Join
the community
Sign-up
Ask a question Report

Diskette Drive 0 seek failure (error message) [Solved/Closed]

azajewel - Latest answer on Dec 26, 2012 11:47AM
Dell B110
Hello,
About 4 mos ago my computer began to display this message "Diskette drive 0 seek failure" on a black screen at startup. When this happens the computer may or may not startup. I was told by a computer shop that my hard drive needs to be replaced. Others have said it's my battery. Does anyone know what may be causing this and what I can do to fix it?
Thank you.
Read more 
130 answers
Answer
+324
moins plus
you need to press f2 then go to Standard CMOS Features, then highlight drive A. change it to none. should not have anything in there enless you have floppy drive......

Richard - Dec 3, 2008 11:06PM
This worked for me! After trying everything. THANKS!
norcal - Dec 17, 2008 10:58AM
Sweet tip-Worked great
realbassplayer - Jul 12, 2009 09:42PM
Thanks for the great help and advice. I went to setup and disabled the floppy drive, even though i don't have one and now all is well
guyver - Oct 3, 2009 06:17PM
thats a bunch i dont know why i didnt think of that...
doeboy - Oct 6, 2009 06:22PM
went through the bios and didnt c anything that said , standard cmos, im pretty good with pcs and iv seen that b4 but i dont c it on this dell dimension C521
Cris - Oct 31, 2009 08:47AM
I had the same problem and after talking to 2 microsoft reps who couldn't help me, this totally fixed my problem. Thank you...
crnyman1 1Posts Monday November 30, 2009Registration date - Dec 1, 2009 03:13AM
Thank you SOOOOOO much! Your post was the only one I found that explained "how to" rather than just telling the end result. I have been dealing with that error message for 6 weeks now and was going crazy trying to figure it out! lol. Thnx again!
sigma - Jan 17, 2010 10:53AM
Thanks a lot,that helped me!!!
ruban - Feb 8, 2010 04:18PM
thanks.it is worked
reddy - Feb 14, 2010 05:16PM
thanks boss...it really worked for me
ant - Mar 26, 2010 06:24PM
cheers mate been like it for months and just found your advice. Thanks alot
mnm - Mar 31, 2010 01:09AM
works fine. thanks alot.
good luck
cheers
raja zeeshan - Apr 6, 2010 11:26AM
thanks alot man this thing was really a problem but who have given us very straight forward directions unlike other sites. once again thanks and good luck ^_^
Warlock - Apr 12, 2010 07:41PM
thanks man you know about computers
NoRule - Apr 19, 2010 08:01PM
skillz dat killz
mathgeek - Apr 20, 2010 09:16PM
my computer has a problem and i dont 'konw what it is. it's been crashing and crashing non stop, i did system recovery's but that didn't help. I called HP, and they did alot of different tests, and it kept on saying nothing was wrong, but my computer still crashes. can anyone help? They say taht they believe the operating system has been corrupted. They asked me to purchase at recovery disk, and i said taht i'll need to thik about it so they're calling me tomorrow on april 21st around 9-10 pm eastern. please help. any help will be greatly appreciated
cc21 - Apr 23, 2010 02:28AM
mathgeek,

Back up you data and re-install your OS. If it's still crashing it could be a hardware fault. Then it's off to the PC doctor!
NOT SO CLUELESS ANYMORE - Apr 26, 2010 12:11PM
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO MY TERMINAL AT WORK- IF YOU DON'T HAVE A 3.5 DISK DRIVE THE COMPUTER WILL LOOK FOR ONE IF YOU HAVE IT SET TO DO SO. WHICH IS BASICALLY WHAT HAPPENED. CHANGE IT TO "NONE" AND THE ERROR STOPS.
PERFECT! THANKS FOR YOUR HELP.
Cancel - May 6, 2010 06:10PM
Thanks, works like a charm!
krystall21 - May 7, 2010 03:57PM
Thank you solved problem
Laurie - May 8, 2010 02:40PM
Wow--thanks a zillion. I have been looking at this error message and wondering what it meant for ages. Your instructions are one quick fix! Today you are my hero. Thanks so much. Glad for this forum.
Anonymous User - May 13, 2010 11:42AM
Your advice saved me. I been trying to figure out for 3 weeks and bought a new hard drive. I just made an account just to say thanks
Rampaging Orange - May 15, 2010 01:07PM
Thank you so much - I have spent ages searching the Dell website to find a solution to this - found some really detailed information for a Dimension but that doesn't work on my Vostro.
tuvshuuu - May 23, 2010 05:00AM
you saved me thanks a lot, god bless you.
inspectordug - Jun 7, 2010 07:09AM
Thank you VERY MUCH! I was going crazy trying to figure this one out.
kyle is awsome - Jun 7, 2010 08:06PM
wow i cant believe all this time i been trying to fix this not even dell support could fix it, that tried chargeing me 59$ thanks so much!
jeffhei724 - Jun 10, 2010 01:08PM
awsome had that problem and now its fixed thx
the white knight - Jun 13, 2010 04:12PM
Thank you so much I was having the same problem. and it was driving me nuts.
markishere2000 - Jun 15, 2010 08:39AM
can anybody help i am having the same problem but there is no ps2 conections on the back only usb but the usb dont kick in till after the bios so can not press F2 or F12 its saying the same discette error and keyboard failed
hines27 - Jun 16, 2010 02:41PM
oh yea well what if it doesn't let you go to the cmos setup just goes straight to diskette drive 0 seek failure even if you try to go to the setup
hines27 - Jun 17, 2010 07:48AM
found out it could also be because your hard drive is not jumpered to Cable select mode
markishere - Jun 18, 2010 05:39AM
do you have cable select on a sata drive
di - Apr 26, 2011 11:09PM
it worked!!! thanks tons.
seema - May 1, 2011 05:01PM
thanks!!!
Meribelman - May 2, 2011 04:13AM
Spot on great thanks
Hassan - Oct 18, 2012 10:57AM
Well done! worked,( you need to press f2 then go to Standard CMOS Features, then highlight drive A.) Thanks tklov87
Jazzy_soto24 1Posts Friday October 19, 2012Registration date October 19, 2012Last seen - Oct 19, 2012 12:43PM
Where is the standard CMOS . I need help
Help - Nov 18, 2012 12:35AM
Cant find Standard
tekken - Nov 29, 2012 12:06PM
īt worked for me... thanks!
ALMSRick - Nov 29, 2012 05:22PM
Thank you! Worked for me today!!!!
vish - Dec 12, 2012 11:39PM
it worked thank you
Answer
+24
moins plus
PROBLEM SOLVED PURSUANT DELL TECHNICAL SERVICE:

