5.25" Floppy drive problems. Rings on my disks :(

[robbo007]

Hello,
I've a couple of 5.25" floppy drives that I'm trying to get working and both seem to be showing the same problems. I've got a Pentium II MSDOS box setup and when I read/copy some of my disks I see both drives seem to be leaving rings on area below the round hole. Ive tested this with a "brand" new never been used 5.25" disk and the rings appear after first use.

I also have an Apple II with the original Apple II drives. This does not leave any ring on my disks if I use it.

Please advise what could be causing this as it happens on two completely different 5.25" floppy drives.

Thanks,
Rob

PS: Moderator Please move to 386/486 topic. Sorry.

 

[Chuck(G)]

"Rings"? Can you hold the floppy up to the light and see through them? Could you elaborate? Maybe add a photo?

 

[Stone]

On thing that's always worth trying is cleaning the drive heads with a cleaning diskette and the liquid that comes with it. Dirty heads are a major culprit in floppy disk problems.

 

[robbo007]

The rings look like actual scratching on the disk. Not see through. I'll try and get a photo uploaded and also try and clean the drive.

 

[tezza]

From the description I would say dirty heads where the deposit is scratching the disk surface. This has happened to me.

Tez

 

[Stone]

I would have gone with that too except for the fact that usually happens close to track 0 and not near the hole.

 

[tezza]

I would have gone with that too except for the fact that usually happens close to track 0 and not near the hole.

Good point. It's usually been near track zero for me.

Tez

 

[robbo007]

You guys know where I can get a cleaner kit from? Here in Spain very hard to come by.

 

[robbo007]

Here is a photo. Its hard to capture the ring with my iphone. Its shown a s thin black line but in reality its a lighter grey than the disk colour. Still look like a dirty head?

 

[Stone]

That looks more like it's near track 0 which is likely dirty heads.

There's some cleaning diskettes on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=181096469073

 

[SomeGuy]

That kind of damage can also be caused by contamination inside the disk jacket. A speck of dirt, sand, or even deteriorating jacket liner can cause scratches to appear at random tracks after the disk is operated for a while. That shouldn't happen to a "new" quality disk that has been stored properly - but I have seen it happen.

Still, if it is happening only in a certain drive, then it is probably the head.

If possible I would suggest a visual inspection of the floppy drive unit to make sure it generally clean. A can of compressed air can be used to remove excess dust. Although a disk cleaner kit might be preferable, a q-tip and some isopropyl alcohol can be used to clean the heads if you are really careful. Generally the heads on 5.25" drives are fairly accessible once the drive is removed from the computer.

 

[robbo007]

Where track 0 on these disks? Near the bottom of the disk furthest form the hole?

 

[Stone]

Track 0 is near the outer edge (the circumference) of the disk.

 

[Chuck(G)]

Near the outer edge. The OP's reference to "the hole" has confused a lot of people, including myself. There's the hole in the center (the hub), the index hole and finally, the head access hole. Most wear occurs on the low-numbered tracks, but if it appears just after a single use, you should clean the heads. If that doesn't do it, you need to inspect the spring cantilever that the head is supported by--it could well be damaged, such that an edge of the head is dragging across the medium.

 

[Ole Juul]

Just for further clarification, it might help to clearly label the two major components and their "holes". There are two holes in the disk and three holes in the jacket (not counting the notch).

 

[Stone]

Just for further clarification, it might help to clearly label the two major components and their "holes". There are two holes in the disk and three holes in the jacket (not counting the notch).

Thank you... you are our resident hOle expert.

 

[Dusannn]

Try this: 1) Clean drive heads using Q-Tip and alcohol(I also use Mer for glass)
2) Buy LCD cleaner kit, then clean diskette surface using it, it will remove dust and oxides.

 

[robbo007]

Question: is it advisable to clean the heads with qtips and ethanol? OR will this damage or misalign the heads. I've seen a few YouTube videos and seems quiet easy.
Thanks,
Rob

 

[robbo007]

In the end I used a qtips and some floppy disk cleaner I found and cleaned very carefully the bottom and top head of the drive. Ive tested it on some old (no scratched) disks and the rings don't seem to appear anymore. Wohoo! Looks like it was dirt on the head as mentioned. Many thanks. No its time to archive my floppies.
Cheers,
Rob

 

[Ole Juul]

Question: is it advisable to clean the heads with qtips and ethanol? OR will this damage or misalign the heads. I've seen a few YouTube videos and seems quiet easy.
Thanks,
Rob

Isopropyl alcohol is the standard for cleaning heads, but I would think that ethanol would be fine. Make sure it is 98% or better. Water contend should be minimum - ie. don't use rubbing alcohol. Be careful you don't snag anything or misalign etc. and just be careful.

So - I'm dying to find out - what's the scoop on the "hole" discussion? Are you talking about the window in the jacket or the hole in the middle of the disc?