Hello everyone. I have a problem in that I can't open floppy disks in the disk drive. When I attempt to do so, I get an error message saying the drive is not ready/there is no disk in the drive. In checking the properties screen, there is a message that says the drive is using ms dos mode compatibility files and that this may cause a reduction in performance. Thanks in advance

Our answer to this will probably depend on whether this is a problem with a "new build" PC. Have you ever used the floppy drive successfully on this PC? Or is this a PC that you've just built\bought and it hasn't worked from day 1?

Also, what version of Windows are you running?

Hello. I'm running windows 98 SE. The floppy disk drive has worked. I hadn't used it for several months,but it was fine at that point. i did replace the hard drive last year, but well before this most recent problem.

Drives do go bad - they also fill up with dust and dirt drawn in by the fans. When you insert a floppy and attempt to read it, does the LED on the drive light?

You might also power down the PC, UNPLUG the PSU from the wall, open the case and make sure the power and both ends of the data cable are securely fastened. Since you have the case unplugged and opened at this point, you might as well clean out all the heat trapping dust and dirt.