Is my A1200 disk drive dead?

PowerPie5000 · 21 February 2009, 17:39

I think my A1200 floppy drive may have died after trying to get Liberation to install!!

The game was getting constant read errors and it got to disk 3 then it just stayed as "insert disk 3" even when it was already spinning in the drive

I tried other disks and none of them would load! the drive sounds normal and spins up, attempts to read etc... and thats it

(the light still flashes when drive is spinning/reading).

I booted up workbench and every floppy disk i put in it just came up with "DF0:????" not good.....

Before i buy another drive, is it easy to dissamble and maybe clean the drive or heads in the drive? not sure if it would help?
(ive taken drives apart before but some can be a nightmare with latches and tiny springs etc...)

Any suggestions appreciated, thanks

DDNI · 21 February 2009, 17:42

Before you dismantle anything, I suggest that you get yourself a floppy disk head cleaning disk. Maplins have them.

PowerPie5000 · 21 February 2009, 17:54

Would any floppy drive cleaner work? or does it have to be DD or HD specific?

Im always reluctant to get drive cleaners as they have never worked for me

(mainly CD/DVD drive cleaning kits) i will give a floppy one a go as its different compared to CD ones and may actually work!,

Thanks for the info

DDNI · 21 February 2009, 18:23

Any 3.5" type will work

clenched · 21 February 2009, 18:26

Sorry about your Amiga. I advise against any head cleaners for disks or tapes. In my opinion they are a rip off. Think about it, the heads are always the cleanest part of a machine because they are already polished by the media. CD maybe different, I can see the laser maybe gathering dust or smoke film. Just my two cents.

twizzle · 21 February 2009, 19:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by clenched

Sorry about your Amiga. I advise against any head cleaners for disks or tapes. In my opinion they are a rip off. Think about it, the heads are always the cleanest part of a machine because they are already polished by the media. CD maybe different, I can see the laser maybe gathering dust or smoke film. Just my two cents.

not true, having cleaned many floppy drive heads i can assure you that that they do get brown oxidising on them,
also you want to spray some electrical cleaner on the read/write switch

PowerPie5000 · 21 February 2009, 20:09

Well i went to my local Maplins and got a disk drive cleaner and fluid for £1.99 and to my surprise it actually worked!

I looked in the disk cleaner afterwards and it still looked clean? well whatever it did my drive is now working and not as loud as before? dunno why but its good

Thank you very much for the Maplin advice, it saved me some money!

lopos2000 · 21 February 2009, 21:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by PowerPie5000

Well i went to my local Maplins and got a disk drive cleaner and fluid for £1.99 and to my surprise it actually worked!

I looked in the disk cleaner afterwards and it still looked clean? well whatever it did my drive is now working and not as loud as before? dunno why but its good

Thank you very much for the Maplin advice, it saved me some money!

You're welcome.

DDNI · 21 February 2009, 22:09

Yup Lopos' advice was excellent

lopos2000 · 21 February 2009, 22:37

Not mine but Maplin's was.

21 February 2009, 17:39	#1
PowerPie5000 Miggy Ate My Hamster! Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Lancashire, UK Posts: 1,566	Is my A1200 disk drive dead? I think my A1200 floppy drive may have died after trying to get Liberation to install!! The game was getting constant read errors and it got to disk 3 then it just stayed as "insert disk 3" even when it was already spinning in the drive I tried other disks and none of them would load! the drive sounds normal and spins up, attempts to read etc... and thats it (the light still flashes when drive is spinning/reading). I booted up workbench and every floppy disk i put in it just came up with "DF0:????" not good..... Before i buy another drive, is it easy to dissamble and maybe clean the drive or heads in the drive? not sure if it would help? (ive taken drives apart before but some can be a nightmare with latches and tiny springs etc...) Any suggestions appreciated, thanks

21 February 2009, 18:26	#5
clenched Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Gainesville U.S.A. Posts: 771	Sorry about your Amiga. I advise against any head cleaners for disks or tapes. In my opinion they are a rip off. Think about it, the heads are always the cleanest part of a machine because they are already polished by the media. CD maybe different, I can see the laser maybe gathering dust or smoke film. Just my two cents. Last edited by clenched; 21 February 2009 at 18:32.

21 February 2009, 20:09	#7
PowerPie5000 Miggy Ate My Hamster! Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Lancashire, UK Posts: 1,566	Well i went to my local Maplins and got a disk drive cleaner and fluid for £1.99 and to my surprise it actually worked! I looked in the disk cleaner afterwards and it still looked clean? well whatever it did my drive is now working and not as loud as before? dunno why but its good Thank you very much for the Maplin advice, it saved me some money! Last edited by PowerPie5000; 21 February 2009 at 20:33.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
A1200 Hard drive dead?	rich	support.Hardware	18	24 January 2009 19:01
A1200 External Disk Drive Port Problem	Hewitson	support.Hardware	2	16 April 2007 15:47
A1200 disk drive not detecting disk	Mike UK	support.Hardware	1	03 March 2007 16:15
Is my Amiga 1200 hard drive dead?	Soulshaker	support.Hardware	32	10 April 2005 23:21
where can I get a disk drive for my poor A1200?	Freckle	support.Hardware	7	14 July 2004 14:14

21 February 2009, 17:42	#2
DDNI Targ Explorer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northern Ireland Posts: 5,431	Before you dismantle anything, I suggest that you get yourself a floppy disk head cleaning disk. Maplins have them.

21 February 2009, 17:54	#3
PowerPie5000 Miggy Ate My Hamster! Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Lancashire, UK Posts: 1,566	Would any floppy drive cleaner work? or does it have to be DD or HD specific? Im always reluctant to get drive cleaners as they have never worked for me (mainly CD/DVD drive cleaning kits) i will give a floppy one a go as its different compared to CD ones and may actually work!, Thanks for the info

21 February 2009, 18:23	#4
DDNI Targ Explorer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northern Ireland Posts: 5,431	Any 3.5" type will work

21 February 2009, 22:09	#9
DDNI Targ Explorer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northern Ireland Posts: 5,431	Yup Lopos' advice was excellent

21 February 2009, 22:37	#10
lopos2000 Zone Friend Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Cider is best In The West Posts: 1,238	Not mine but Maplin's was.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)