danfoo
asked on
Unable To Format 120MB/1.44MB Floppy Disk
Greetings,
I am running NT 4.0 WS with SP3 installed. I am not able to format the 120MB or 1.44 MB diskette on my LS120 Floppy Drive. I can, however, copy files and delete them to either disks though. I do not encounter any error msg on NT startup and thus I do not think it is a setup issue for the LS120 Drive. No other programs was running when I encountered the following error msg when I tried to format from Windows Explorer:
Windows NT cannot format this drive. Quit any disk utilities or other programs that are using this drive, and make sure that no windows is displaying the contents of the drive. Then try formating again.
I was not able to format form DOS shell either, the error msg "Error in IOCTL call" appeared after I tried to format the disk in Drive A.
Kindly advise on the above resolution.
TIA
I am running NT 4.0 WS with SP3 installed. I am not able to format the 120MB or 1.44 MB diskette on my LS120 Floppy Drive. I can, however, copy files and delete them to either disks though. I do not encounter any error msg on NT startup and thus I do not think it is a setup issue for the LS120 Drive. No other programs was running when I encountered the following error msg when I tried to format from Windows Explorer:
Windows NT cannot format this drive. Quit any disk utilities or other programs that are using this drive, and make sure that no windows is displaying the contents of the drive. Then try formating again.
I was not able to format form DOS shell either, the error msg "Error in IOCTL call" appeared after I tried to format the disk in Drive A.
Kindly advise on the above resolution.
TIA
does the bios in your computer recognize the ls120 drive as being that or a 1.44 drive only.... and what about software... are there any special drivers you may need... i have never used one but these issues may want to be looked into
ASKER
Windows NT Explorer is able to recognise a 120MB disk on the LS120 drive, so it is not a BIOS or driver issue here.
Do you have to use a manufacturer specific utility to format these disks? Unless the install actually modifies the NT explorer, the option to format at 120MB would not normally be available. Never having used this particular piece of hardware, I might be talking outta my butt here, but don't ZIP drives require 3rd party software to format?
ASKER
There is no manufacturer specific utility to format these disks. The installation of NT 4.0 was able to recognize that there was a 120MB Disk Drive there.
Diskettes for the LS-120 come "pre-formatted";
there is no need to 'FORMAT' them.
Probably, given the elapsed-time necessary
to format 120 MB, you wouldn't want to try!
there is no need to 'FORMAT' them.
Probably, given the elapsed-time necessary
to format 120 MB, you wouldn't want to try!
ASKER
The inability to format 1.44MB disk still remains unsolved on the LS120 Drive.
See IMATION's web-site,
and use the "search" function to find the page:
http://www.imation.com/cgi-shl/imation/faq/view.pl?879524279#333
which states:
<b>Question:</b>
Can I format a 1.44 MB disk in my SuperDisk Drive?
<p>
<b>Answer:</b>
If you put data on a pre-formatted 1.44 MB, 3.5" High Density (HD) diskette using your SuperDisk drive, you can read the data on any standard 3.5 diskette drive. It is fully compatible. If you take an unformatted 1.44 MB, 3.5" HD diskette and format it on your SuperDisk drive, you will be able to read the data only from another SuperDisk drive. Currently, it is recommended that if you need to format a diskette, format it using a standard 3.5" drive. Then use the SuperDisk drive to place data on the diskette. This ensures full compatibility with all SuperDisk drives and standard 3.5" drives.
and use the "search" function to find the page:
http://www.imation.com/cgi-shl/imation/faq/view.pl?879524279#333
which states:
<b>Question:</b>
Can I format a 1.44 MB disk in my SuperDisk Drive?
<p>
<b>Answer:</b>
If you put data on a pre-formatted 1.44 MB, 3.5" High Density (HD) diskette using your SuperDisk drive, you can read the data on any standard 3.5 diskette drive. It is fully compatible. If you take an unformatted 1.44 MB, 3.5" HD diskette and format it on your SuperDisk drive, you will be able to read the data only from another SuperDisk drive. Currently, it is recommended that if you need to format a diskette, format it using a standard 3.5" drive. Then use the SuperDisk drive to place data on the diskette. This ensures full compatibility with all SuperDisk drives and standard 3.5" drives.
ASKER
That was a good piece of info. However in my case, I am not able to format any disk on my LS120 Floppy Drive.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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ASKER
"If you take an unformatted 1.44MB, 3.5" HD diskette and format it on your SuperDisk drive, you will be able to read the data only from another SuperDisk drive."
In the above quote, it stated that it is able to format a unformatted 1.44MB disk. In my case, I tried to format a formatted 1.44MB disk. So could it be due to the formatted disk that I have ?
I will grade your previous answer as "A" anyway.
In the above quote, it stated that it is able to format a unformatted 1.44MB disk. In my case, I tried to format a formatted 1.44MB disk. So could it be due to the formatted disk that I have ?
I will grade your previous answer as "A" anyway.
Take a (Binford?) electric power-tool,
i.e., a drill, and start it.
Place the 3.5" diskette adjacent
to the electrical-field created by the tool's motor.
Blam! You now have an "unformatted" disk.
Try to FORMAT it in the LS-120,
to test your theory.
i.e., a drill, and start it.
Place the 3.5" diskette adjacent
to the electrical-field created by the tool's motor.
Blam! You now have an "unformatted" disk.
Try to FORMAT it in the LS-120,
to test your theory.