1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 12:56:38 Page 1
17
Chapter 17:
Floppy Drives
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 12:56:38 Page 2
17-2
Floppy Drives
OBJECTIVES
After completing this chapter you will
• Understand the basic terms associated with floppy drives.
• Understand the different parts of the floppy drive system.
• Be able to recognize the different floppy disk capacities.
• Be able to clean floppy drive read/write heads.
• Be able to install and configure a floppy drive system.
• Be able to perform basic floppy drive troubleshooting techniques.
KEY TERMS
1.44MB disk
720KB disk
cluster
disk
drive select setting
floptical drive
formatted (disk)
jumper
LS-120 drive
read/write head
sector
terminator
track
twisted cable
write-protect window
Zip drive
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 12:59:39 Page 3
17-3
A+ Certification Exam Objectives
A+ Certification Exam Objectives
covered in this chapter (and corresponding page numbers)
Identify the names, purpose, and characteristics of
system modules including storage devices.
17-4
Identify basic procedures for adding and removing
field-replaceable modules including the floppy disk
drive for desktop systems.
17-9 to 17-14
Identify basic procedures for adding and removing
field-replaceable modules such as the floppy disk
drive for portable systems.
17-9 to 17-14, 17-16
Identify the names, purposes, and performance
characteristics of standardize/common peripheral
ports, associated cabling, and their connectors.
17-10 to 17-14
Recognize common problems associated with each
module including floppy disk drives and their
symptoms, and identify steps to isolate and
troubleshoot the problems.
17-14 to 17-15
Identify the various types of preventive maintenance
measures, products and procedures, and when and
how to use them.
17-9, 17-14 to 17-15
Identify the purpose of CMOS memory, what it
contains, and how and when to change its
parameters including the floppy drive settings.
17-13
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 12:59:58 Page 4
17-4
Floppy Drives
FLOPPY DRIVE OVERVIEW
The floppy drive subsystem consists of three main parts: (1) the electronic circuits or the
controller, (2) the 34-pin ribbon cable, and (3) the floppy drive. The electronic circuits give
the floppy drive instructions: “Floppy drive go to this location and read some data! Floppy
drive go to this other location and write some data!” The electronic circuits can be on an
adapter or built into the motherboard. For today’s computers, the electronic circuits are
normally built into the motherboard. A technician needs to know that the control circuits
can go bad. The floppy cable connects the floppy drive to the electronic circuits. The
floppy drive is the device that allows saving data to disk media.
Troubleshooting and installing floppy drives involves these three main areas and the
media. Media refers to the disks inserted in the floppy drive. Floppy drives are usually
classified by the storage capacity of the disk used (720KB or 1.44MB). Note that today’s
floppy drives are 3.5⬙ 1.44MB.
FLOPPY MEDIA
The media inserted in a floppy drive is a disk or floppy disk. (These terms are used interchangeably.) 3.5⬙ floppy disks have two major capacities: 720KB and 1.44MB. For a while,
IBM sold computers that used 2.88MB disks. 720KB disks are double-sided, doubledensity and are labeled DSDD, DD, 2S2D similar to 360KB disks. You can identify a
720KB disk by visual inspection. Look at the top of the disk; there is one small window
in the lower left corner called the write-protect window. The write-protect window normally has a sliding tab that closes or opens the window. If you close the window, data can
be written to the disk. If the window is open, the disk is write-protected and data cannot
be written on the disk. This is true for all 3.5⬙ disks. 720KB disks work best in 720KB
drives. Figure 17.1 shows a 720KB disk with its write-protect window.
Figure 17.1: 720KB with write-protect window
WRITE-PROTECT
WINDOW
720KB Disk
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 12:56:43 Page 5
Floppy Drive Construction
17-5
1.44MBdisks are high-density disks and are labeled by manufacturers as HD or 2HD.
They are easily identified by the presence of two windows on the disk, almost directly
across from each other. Figure 17.2 shows the two-windowed high-density disk.
