2nd Floppy XP Pro says to insert a disk

[azscary]

This is a new build using an ASUS PRP800-MX and windows XP PRO SP2.

I have a customer that wants to have 2 floppy drives. I didn't know why, but customers get what they want. I need some rapid help as I am supposed to deliver the PC today.

The BIOS is enabled for the second drive, configured to B: 3.5" 1.44MB.

The cable is on correctly.

The drive is functional and is getting power.

Win XP Pro SP2 sees both drives OK.

When I try to access the drive, I get prompted to insert a disk in drive B: even though there is a disk in there that can successfully be read from drive A:

Swapping the 2 drives on the cable and whichever drive is on A: can read and write but still I am unable to access whichever drive is on drive B:.

Can I PLEASE get some assistance ASAP as I am supposed to deliver this PC to the customer today.

Thanks in advance.

[azscary]

I have searched the forums and cannot find a solution yet.

HELP!!!!

[Ob1]

try a different ribbon cable to connect the two drives to the pc.

[azscary]

Do you know how hard it is to find a 2 drive floppy cable these days?

Fry's Electronics is the only place in Sacramento that carries them and they do not carry the standard flat ribbon type only the round EXPENSIVE type.

IT STILL DOES THE SAME THING WITH A NEW CABLE!

Does anyone have an ideas at all? My customer is getting impatient for his machine and this STUPID floppy thing is the only thing holding me up.

I have already went to device manager and uninstalled the controller and let Windows reload it and it is still not seeing the disk in the drive.

Thanks

[azscary]

Also from a COMMAND window I can do a DIR command to A: but B: says device not ready.

Windows is showing the Floppy B: as a Portable Media device in Control Panel but I still cannot access the drive.

[azscary]

I found this on Microsoft, but I'll be fiddled if I can find a jumper or whatever a resistor pack is on the floppy.

6. Identifying drive A and B:

When installing a second floppy disk drive, it is NOT enough to simply connect the cable to the drives. Either a jumper or a resistor pack has to be moved or removed.

a. Jumpers:

Some disk drives require that a jumper be set to identify drive A and drive B. Check the documentation that came with your units to find out whether you have to set a jumper for these drives. This is especially true for 3.5-inch drives.
b. Resistor pack removal:

With some floppy drives, older ones particularly, a terminating resistor pack usually is required in the final drive in the chain. This resistor pack is usually present by default. If you are using two floppy drives, the first drive must have this resistor pack removed and you have to make sure the second (or final) drive in the chain (farthest away from the controller board) has its terminating resistor in place. On newer floppy drives a jumper may have to be moved or removed (see 6a). The instructions with most of these drives are fairly clear. Simply follow the steps recommended by the manufacturer.

[azscary]

After trying everything I can think of, including a different manufacturer of floppy drive, I have arrived at the possibility this is a MOB problem.

Is it possible that this ASUS board does not support 2 floppies?

Could it be a bad MOB?

[azscary]

After contacting ASUS, which I learned is pronounced A-SOOS, they have informed me that NONE of their newer MOB's will support a 2nd floppy drive.

Even though the BIOS allows you to enable it, ASUS has removed that functionality from their MOB's.

GREAT!

[glc]

It's difficult finding any current motherboards that will support a second floppy. It's a limitation of the currently used I/O chips.

[mairving]

I think that you could go with an external USB floppy drive.

[dave computer]

what possible use could you have with 2 floppy drives that would serve any pursose?

[bailey]

I gave that a lot of thought, and can't come up with any answere,
to make a copy of a floppy it writes it to the had drive so not needed there, and 5 1/4 disks aren't used anymore, most of that old software won't run on a newer system anyway, so there is no purpose of two 3.5 inch drives.

[glc]

what possible use could you have with 2 floppy drives that would serve any pursose?

Not the point, Dave - his customer wants 2 floppy drives. You make your customer happy.