XP installer ignoring valid f6 USB floppy drive?

[Stilez]

Hi,

Strange issue this.

I have just bought a Mitsumi USB floppy drive with the magical 03EE/6901 combination for XP f6 usage. The floppy works on my desktop and on the target Sony Vaio laptop (which is going to be dual install) and confirms its PID/VID on both. But when I try to use it during windows XP install and I get to the screen where I supply drives, I press "S", then enter, and nothing happens. Nada. Zip. No floppy motor noise, no floppy light, no response from XP's installer. On another machine its recognized but still not fully accessed.

Puzzled, I tried running an XP64 install CD to the same point and the same, nothing happened. Trying it on a desktop got a partial but still not full response. I can't work out what's going on. Any ideas?

Tests I've done:

1. Attached FD to desktop machine. Desktop recognizes it, auto-installs driver, notes correct PID/VID, and allows floppy to be read/written.
   
2. Attached FD to target laptop's existing install. Laptop recognizes it, auto-installs driver, notes correct PID/VID, and allows floppy to be read/written.
   
3. Started laptop with XP32 genuine CD and floppy drive attached. Pressed f6, then "S". On pressing "Enter", nothing happens.
   
4. Started laptop with XP64 genuine CD and floppy drive attached. Pressed f6, then "S". On pressing "Enter", nothing happens as well.
   
5. Checked laptop BIOS. No settings related to turning floppies on or off, USB on or off, or anything similar. Sony VAIO, 2009 model, runs XP through to Windows 7 perfectly.
   
6. Reran on a 2004 desktop (Asus K8V-X, Athlon 64). The BIOS recognized the USB drive and "whirred" it at startup, and tried to boot off it until dissuaded, and Windows XP32 installer allowed me to press "S" and reacted to "Enter" on the screen. But there was no visible drive access when I put in a text mode driver floppy, and after a second it returned to "enter a disk and press enter".

Any ideas and help appreciated!

Edited March 25, 2010 by Stilez

[jaclaz]

Any ideas and help appreciated!

Check here :

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=82711

jaclaz

[Stilez]

Check here :

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=82711

Done but not very relevant.

If you re-read the post above, you'll find the thread doesn't cover the described problem. The thread covers modifying the txtsetup.inf/.oem files, and a couple of pointers to USB sticks and integration. it doesn't seem to explain what might be going on if Windows Installer recognizes the floppy drive, responds on-screen, but (on pressing S + ENTER) doesn't seem to try to pull the driver off it. It also doesn't cover why the desktop recognizes it but the laptop won't (BIOS checked, no visible issue).

Hence why I'm puzzled.

Edited March 25, 2010 by Stilez

[jaclaz]

if you re-read the post above, you'll find the thread doesn't cover the described problem. The thread covers modifying the txtsetup.inf/.oem files, and a couple of pointers to USB sticks and integration. it doesn't seem to explain what might be going on if Windows Installer recognizes the floppy drive, responds on-screen, but (on pressing S + ENTER) doesn't seem to try to pull the driver off it. It also doesn't cover why the desktop recognizes it but the laptop won't (BIOS checked, no visible issue).

What you report seems like a "quirk" of the BIOS, but it seems to me unlikely that different PC's behave the same.

You asked for "any ideas".

My first idea is to check, double check and triple check the id's of the floppies you have BOTH in TXTSETUP.SIF:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/916196/en-us

and in txtsetup.oem.

My second idea is to leave the floppy alone (since it doesn't work) and use instead an image loaded with grub4dos.

In the meantime Firadisk driver was developed that guarantees the "hooking" of the floppy image under "any condition".

You can derive it's usage to start experimenting from this seemingly unrelated thread:

Another possibility is to actually boot from the floppy (thus hooking it through the BIOS services) creating a NT boot floppy (and adding to it the Mass Storage or whatever drivers):

http://www.xxcopy.com/xxcopy33.htm

adding to it a grub4dos grldr to chainload the SETUPLDR.BIN or directly using a grub4dos floppy.

jaclaz

Edited March 25, 2010 by jaclaz

[Argh3]

I've had similar problem. Although it is already mentioned here, then I'll post this: Some USB floppy drives are not reconized as real floppy drives during installation. Mitsumi is obviously one of them. I came around this problem when I bought a different USB FD.

[Stilez]

Okay, this is weird. In a good way.

It seems that another of WinXP's quirks is that the f6 process may recognize some USB ports but NOT OTHERS. Moving the USB floppy from one port to another may cause XP installer to recognize it - or fail to do so.

It now works. I managed to use the floppy to install the mass storage drivers. It feels like witchcraft - if the wind is from the East, and there's an R in the month, and thy bunions hath not the toad, then thine USB floppy shall work.........

[jaclaz]

It seems that another of WinXP's quirks is that the f6 process may recognize some USB ports but NOT OTHERS. Moving the USB floppy from one port to another may cause XP installer to recognize it - or fail to do so.

It now works. I managed to use the floppy to install the mass storage drivers. It feels like witchcraft - if the wind is from the East, and there's an R in the month, and thy bunions hath not the toad, then thine USB floppy shall work.........

Good to know.

That's "typical" of desktops (front ports NOT working ports at the back usually working) but never heard about a laptop behaving like that.

jaclaz