Figure 17.2: Types of 3.5" disks
WRITE-PROTECT
WINDOW
1.44MB Disk
HIGH-DENSITY
WINDOW
The extra window on the right side is used by some floppy drives to detect that the
disk is high-density. 1.44MB disks work best in 1.44MB drives and cannot be read by
720KB drives. Table 17.1 is a summary table to help you understand the different
types of disks and floppy drives.
Table 17.1: Types of 3.5" disks
Capacity
Markings
Identification Clues
Drives Used In
720K
DSDD, DD, 2S2D
1 left window
720KB, 1.44MB,
2.88MB
1.44MB
2HD, HD, DSHD
2 windows across
from one another
1.44MB, 2.88MB
FLOPPY DRIVE CONSTRUCTION
Floppy drives have two read/write heads responsible for placing the data, the 1s and 0s,
onto the disk. The disk inserts between the two heads of the floppy drive. One read/write
head mounts on the top, the other on the bottom. The disk turns inside the disk jacket and
the floppy drive heads physically touch and scan the disk to read and write data.
Over time, the read/write heads become dirty. When a technician sees read/write errors
occuring, the first step is to clean the read/write heads.
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 12:56:44 Page 6
17-6
Floppy Drives
There are two types of read/write head cleaning kits: a wet one and a dry one. The wet
floppy drive cleaning kits are best for cleaning read/write heads. The cleaning kits contain
a bottle of cleaning solution and a cleaning disk. Place a couple drops of the solution on
the cleaning disk immediately before placing it in the drive. Always refer to the directions
included with the kit. The dry read/write cleaning kit uses a chemically treated cloth inside
the disk. The disk is placed inside the drive and used without adding any solution. Either
cleaning method is better than replacing a floppy drive. An exercise at the end of this
chapter explains how to use a read/write head cleaning kit.
FLOPPY DISK GEOMETRY
Before using a disk it must be formatted, which prepares it to accept data. Many 3.5⬙
disks are formatted by the manufacturer. If not, the disk must be formatted before it can
be used in a computer. To format a disk and make it bootable in a DOS/Windows-based
computer, go to the command prompt and type FORMAT A: /S. A prompt appears on the
screen to insert a disk. Insert the disk and press Enter. To format a disk and make it bootable in a Windows 9x-based computer, double-click on the My Computer desktop icon.
Right-click on the 3-1/2⬙ (A:) icon. Select Format from the drop down menu. Click to
enable the Copy system files option. Click the Start button to begin the format process.
A handy tool for any technician is a bootable system disk. There are many versions of
operating systems and a bootable disk may be your only hope in repairing certain problems. On the Internet, there are web sites such as www.bootdisk.com that allow you to
create a boot disk.
When a disk is formatted, whether by the manufacturer, the user, or the technician,
concentric circles called tracks are drawn on that disk. The 720KB and 1.44MB disks
have 80 tracks. Figure 17.3 shows a disk with tracks.
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 12:56:44 Page 7
Floppy Disk Geometry
17-7
Figure 17.3: Disk with 80 tracks
TRACK 0
TRACK 1
TRACK 2
TRACK 77
TRACK 78
TRACK 79
Figure 17.3 illustrates how the tracks are numbered. The track numbering starts
at the outermost ring with the number 0. The 80 tracks on a 1.44MB high-density disk
number from 0 to 79.
The tracks are further subdivided into pie-shaped wedges. The section defined between
a track and an intersecting line is a sector that holds 512 bytes of information. Each sector
is identified by a track number and a sector number. Figure 17.4 shows various
numbered sectors on a disk.
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 13:2:46 Page 8
17-8
Floppy Drives
Figure 17.4: Sectors and sector numbering
TRACK 79
SECTOR 9
TRACK 78
SECTOR 6
TRACK 0
SECTOR 2
TRACK 2
SECTOR 5
When you save a file, the data is stored in two sectors on the floppy disk. If the file
is larger than two sectors, two additional sectors are allocated for the file. The minimum
amount of space one file occupies is defined as a cluster. On a 1.44 MB floppy disk, a
cluster is 512 bytes or one sector. As a file grows in size, it uses more clusters.
