Can PC corrupt diskettes.

[Guest_imported]

I have had a number of diskettes come up unreadable after using them with a particular PC. It appears that while reading the diskette, the PC in some way corrupts it and makes it unreadable. During the day, I move around to several computers, but this problem only occurs after using that PC. I one of two messages:

"Unable to read device"
or
"Disk is not formatted. Do you wish to format it now?"

Does anyone know what would be the cause of this?

 

[CitrixEngineer]

Alignment of the heads on the floppy drive, or close proximity to magnetism, I would guess.

If the disk still works in the machine that created it, then the former, if not, probably the latter.

Floppy disks are notoriously unreliable as long-term data storage media. CitrixEngineer@yahoo.co.uk

 

[cdogg]

Actually, it's probably not the pc but the monitor instead. Anytime you lay your floppy diskettes on top of a monitor (or anywhere within a couple feet), you risk losing the data that was saved on them. The reason? Your monitor emits high levels of interference (magnetic fields, small doses of radiation, etc).
~cdogg

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
- A. Einstein

 

[Snickle]

Also, static electricity from carpets, cloth-covered chairs, and some clothing can destroy the data on a floppy disk. Body movement in/on those can create static electricity. Most of the time you may not even feel it. I use anti-static mats under my keyboards.

Discharging one's self to the metal part of the case before inserting or removing a floppy can help prevent problems.

Spraying fabric surfaces with an anti-static compound will help. Some people say putting dryer softener sheets under the legs of metal desks helps.

Examine what the differences are between that one machine and the others. Is the machine plugged into a properly wired outlet, polarity, grounding?

 

[CitrixEngineer]

Static electicity does not affect floppy diskettes - they're not ESD sensitive. Electronic components are.

CitrixEngineer@yahoo.co.uk

 

[ceh4702]

Never put a floppy on top of or near a speaker either. If you do you can forget it. If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.

 

[slowerhand]

When you say that 1 pc "corrupts" the disks are they totally corrupted or can they still be read on the "dodgy" PC. I am asking this because if you format the disks on say a Windows XP PC and then try them on a Windows 95 PC you can encounter problems !