares??

"Is it ignorance or apathy? [...] Well, I don't know and I don't
care." Jimmy Buffet.

"Tweek" wrote in message
news:Yh8ge.40$qT1.30@trnddc06...
I don't know about your Dell, but a lot of computers have a floppy write
protect setting in the bios. Check and see if it is there and disable it if
it is.



I agree. Double check the floppy write settings in BIOS....


Stew

"Tweek" wrote in message
news:Yh8ge.40$qT1.30@trnddc06...
I don't know about your Dell, but a lot of computers have a floppy write
protect setting in the bios. Check and see if it is there and disable it if
it is.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi,

I installed a regular floppy drive in my Dell 2400, (had to buy the
adapter also). Set it up in the BIOS. All OK!

It will read all floppy disks I have, about(4) of them.

But it will NOT Write!! Error message: floppy is write protected.

Does Dell hate me or does my floppy hate me or both ????

Thanks!!!

Mike

Problem with this world is that there is too much apathy!!! But who
cares??




I seem to remember that this was a symptom if the cable was upside down.
Maybe not

It shouldn't read disks at all if the cable is upside down. I think that the
read light stays on when the cable is backwards too.

"Tom Scales" wrote in message
.. .

"Tweek" wrote in message
news:Yh8ge.40$qT1.30@trnddc06...
I don't know about your Dell, but a lot of computers have a floppy write
protect setting in the bios. Check and see if it is there and disable it
if it is.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi,

I installed a regular floppy drive in my Dell 2400, (had to buy the
adapter also). Set it up in the BIOS. All OK!

It will read all floppy disks I have, about(4) of them.

But it will NOT Write!! Error message: floppy is write protected.

Does Dell hate me or does my floppy hate me or both ????

Thanks!!!

Mike

Problem with this world is that there is too much apathy!!! But who
cares??




I seem to remember that this was a symptom if the cable was upside down.
Maybe not

Tweek schrieb:
It shouldn't read disks at all if the cable is upside down. I think that the
read light stays on when the cable is backwards too.

yep, and every floppy disk that would be inserted then would be erased
immediately.

Olaf

"Tom Scales" wrote in message
.. .

"Tweek" wrote in message
news:Yh8ge.40$qT1.30@trnddc06...
I don't know about your Dell, but a lot of computers have a floppy write
protect setting in the bios. Check and see if it is there and disable it
if it is.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi,

I installed a regular floppy drive in my Dell 2400, (had to buy the
adapter also). Set it up in the BIOS. All OK!

It will read all floppy disks I have, about(4) of them.

But it will NOT Write!! Error message: floppy is write protected.

Does Dell hate me or does my floppy hate me or both ????

Thanks!!!

Mike

Problem with this world is that there is too much apathy!!! But who
cares??




I seem to remember that this was a symptom if the cable was upside down.
Maybe not



The drive would continually poll and the LED would be on if that were the
case. Not that I've ever done that or anything.....just what I heard....
;-)

In article . com,
says...

I installed a regular floppy drive in my Dell 2400, (had to buy the
adapter also). Set it up in the BIOS. All OK!

It will read all floppy disks I have, about(4) of them.

But it will NOT Write!! Error message: floppy is write protected.

Does Dell hate me or does my floppy hate me or both ????


Sorry to dwell on the obvious, but is the floppy disk write protected?

There is a hole in the corner of the floppy disk with a sliding tab,
which is called a write tab. When the slider closes the hole, the drive
can write on the disk. When the slider is not covering the hole, the
disk is write protected. If the slider is missing, you can cover it
with clear tape to enable writing (tape goes on the back side, where the
hole is elongated, just make it feel flat). There is a mode hole in the
other corner (leave it alone). The write tab has the elongated hole for
the slider.

William P. N. Smith wrote:
wrote:

But it will NOT Write!! Error message: floppy is write protected.

Sounds like a hardware problem with the write-protect sensor on the
floppy drive. Could also be a bad cable between the drive and the MB,
or a motherboard problem, but I'd suspect the drive first. Get a DVM
or scope and track down the write-protect line. Pin 28 according to
http://www.bbdsoft.com/floppy.html

IIRC the OP didn't say he'd checked the floppies to be sure the Write
Protect slide is in the Write position? (not insulting anyone's
intelligence, but it's best to start with basics)

Could also be dirt (little dust ball in the FDD which blocks the Write
Protect sensor) - give it a little blast of breath or from a can of
compressed air.