FLOPPY MEDIA PROBLEMS
Disks have a different coating and each capacity type has a different number of sectors per
track: 720KB disks have 9 sectors per track and 1.44MB disks have 18 sectors per track.
Each time you format a disk, the operating system tries to format it to the highest capacity,
unless (1) you designate otherwise through the FORMAT command switches or through
the Windows format window, or (2) you have a floppy drive with a sensor that detects
what type of disk has been inserted. This is why 3.5⬙ disks have the windows on the right
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 13:2:46 Page 9
Floppy Drive Configuration
17-9
side of the higher-capacity disks. Some manufacturers make drives without the sensor. The
disk does not get the 1s and 0s written properly and data errors occur. The easiest way to
determine the floppy drive capacity is to go into the computer’s Setup program and look
at the configuration.
The two biggest causes of read/write errors on floppy drives are dirty read/write heads
or the wrong type of disk used in a floppy drive.
FLOPPY DRIVE CONFIGURATION
Some real old floppy drives require configuration before they are installed. Configuring a
floppy drive requires two steps: (1) setting the correct drive select number and (2) terminating the floppy drive system. The drive select setting is a number assigned to a drive
that enables the controlling circuits to distinguish between two floppy drives. Some drives
have the drive select setting already configured and it cannot be changed. But if a drive
has a drive select setting, a technician assigns a drive select number to the drive by placing
a plastic jumper over two pins. Having documentation for the drive is best at this point
(but not very common). Drive select jumpers are normally found at the bottom rear or at
the very back of the floppy drive. Floppy drives can have up to four drive select numbers.
They are normally labeled 0, 1, 2, or 3 or 1, 2, 3, or 4. The floppy drive manufacturer
determines how to label the drive select numbers. Figure 17.5 shows two different
floppy drives and the different drive select number labels.
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 13:2:46 Page 10
17-10
Floppy Drives
Figure 17.5: Two floppy drives with drive select jumpers numbered differently
DS
0
DS
1
DS
2
DS
3
DS
1
DS
2
DS
3
DS
4
Each floppy drive that connects to one floppy cable must have a separate drive select
number. Notice how both drives shown in Figure 17.5 have the jumpers over the
second drive select. It does not matter how the drive select numbers are labeled. The
second drive select may be numbered 1 or 2, but it is still the second drive select position.
Floppy drives come from most manufacturers pre-set to the second drive select. The original cabling for floppy drives had a lot to do with why the drive select jumper is set to the
second position. Figure 17.6 shows a common floppy drive cable.
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 13:2:47 Page 11
Termination
17-11
Figure 17.6: Floppy drive cable with twist
CARD EDGE CONNECTOR
(FOR OLDER FLOPPY DRIVES)
ATTACHES
TO
MOTHERBOARD
PIN
CONNECTOR
TWIST
STRIPE
(PIN 1)
ATTACHES TO FIRST
FLOPPY DRIVE
Notice in Figure 17.6 that one end is labeled “Attaches to Motherboard.” This
end plugs into either the motherboard or an adapter. There are three connectors shown in
Figure 17.6 that can be used to attach to drives. The connector labeled “Attaches to
First Floppy Drive” is used to connect to the A: drive. One of the connectors (labeled “Pin
Connector” and “Card Edge Connector” in the graphic) is used to connect to the B: drive.
Older floppy drives used a card edge connector, whereas newer drives use a pin connector.
The number and type of connectors available on a floppy drive cable varies between manufacturers. Also notice the twist in the cable shown in the figure just before the connector
labeled “Attaches to First Floppy Drive.” This twist is important when dealing with drive
select settings.
The twisted cable physically moves the drive select jumper position from the second
position to the first position by crossing a few wires. Therefore, you can connect two
floppy drives to this cable. The drive connected to the last connector (the one labeled
“Attaches to First Floppy Drive”) is seen by the computer as drive select first position. The
drive connected to the middle connector is seen as drive select second position. The controller can now distinguish between the drives even though they are both set to the second
position drive select.
