Disk seek noise

[pl212]

So when booting from an external FloppyEmu, and thus having an empty disk drive, I get an audible "disk seek" noise at about 0.5 second intervals.  This noise abates once I launch an application, but returns once the program has fully loaded.  The disk drive itself seems to work fine otherwise.

I believe this particular Mac has a non-Enhanced ROM, but the drive itself is an 800k one.  Is that a possible cause?

 

[Elfen]

From the sounds of it, you must have a 128 or 512K and not a 512Ke or Plus.

Depending on the system, usually System 3 or 4, when you access one drive, the system checks the other drive if it is there, usually to access the disk inside. But since there is no disk in the other drive, one of the disk sensor switches might be flakey and registering a disk when there is nothing there. Take out the disk and spray a bit of WD-40 into the switch, and press it a few times to work the lube in it. That should clean things up in the switch.