Disk drive woes

[anothrgrnworld]

After installing system 7.5 my machine actually works a lot better, I haven't been getting any weird startup issues or anything else of the sort but as of today my disk drive doesn't recognize disks. It ejects them upon startup but won't read them when the computer is on. Is this a logic board problem or a disk drive problem? I know I should recap the logic board but am not totally confident with my soldering just yet. How can I tell what's causing this insanely irritating issue?

Thanks!

 

[anothrgrnworld]

28 views and not one reply :'(

 

[tomlee59]

Perhaps there are several reasons for the non-response. One is that you have asked a question that no one can answer, given the minimal information you've provided. You've said the equivalent of "I have a headache. Is it a brain tumor or a hangover?"

You need to do some basic troubleshooting. Try a known good disk. Try formatting a known good floppy in that same drive. Does it successfully complete the format operation? Are disks that fail in that drive known to work in other drives? Etc. You get the picture. Design, then run, experiments to narrow down the possibilities. Then you'll pretty much figure it out without our guessing in vacuo. If you get stuck interpreting the outcome of your experimentation, post back with specifics, and you're likely to get answers.

 

[joshc]

Assuming your drive needs a good clean, this is the best way to do it:

1) Remove floppy drive from the computer.

2) Remove the cover.

3) Use a can of compressed air, making sure all the loose dust is gone.

4) Use cotton swabs to reach the tighter spots, making sure all dirt is cleaned out.

5) Lubricate the mechanism and springs with 3-in-1 multipurpose oil, a silicone grease or something similar. Do not use WD-40 or white lithium grease - these won't last long.

6) Reassemble the drive and install it back into the computer.

7) Use a floppy drive cleaning diskette/kit to clean the read/write heads of the drive. Although this can be done manually with rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab, it is safer to use a cleaning diskette because you cannot accidentally damage the drive this way. If doing it manually, please be careful and don't stretch the read/write head spring too far - otherwise, the upper read/write head will never go down again.

Hope this helps.

 

[anothrgrnworld]

Thanks for the advice.

No disk works in it at all, the drive doesn't even try to read it when I pop one in. I'm thinking that it is either fried or there is a weird problem relating to the logic board needing a recapping.

 

[Dog Cow]

7) Use a floppy drive cleaning diskette/kit to clean the read/write heads of the drive. Although this can be done manually with rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab, it is safer to use a cleaning diskette because you cannot accidentally damage the drive this way. If doing it manually, please be careful and don't stretch the read/write head spring too far - otherwise, the upper read/write head will never go down again.

Yes, I have learned this one the hard way. Don't lift the head up! Just don't!

 

[anothrgrnworld]

So if everything else on my machine is functioning as it should be, can I conclude that the floppy drive has indeed pooped the bed?

 

[Mac128]

No disk works in it at all, the drive doesn't even try to read it when I pop one in. I'm thinking that it is either fried or there is a weird problem relating to the logic board needing a recapping.

Your assumptions are extreme to say the least. If something like that happened, it would have most likely resulted from something you did since it was working fine before. Did you plug anything into it you shouldn't have?

Larry Pina suggests the solution may be a simple one. He recommends lubricating the microswitch with WD-40. It simply is not recognizing a disk has been inserted. If these drives are old and in poor condition, always give it a good cleaning before going off on a tangent.

And please. Do give a post at least 24 hours to respond. Despite 27 views some may actually be formulating an intelligent response or consulting books. This ain't a genius bar with paid help. And most of us aren't geniuses.

Also, what's with the sophomoric metaphors? "Pooped the bed"? Really?

Dog Cow, regarding item 7 on Joshua Coventry's cleaning instructions, Larry Pina says not to pull the springs apart a millimeter more than necessary. He goes into great detail about not prying the read heads apart at all. I'll scan his notes some day as they are quite detailed and excellent for the Superdrive cleaning and repair. Or, pick up a copy of the Dead Mac Scrolls.