The operating system assigns drive letters to each drive detected. The drive at the end
of the cable is the A: drive and is set to the second drive select number, but is seen as drive
select first position due to the twist in the cable. Drive A: always connects to the last
connector on the cable. The drive connected to the middle connector, which is also set to
the second drive select number, is assigned B: by the operating system.
TERMINATION
The second floppy configuration issue is termination. Any system with data traveling down
a cable to multiple devices such as floppy drives must have two stopping places for the
data, one at each end of the floppy drive system. This will not allow the signals to boun
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 13:2:47 Page 12
17-12
Floppy Drives
back up the cable wires. The signals must terminate at both ends of the circuit. The beginning point for a floppy drive system is the controlling card. The adapter or controlling
circuits on the motherboard are terminated by the manufacturer. Sometimes, you must
designate the end of the floppy drive system by installing a terminator, sometimes called
a terminating resistor, onto the floppy drive at the end of the cable. Terminators are available in several forms and colors and are on devices other than floppy drives. Terminators
can be SIPs, DIPs, or a jumper set over two pins, or the drive can be self-terminated (does
not have to be configured). Self-terminating drives are the norm. Reference Figure 17.7
for the different types of terminators.
Figure 17.7: Different types of terminators
DUAL IN-LINE PACKAGE
(DIP)
SINGLE IN-LINE PACKAGE
(SIP)
T-RES
TERMINATION SET
BY JUMPER
DS DS DS DS
0
1
2
3
H
S
T
M
M
X
RELATED FLOPPY DRIVE ISSUES
Most floppy drives do not have drive select jumpers. Assume that the drive select jumper
is set to the second position. In summary, no matter what type of cable is used, if installing
only one floppy drive, connect it to the last connector on the cable. If you are installing
two drives, connect the A: drive to the connector at the end of the cable. Connect the B:
drive to the middle connector.
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 13:2:47 Page 13
Floppy Drive Installation
17-13
FLOPPY DRIVE INSTALLATION
Installation of floppy drives is simple after doing some preliminary homework:
• Be sure that the computer’s BIOS supports the drive being installed by referring to the
documentation or going into the computer’s Setup program and changing the parameters
for the floppy drive to see the possible types. Settings often include enable/disable, drive
speed, and drive density.
• Be sure there is a drive bay available.
• Be sure there is a power connection available.
• Be sure there is a floppy cable connector available, if installing a second floppy drive.
• Be sure the floppy cable has the proper connector for the drive being installed (card-edged
or pin).
• Purchase any necessary mounting hardware for installing the drive into the case. The
floppy drive attaches to the computer chassis. Sometimes, side brackets and screws attach
to the floppy so the drive slides into the drive bay.
After resolving these issues, installation is nothing more than mounting the floppy
drive to the computer case and connecting the cable between the drive and motherboard
or adapter. Make sure you configure the floppy’s drive select setting properly (if necessary) before you mount the drive into the case.
When connecting any cable to an adapter or a device, match pin 1 of the cable to pin
1 of the adapter or device. Devices, adapters, controlling circuits, etc., can be damaged if
a cable plugs into the connector the wrong way. Some cables are keyed so they insert only
one way into the connector. Most cables that connect to the floppy drive are keyed, but the
other end of the cable that connects to the controlling circuits is sometimes not keyed.
Pin 1 of a cable is easy to identify. There is a colored stripe down one side of the cable.
This stripe connects to pin 1. If by chance the stripe has faded or is hard to detect, look
on the cable’s connector end. There is normally an arrow that points to pin 1.
Pin 1 on an adapter or a motherboard is not as easy to find. Some manufacturers put
a small 1 or 2 by the end where the cable’s pin 1 inserts. Other manufacturers put larger
numbers at the opposite end. For example, if you see the number 33 or the number 34 on
the motherboard where the floppy cable inserts, pin 1 and pin 2 are on the opposite end
of the connector. Figure 17.8 shows the motherboard’s floppy connector.
