# Floppy Disk I/O error on booting from bootdisk



## Yarrielle (Sep 10, 2004)

Hello!

I recently acquired an old Gateway 2000 P5-133. It came with Windows 98, but had severe errors. I ran disk defrag but that didn't fix it, so I decided that a format was in order. 

It took several tries to get the computer to boot off of a floppy. It kept saying nonsystems disk or disk error, but it was a good floppy. Finally I managed to get it to boot off of it; though I'm not sure how. I then ran fdisk, then formatted the HD.

When it was done, I decided to shut if off and install Windows later. When I tried to turn it back on again (by booting off the floppy) it still gave me nonsystems disk or disk error. I tried a few Win98 boot disks and a WinME one. I even went to bootdisk and got a new Win98 boot disk on a brand new floppy disk.

After that didn't work, I grabbed a different floppy drive, unhooked the regular one, and hooked the new one up in its place. On the second floppy drive, I get Disk I/O error and nothing else. If I switch the IDE and power supply back to the original floppy, I get nonsystems disk or disk error.

The BIOS looks good to me, except that it won't let me set it to boot off of the CD Rom (or I probably would've had this by now). 

Now I'm stuck without an operating system and I just can't get it to boot off of anything. Can anyone tell me the next step here?

Thanks!


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## manic (Aug 2, 2005)

Get into bios, set the boot order to a/c/none or cdrom for third boot device.
Boot to floppy, if the disk is already fdisked, formated, install cd rom 
drivers, it should ask you if you want to do that, say yes. When that is
done, you will see the a:\ prompt, type in setup, insert win98 cd,hit enter
you should be on your way.


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## Yarrielle (Sep 10, 2004)

BIOS is already to set to boot off of A first and then C...There are no other options in the boot settings. But A is my floppy and C is my HD so that should work. But it doesn't.


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## manic (Aug 2, 2005)

Make sure floppy is installed properly. Make sure cables are correct, check
for bent pins on floppy drive. Does your floppy respond at all, when you
hit power button does floppy light come on, Does it stay on? Make sure the
floppy disk you use is ok. Check floppy connection to motherboard,,
Good luck


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## Yarrielle (Sep 10, 2004)

Yep, the pins on the 'new' one look fine. I noticed that the pins don't look quite right on the original, but still both spin and the lights turn green. Just to be safe I grabbed a third floppy drive just now and hooked it up instead of the other two. 

Same thing: Light turns green, I can hear the floppy spin, and I get the I/O error. Everything looks right to me...Except that it isn't working.

Do you think maybe it could be a corrupt MB or something?


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## manic (Aug 2, 2005)

without a floppy inserted does the floppy drive stay lit? If so floppy cable
is inserted backwards, the wide cable..


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## Yarrielle (Sep 10, 2004)

Nope, it lights up while it tries to read, but then it goes dark again. (This is with no floppy in the drive.)

I'm thinking about getting a sledgehammer. :laugh:


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## leroys1000 (Aug 16, 2005)

Possibly a bad data cable.
On a system that old,the CMOS battery may be bad
on the motherboard.
Looks like a watch battery,cheap to change it.


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## manic (Aug 2, 2005)

Not the battery, if it were you would get a checksum error,usually. May be
a bad floppy disk, are you sure the floppies you are using are ok. Floppies
are real bad about dieing for no reason. Did you create a win98 boot disk,
and is that the os you are going to install. Odds that 3 floppy drives being
bad are remote, unless you have my luck. Insure to format/create a boot
disk with a floppy that you feel is fairly new.

Could be the cable,,worth a shot, make sure you keep in mind the twisted
pair, usually the last connector,,the connector after the twisted pair,,I 
think that is the problem,,,,,,,,,


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## Yarrielle (Sep 10, 2004)

Okie, trying things again today.

This morning I switched the cable. Still no go.

I created a new boot disk. I was using Win98, because I've always found those to be the most stable on any OS. Now I've made a WinME because that's what I'm going to end up putting on this system if I don't have to chuck it.

The WinME disk gave me this error: Floppy drive A: failure.

I changed the battery with an old one I had lying around, and then I actually got a CMOS error, so I put the original battery back in. *sigh*

Any other suggestions? I really appreciate you guys trying to help me. :4-dontkno


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

click on the entry in the device manager and see what it reports
uninstall it reboot and let windows reinstall


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## manic (Aug 2, 2005)

Did you make sure that the floppy drive was attached to connector after
the twist in the cable. Look at the cable, you will see a twisted pair on the
cable, the a: drive needs to be attached after the twist, usually on the end
of cable....


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## Yarrielle (Sep 10, 2004)

Dai, I can't get into device manager because I can't boot. :-D

Manic, I don't see a twist. ? There is a split, but not a twist. At any rate, the IDE and the Power cable are both hooked properly into the back of the drive, as well as connected to the motherboard (in the case of the IDE) and the power one comes out of the CDRom, which shouldn't matter. It was like that when it worked.

So still I'm stuck, even moreso, because everything looks so right. I'm really wonderingnow if we didn't have a lightning storm or something.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

when you formatted did you use
format C: /s


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## Yarrielle (Sep 10, 2004)

I believe I did it without the s switch. It had been acting funny and wouldn't take the command, so I just reverted to typing format c: until it took. Less to type than with the switch.

Though I'll admit that I don't know what that switch does anyway. I was just told one time to use it.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

it loads the system files to the h/d and make it bootable
format C: /s
you probably missed the space after the :


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## Yarrielle (Sep 10, 2004)

I'll be happy to format it that way if I can ever get it to recognize a floppy. :-D


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

i thought it rcognised the 98 bootdisk


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## Yarrielle (Sep 10, 2004)

Nope, I wish. :sayno: 

I do keep trying though, but it's starting to look like this is beyond even professional help. :laugh:


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

try a cd boot disk
http://www.nu2.nu/bootdisk/cdrom/


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## Yarrielle (Sep 10, 2004)

It doesn't seem to see the cd in BIOS, or I would. My only options are about booting A or C first, or just one of the other. No CD is listed in there.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

if you cannot see it in the bios you will not be able to see it anywhere or use it
incorrect jumper settings
eide cable not plugged in firmly
faulty eide cable or wrongly fitted
the red line down one side of the eide cable goes into the drive alongside the power plug
master on the end of the cable and slave to the middle
faulty eide scket on the m/b
faulty m/b


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## Yarrielle (Sep 10, 2004)

Well, I've tried everything. I just popped back in to let you all know that I have officially scrapped that computer. I tried the three floppy drives in a different system with no problem. So, I give up. I'll just use the peripherals and things with another system.

Thanks so much for all of your help. In this case, though, technology won. It is now just bits of metal and wire in my basement. :wink: 

Thanks so much for trying.


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