floppy hassle...

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by moominboy, Nov 28, 2005.

  1. moominboy

    moominboy Gigabyte Poster

    i've googled this question folks but i'm getting lost in a sea of BIOS error codes! :eek:

    anyway, at work (army work not volunteer) my bosses pc died a death last night, burned out psu.

    instead of just being given a another good set-up to which he could easily install his old hdd to carry right on, he was given one from the back of the cupboard, so to speak, i.e, crap and just about usable.

    after some mucking around he gave me a shout and i eventually got the thing running but sans drivers for the time being.

    after that he decides to open it up again to stick in a cd drive which i said i would do later on, then, 2 hours later, he calls again, the boot process barely gets past memory check before giving "floppy drive error 40h"

    this is one option i found via google "Floppy disk drive motor time-out 40h" so could someone explain what this means and any possible remedy for it?

    btw, it's runnin '98 with prehistoric eqpt. and i checked all cables,pins etc but.... :blink oh and i can't even change things in bios as there is a password which nobody knows!
     
    Certifications: ECDL
    WIP: A+
  2. Jakamoko
    Honorary Member

    Jakamoko On the move again ...

    9,924
    74
    229
    Is the floppy light permantly lit at all ? If so, this means the cable is in backwards. Even if not, try removing the floppy altogether and rebooting. Eliminate it from teh equation and see where that takes you. For a tenner a pop, it's disposable !

    HTH :)
     
    Certifications: MCP, A+, Network+
    WIP: Clarity
  3. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

    8,878
    181
    256
    Moom, why didn't you just replace the PSU? That would have been easier than setting up a different PC especially as the replacement is troublesome.
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  4. moominboy

    moominboy Gigabyte Poster

    ah , the two psu's are totally different, as in one is massive, plus there is a very strange looking box in the "new" case, looks like a double drive bay with a very small fan at the back of it but it's installed facing the rear casing with the fan inside?

    and tbh, i didn't have time to look and see if it was physically possible to swap psu's or even check the power ratings of either! :oops:

    hopefully i should crack it tomorrow, anything for brownie points! :tongue
     
    Certifications: ECDL
    WIP: A+
  5. tripwire45
    Honorary Member

    tripwire45 Zettabyte Poster

    13,493
    180
    287
    I agree with Gav. When your boss decided to install the CD drive, he must have screwed up the cabling. Chances are that the BIOS is looking at the A drive for the MBR before moving on but because the floppy cable is (probably) on backwards, it can't read the device and the boot process goes toes up.

    I also agree with Pete that the standard solution to the original problem would be to buy and install a new PSU. It pays to keep a small supply of spares on hand. :wink:
     
    Certifications: A+ and Network+
  6. moominboy

    moominboy Gigabyte Poster


    not an option here trip tbh, a lot of squaddies have to buy their own laptops for work as the army is really tight for money.

    thanks for the ideas guys, i'll get in early and have a look.
     
    Certifications: ECDL
    WIP: A+
  7. nugget
    Honorary Member

    nugget Junior toady

    7,796
    71
    224
    Moomin, about the password, if you can have a look around where the battery is on the motherboard. There should be a 3 pin jumper labeled 'pwd reset' or something similar. If you take the jumper off the current 2 pins and place it on the other 2 pins (usually 1 on the outer and the middle pin) for about 5 seconds it "should" clear the bios settings back to factory set ones.
     
    Certifications: A+ | Network+ | Security+ | MCP (270,271,272,290,620) | MCDST | MCTS:Vista
    WIP: MCSA, 70-622,680,685
  8. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

    8,878
    181
    256
    Just being pedantic as usual but I don't think the MBR ever resides on a floppy. I believe the boot sector of a floppy is called the boot sector not MBR.
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  9. tripwire45
    Honorary Member

    tripwire45 Zettabyte Poster

    13,493
    180
    287
    My bad. :oops:

    30 lashes with a wet noodle for me.
     
    Certifications: A+ and Network+
  10. moominboy

    moominboy Gigabyte Poster

    i actually thought of taking the cmos out for a while today, never knew there were password reset jumpers! sweet!
     
    Certifications: ECDL
    WIP: A+

Share This Page

Loading...
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.