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 13:2:47 Page 14
17-14
Floppy Drives
Figure 17.8: Floppy connector on motherboard
34-PIN FLOPPY
CONNECTOR
If there are no pin number markings, look at other connections on the adapter. If you
find a number 1 or 2 on a different connector, the floppy connector’s pin 1 or 2 orients
in the same direction. If you find a higher number (such as 39, 40, 33, or 34), then pin
1 is on the opposite end. The floppy cable’s pin 1 will be in the same direction as the
other connector’s pin 1. Also, if there are other cables plugged into the adapter, look for
their colored stripe to see which way they orient; the floppy cable will orient in the same
direction. If all else fails, remove the adapter from the computer and look on the back
of the adapter. Most manufacturers use a square solder joint on the back of the board
for the pin 1 connection and round solder joints for the other connections. If you can
find one square pin 1 solder joint, then all other pin 1s orient in the same direction.
TROUBLESHOOTING FLOPPY DRIVES
Problems with the floppy drive can be narrowed down to four areas:
• The disk
• The floppy drive
• The cable that connects the drive to the controlling circuits
• The floppy controlling circuits
The most common problem for read or write errors is the disk. Disk problems can
include the user using the wrong capacity disk, a bad area of a disk, and a damaged disk.
Disks are affected by magnetic fields. Having a disk near a monitor, speaker, or even a
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 13:2:47 Page 15
Troubleshooting Floppy Drives
17-15
kitchen magnet can damage the data contained on it. The easiest way to determine if the
problem is the disk is to try a different disk in the drive or test the original disk in another
floppy drive.
An easy problem to fix is dirty read/write heads on the floppy drive. These frequently
cause errors because the heads physically touch the disk surface. Drive read/write head
cleaning kits are available at computer and retail stores. An exercise at the end of this
chapter explains how to clean the heads.
After eliminating the disk as the problem, the next most likely culprit is the floppy
drive. Mechanical devices fail more frequently than electronic parts. If the read/write heads
are clean and the drive still shows errors, the floppy drive is the next suspect. Anytime a
device has moving parts such as read/write heads or motors, these devices are more likely
to fail than an electronic part, such as a controller.
The least common problem with floppy drives is the cable. Cables do not normally
malfunction unless they have been cut, which is not very likely. Cables are sometimes torn
when replacing and removing computer cases, so be very careful during disassembly and
reassembly.
POST is always a good indicator that there is a problem with the floppy drive system.
Floppy drive problems give a 6xx series error code for many systems. Refer to the Logical
Troubleshooting chapter for a list of different POST error codes. Also, there are diagnostic
programs that test a floppy drive, but after a technician works on computers for some time
very few continue to use these programs. A good method for troubleshooting an intermittent floppy system problem is to execute a simple batch file that copies information
from the hard drive to the floppy drive, deletes the data, and then starts over again. Use
a new floppy disk when using this method. An example of such a batch file follows:
Echo Floptest.bat
A:
PATH=C:\DOS
MD\TEST
CD\TEST
COPY C:\DOS\F*.*
COPY C:\DOS\A*.*
DEL F*.*
DEL A*.*
FLOPTEST
After running the batch file or testing the drive with diagnostics, replace the suspect
component. If the batch file runs fine for a while and then starts showing floppy errors, the
problem may be the floppy drive’s electronics or the controlling circuits. Replacing a floppy
drive is usually cheaper in today’s computers because the floppy controller is built into the
motherboard or built into an adapter that controls other devices as well.
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 13:2:48 Page 16
17-16
Floppy Drives
LAPTOP FLOPPY DRIVES
Laptop computers have several options for a floppy drive. These include (1) none, (2) the
drive integrated into the case, (3) an optional module that inserts into the case, and (4) a
drive that attaches via a cable to the parallel or USB port. The option available is vendorspecific. Many users today prefer a read/write CD/DVD drive or one of the flash memory
technologies.