 

[anothrgrnworld]

I guess I'm used to forums that move a bit faster, I do apologize, I'm just very eager to get this setup working. I'm using it for live performances with my band and I'm by no means and electronics or computer whiz, just a musician who's interest is sparked by things operating at the brink of what they've been designed to do.

I've had the disk drive out, cleaned it, lubricated it, and it seems to know when there is a disk in the drive because it spits it out upon start up, unless that task is something that the computer tries to do every single time it starts up unless there is a bootable disk in there which I didn't think was true because if it were, I would hear the drive try to start spinning.

And sophomoric aphorisms are the best kind.

 

[JRL]

I've had the disk drive out, cleaned it, lubricated it, and it seems to know when there is a disk in the drive because it spits it out upon start up, unless that task is something that the computer tries to do every single time it starts up unless there is a bootable disk in there which I didn't think was true because if it were, I would hear the drive try to start spinning.

Nope, that's supposed to happen. Only if there is a bootable System Folder on the disk does the Mac read it and boot from it.

 

[Bunsen]

I'm using it for live performances with my band and I'm by no means and electronics or computer whiz, just a musician who's interest is sparked by things operating at the brink of what they've been designed to do.

Ah, I guessed you were a musician, or at least an Eno fan (which often means the same thing), from your very stylin' username. I'm a part time electronic live music performer too. Welcome to our little clubhouse.

What machine is it again? And what other retro tech is straining at the leash on stage with you?

It would also be worth checking the cable from floppy drive to motherboard. Is it seated properly at each end, are there any obvious signs of damage?

WD-40* is best kept far away from the mechanism. This is a degreaser. It might be useful applied sparingly with cotton buds to remove stubborn caked on gunk, but it will in the end leave moving parts with no lubrication, unless you relubricate after it has dried off.

*which, curiously, was the name of one of my old bands.

 

[anothrgrnworld]

Haha well thanks.

Yes I assumed WD-40 is not the way to go. The cable is seated just fine and it seems as if everything else is working no problemo.

I use a Roland JV-1010 as my MIDI instrument coming out of the Mac, its a great little unit.

 

[tomlee59]

I guess we still need more information. What model is your Mac? Is there a (working) hard drive, properly formatted with a valid system installed? If there is no boot volume, then the floppy must have a valid system on it. If there is no valid system on the floppy, a Mac without another boot device will behave just as you describe.

The more information you provide, the more quickly we can offer useful, relevant advice. And since you seem to be impatient for answers, you should be motivated to give us as much detail as you can.

 

[joshc]

As I said in my first reply to this thread, I've found that 3-in-1 multipurpose oil or silicone grease work well. WD-40 is not a lubricant, and won't last long at all. White lithium grease is common but dries up after just a few months.

As for the upper read/write head and its corresponding spring - I also learned about this the hard way, rendering two Sony SuperDrive mechanisms useless. xx(

 

[tomlee59]

Although the drive may very well need to be cleaned, there hasn't been nearly enough troubleshooting to establish whether a dirty drive is his problem. Indeed, it might be argued that it has not been firmly established that there is a problem. Given that uncertainty, perhaps running some diagnostic experiments first, to narrow down the possibilities, is an advisable course. Generally speaking, it is not hard to put together a suite of tests that are "high yield" in the sense that they take little time, but can save huge amounts of time.

 

[anothrgrnworld]

It is Macintosh Classic II with an 80 MB HD, 4 MB of RAM and with the Connectix RAM Doubler installed. The hard drive functions just fine and has a fresh install of OS 7.5 on a diet. No other issues whatsoever, which is what leads me to believe it is a drive failure.

 

[H3NRY]

OK, it does sound like the drive has a problem. Do you have a cleaning disk? Do you have a working external floppy drive or one you can borrow to test the motherboard interface? Do you have a computer recycler nearby where you can pick up another drive for tests or parts? How are you getting your music into this Mac?

I have a JV-1010 too. Nice little box.

 

[waynestewart]

I'd suggest cleaning the drive heads first. I've played with a lit of Macs and run into over 100 floppy drive reading problems and only in a couple of cases was the drive actually defective.