Even today, floppy disks may contain important data that you need.
Sometimes, even on newer computers, a floppy disk drive (FDD) is useful. You may have old files backed up or old software that you purchased on floppies, and there's no reason to lose all that just because most new computers don't have floppy drives. If you're using a Mitsumi floppy drive and encountering problems on your Vista machine, there are some basic hardware and software issues that may be the cause.
Power Connections
There may be no power getting to the drive. This is more common with external drives than internal drives. The cord may have gotten moved, or the plug may not be making a solid connection with the receptacle. You can check for power lights on the device itself, and you can of course follow the power cord and make sure it's securely connected. For an internal drive you may need to open your computer tower to check on the power, but this is usually unnecessary since cords inside a computer only rarely become disconnected.
Data Connections
Even if the drive has power, your computer won't be able to use it if the data cable isn't connected properly. For an external drive, this often means a USB port or possibly a parallel or serial port. You should make sure the connections are secure on both your computer and the drive itself. If you're using an internal drive, the connections are probably not an issue, but you can open your computer to check. The drive should connect directly to your motherboard.
Drivers
Computers communicate with hardware using drivers, and if you don't have the proper drivers for your system, you may have errors using certain hardware, or you may be unable to use the hardware at all. You can check online at some of the sites in the Resources section to search for drivers; you'll have to use those sites or similar ones since Mitsumi doesn't supply FDD drivers on its site. Look for the words "Mitsumi," "floppy" and "FDD." You can even attempt to install the drivers if they don't specify that they work for Vista. If the drivers don't help or make the problem worse, you can roll them back in the Device Manager utility by double-clicking the Mitsumi drive, selecting "Drivers" and clicking "Roll back driver."
Incompatibility
Sometimes hardware is simply incompatible with certain systems, especially if you have a 64-bit version of Vista. Whether you have a 32-bit or 64-bit version, the drive may not work at all, no matter what drivers you install or how much you work on the problem. In this case, you could always use the drive with another computer, move the data onto a flash drive and then transfer the information onto your computer. It's a roundabout solution, but sometimes it's the only choice you have.
Tags: your computer, 64-bit version, check power, drivers have, internal drive, make sure