FLOPPY DEVELOPMENTS
IBM tried to create a new floppy standard with their 2.88MB floppy drive, but the rest of
the computer industry did not follow. Three other markets have come close to influencing
the floppy drive market: (1) the CD/DVD market, (2) the floptical or laser servo technology market, and (3) the Zip disk market. CD/DVD drives have made floppy drives almost
obsolete because software applications are now so large, the applications require 20 or
more floppy disks. CDs are preferable for the installation and running of applications, but
are not suitable for storing small amounts of data. The price for a CD drive that can write
and read data has dropped drastically, but it is still not comparable to the price of a floppy
drive. Computer buyers usually include a floppy drive with their systems.
Floptical drives are floppy drives that use optical technology to move the read/write
heads over the disk surface. They were the topic of many trade articles during the last
several years, but floptical drives never made a big impact. The product is called the LS-120
drive and it holds 120MB of data, can read from and write to traditional 720KB and
1.44MB disks, fits in existing drive bays, and accesses data up to five times faster than the
traditional drive. The LS-120 drive uses a patented laser servo technology developed by
O.R. Technology, Compaq Computer Corp., Imation, and Matsushita-Kotobuki Electronics Industries Ltd. (MKE). The drive connects to an IDE cable on the system. (See the hard
drive chapter for configuring and cabling IDE devices.) The LS-120 drive sells for around
$120 and the 120MB disks sell for about $20. Windows 95 Service Release 2 and higher
has built-in support for the drive.
The last product that has challenged the floppy drive market is Iomega’s Zip drive.
The Zip drive is not backward compatible with a floppy drive. A Zip disk holds 100MB
of data, and the external model runs off the parallel or USB port. A 250MB model, a SCSI
model, and a 1GB model are also available.
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 13:2:48 Page 17
Floppy Review Questions
17-17
Name
FLOPPY REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. List the three parts of a floppy drive system.
2. List two types of 3.5⬙ floppy drives.
3. Why is it important to know about drive select jumpers?
4. What drive letter is assigned to the first floppy drive detected in a system?
5. If a floppy cable has two connectors and only one drive is to be connected, to which
connector do you attach the drive?
6. How do you know the proper orientation for connecting the cable onto the floppy
controller?
7. List three considerations when adding or installing a floppy drive.
8. What is the most common part to fail in a floppy drive system?
9. What should a technician do when a computer system shows the message, “Error
Reading Drive A:”?
10. What is the common POST error code series for the floppy drive system?
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 13:2:48 Page 18
17-18
Floppy Drives
Name
FLOPPY FILL-IN-THE-BLANK
1. The circuitry that gives the floppy drive instructions can be on the __________ or on
a separate adapter.
2. A __________ is a device that allows data saving to disk media.
3. A __________ floppy drive is the smallest capacity of 3.5⬙ floppy drives.
4. The markings on the label of a 720KB disk can be __________, __________, or
__________.
5. The markings on the label of a 1.44MB disk can be __________, __________, or
__________.
6. The __________ is a window on the left side of a 3.5⬙ disk that, when closed, allows
data to be written to the disk.
7. One purpose of the __________ is to write 1s and 0s to the disk surface.
8. A disk must be __________ before it is used for the first time.
9. Concentric circles on the surface of the disk are commonly called __________.
10. 512 bytes of information are stored in a __________.
11. The smallest amount of space DOS allocates for one file is called a __________.
12. A __________ floppy drive can accept 3.5⬙ high-density or double-density disks.
13. The __________ allows the floppy controller to distinguish between two installed
floppy drives.
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 13:2:48 Page 19
Floppy Fill-In-The-Blank
17-19
14. A cable with a __________ is installed when both floppy drives connected to the cable
have their drive select jumpers set to the second position.
15. The __________ is used to prevent signals from bouncing back up the cable and to
provide the correct resistive load for the floppy drive system.
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 13:2:48 Page 20
17-20
Floppy Drives
Name
CLEANING FLOPPY DRIVE HEADS EXERCISE
Objective:
To clean a floppy drive’s read/write heads to prevent errors
Parts:
Wet floppy drive cleaning kit for 5.25⬙ or 3.5⬙ drive
Step 1. Power on the computer.
Step 2. Verify the DOS prompt is on the screen.
Step 3. Follow the directions on the floppy cleaning kit for applying the proper number of
cleaning fluid drops on the special cleaning disk.
