Floppy Drives

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Chapter 7

• Floppy Drives

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You Will Learn

• How floppy drives work
• How to manage floppy drives using Windows
  Explorer
  
• How to exchange and support floppy drives

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How Floppy Drives Work

• How data is physically stored on a floppy disk
• How the OS logically views that data

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How Data Is Physically Stored on a Floppy Drive
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Floppy Drive Subsystem
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Formatting a Floppy Disk

• Process of marking tracks and sectors to prepare
  the disk to receive data
  
• Done using Windows Explorer shortcut menu or the
  Format command from command prompt

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Tracks and Sectors on a Floppy
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Inside a Floppy Disk Drive
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Read/Write Head
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How Data Is Logically Stored on a Floppy Disk

• Cluster
• Smallest unit of data on a disk used to hold a
  file or a portion of a file
  
• Describes how data is logically organized
• Also called file allocation unit

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Clusters
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Formatting Process fora Floppy Disk

• Creates tracks and sectors by writing
• Tracks of F6s in hex
• Sector address mark to identify the beginning
  sector on a track
  
• Creates the boot record
• Creates two copies of the FAT
• Creates the root directory

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The Boot Record

• Information stored in the first sector on the
  disk about how the disk is organized
  
• Number of sectors
• Number of sectors per cluster
• Number of bits in each FAT entry

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The Boot Record
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The File Allocation Table (FAT)

• Lists location of files on the disk in a
  one-column table
  
• Lists how each cluster (FAT) is currently used

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The Root Directory Table

• Lists information about each file and
  subdirectory stored in it

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The Root Directory Table
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How an OS Reads a File
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Using Windows Explorer to Manage Floppy Disks and
Hard Drives

• Ways to open Windows Explorer
• Click Start, Programs, Windows Explorer
• Right-click My Computer select Explore
• Right-click Start select Explore from the menu
• Open My Computer and, on the menu bar, click
  View, Explorer Bar, Folders

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My Computer View
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Shortcut Menu Options

• Access with a right-click on the item

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Shortcut Menu Options
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Shortcut Menu Options
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Create a New Folder

• Click on parent folders name
• Click File menu, Select New
• Select Folder from submenu

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Delete a Folder

• Right-click the folder
• Select Delete from shortcut menu

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File Attributes

• Right-click a file
• Select Properties from shortcut menu
• View or change attributes

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File Attributes
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Folder Properties

• Select folder, click Tools, Folder Options
• Click the View tab
• Change how and when files appear in the folder

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Exchanging and Supporting Floppy Drives

• Problems that can occur with a floppy drive and
  its support system
  
• How to replace the drive
• How to add an additional floppy drive to a
  computer system

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Replacing a Floppy Drive

• Check that computer and peripherals are working
• Turn off computer and remove the cover
• Unplug data cable and power cable from the old
  drive unscrew and dismount the drive
  
• Slide new drive into the bay. Reconnect data
  cable and power cable
  
• Turn on computer, check setup, and test the drive

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Replacing a Floppy Drive
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Replacing a Floppy Drive
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Replacing a Floppy Drive
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Requirements forAdding a New Drive

• Empty bay
• Extra power cable (or Y splitter)
• Extra connection on floppy drive data cable

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When a Floppy Disk Drive Doesnt Work

• Error messages in the 600 range occur when a
  floppy drive does not pass the POST test
  
• When troubleshooting, check
• Physical condition of the disk
• Error messages
• CMOS settings
• Cables connected to the drive

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Common Error Messages

• Non-system disk or disk error. Replace and strike
  any key when ready.
  
• No operating system found
• Bad or missing COMMAND.COM
• Error in Config.sys line xx
• Himem.sys not loaded
• Missing or corrupt Himem.sys

continued
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Common Error Messages

• Incorrect DOS version
• Invalid Drive Specification
• Not ready reading drive A, Abort, Retry, Fail?
• General failure reading drive A, Abort, Retry,
  Fail?
  
• Track 0 bad, disk not usable
• Write-protect error writing drive A

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Chapter Summary

• Main uses of floppy drives
• For troubleshooting a failed boot
• Quick and easy way to transfer small files from
  one PC to another
  
• How data is stored on a floppy disk and how to
  manage that data
  
• How to install a floppy disk drive on a PC