Step 4. Insert the moistened disk into the floppy drive.
Step 5. Type the appropriate drive letter (A or B) followed by a colon (for example, A:) and
press Enter.
Step 6. Type DIR and press Enter. A normal error message appears such as “Error reading
Drive A: Abort (A), Retry (R), or Ignore (I)?”
Step 7. Press R for Retry. Do this three or four times. Press A for Abort.
Step 8. Remove the special cleaning disk.
Question 1: What is an indication that the read/write heads need cleaning?
Instructor’s Initials
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 13:2:48 Page 21
Creating a Windows 98 Boot Disk
17-21
Name
CREATING A WINDOWS 98 BOOT DISK
Objective:
To create a Windows 98 boot disk
Parts:
Windows 98 computer
3.5⬙ disk
Optional Windows 98 CD for the On Your Own section
Step 1. Boot the computer and click on the Start button.
Step 2. Point to the Settings option and click on Control Panel.
Step 3. Double-click on the Add/Remove Programs control panel icon.
Question 1: What tabs list in this control panel window?
Step 4. Click on the Startup Disk tab.
Step 5. Click on the Create Disk button and follow the prompts in the window.
Step 6. Configure the computer through the BIOS Setup to boot from the A: disk first.
Step 7. Ensure that the newly created boot disk is in the A: drive and reboot the computer.
Question 2: Does the computer boot to a prompt? If not, perform this exercise again.
Instructor’s Initials
ON YOUR OWN
A special Windows 98 startup disk can be created that can create or read FAT32 partitions
through a program called FAT32EBD. This program is located on the Windows 98 CD in
the MTSUTIL folder (which is under the TOOLS folder). Use Explorer to locate the
MTSUTIL folder. Double-click on the FAT32EBD file and follow the directions on the
screen.
Instructor’s Initials
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 13:2:49 Page 22
17-22
Floppy Drives
Name
CREATING WINDOWS 2000 BOOT DISKS
Objective:
To create a Windows 2000 boot disk
Parts:
Windows computer
Four 3.5⬙ disks
Windows installation CD
Note:
The Windows 2000 boot disks can be created while working in any operating system environment.
Step 1. Boot the computer and logon if necessary using the userid and password provided by
the instructor or lab assistant.
Step 2. Insert the Windows 2000 CD into the CD drive.
Step 3. Click on the Start button and click on the Run option.
Step 4. In the Open dialog box, type x:\bootdisk\makeboot.exe a: (where x: is the drive letter
associated with the CD drive). Click on the OK button.
Step 5. Follow the directions on the screen, inserting disks when prompted. When all four
disks have been created, a message appears that the Setup boot disks were made
successfully. Show this message to the instructor or lab assistant.
Instructor’s Initials
Question 1: How could you test to ensure the disks work properly?
Step 6. Remove the last disk and the 2000 CD from their respective drives. Close the window.
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 13:2:49 Page 23
Internet Discovery
17-23
Name
INTERNET DISCOVERY
Objective:
To obtain specific information on the Internet regarding a computer or associated
parts
Parts:
Question 1:
Access to the Internet
Locate a motherboard that supports LS-120 drives. Write the name of the motherboard manufacturer and the URL of the Internet site where you found the information.
Question 2:
On the Microsoft web site, locate troubleshooting tips for floppy drives installed into
Windows 98 computers. What mode of operation does Microsoft recommend that
you go into to test the drive? Do these Microsoft guidelines apply to Windows 95,
too? Write the answers and the URL in the space below.
Question 3:
Find a web site that has floppy troubleshooting guidelines. Write the URL in the space
below.
Question 4:
Describe the steps to change the drive letter for an Iomega Zip drive when using 2000
Professional. Also, write the URL of the Internet location where you found this information in the space below.
Question 5:
What is the CMOS setting for an internal Iomega ATAPI Zip 100 drive installed in
an NT Workstation computer? Write the answer and the URL in the space below.
1-57676-303-X
33396_8 8/19/2004 13:2:49 Page 24
17-24
Floppy Drives
NOTES