I was so frustrated when I reinstalled my operating system (Windows XP Home Edition) only to find upon boot-up that I was getting the message "FLOPPY DISKETTE SEEK FAILURE". I am a former Network Admin and I spent 3 hours reinstalling, pulling the jumper on the system board, etc., etc. I finally searched the internet, and everything mentioned there I had ALREADY TRIED to NO SUCCESS!!!! I was finally so exasperated I called DELL in spite of the fact my PC was out of warranty. Thankfully the tech could hear the frustration in my voice and I told him thousands of people on the internet wrote with this same problem so this is prevalent to DELL Dimension 9150s. He put me on hold and came back with the following and it WORKED IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!

PROCEDURE:
1) Reboot PC and hit F2 key to go into SETUP.
2) Arrow down to DRIVES and hit Enter.
3) Arrow down one space to "DISKETTE DRIVE" and hit Enter
4) Highlight "OFF" and Hit Enter
5) Press Esc to Exit
6) Highlight EXIT and hit Enter

abdelhak - Nov 1, 2012 02:14PM
merci le probleme est resoulu
tommyguns45 - Dec 26, 2012 11:47AM
My XP Inspiron 530 does not have the word Drives after getting into my Comos so i just exited before messing something up/
Answer
+13
moins plus
I had the same problem w/ the seek failure message, got the answer here, but had trouble finding the step-by-step instructions on the "how to" so here they are - at least for Dell Inspirons...

TO CHANGE 1ST BOOT DEVICE TO HARD DISK...
At Startup press "F2" to enter setup;
Arrow down to select "Boot device configuration" - press enter;
Arrow down to select "1st boot device" - press enter;
Arrow cursor to select "Hard disk" - press enter;
Press "F10" to save changes;
Select "Y" for yes to confirm saving changes;
Press "esc" to go to main menu;
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
TO DISABLE FDC CONTROLLER....
Arrow down to select "Integrated peripherals" - press enter;
Arrow down to select "Onboard FDC controller" - press enter;
Arrow cursor to select "disabled" - press enter;
Press F10 to save changes;
Select "Y" for yes to confirm saving changes;

Hope this helps the non-experts like me.

albertanewfie - Aug 29, 2009 03:33PM
Thanks for all the tips, but I'm still having difficulty, as its saying that none of the things listed are not present? I have no idea what's going on..I have a feeling if I try one more time..I might not be able to turn back on my pc:S
HELP! I have a Dell Dimension C521 Windows Xp Home Edition:) Thanks In Advance!!!!!
HOBBY - Apr 29, 2010 08:14AM
I JUST RAN INTO THIS PROBLEM ALSO AND TRIED THIS STEP BY STEP AND IT WORKED , SO GLAD BECAUSE IT WAS GETTING TO BE AN EYE SORE TO LOOK AT EACH TIME I BOOTED UP BUT THANKS TO PEOPLE LIKE YOU THINGS CAN BE FIXED
George - Jun 5, 2010 06:14AM
Thank you very much! I do all of this and my dell inspiron 530 is start normally thank you again
faysal_2011 - Nov 12, 2012 06:00AM
thank you

TO DISABLE FDC CONTROLLER....
Arrow down to select "Integrated peripherals" - press enter;
Arrow down to select "Onboard FDC controller" - press enter;
Arrow cursor to select "disabled" - press enter;
Press F10 to save changes;
Select "Y" for yes to confirm saving changes;

this step solves my problem..............
Answer
+9
moins plus
I had the same bother and it was enabling floppy disc drive which i dont have.go to bios f2 and click on load default then go into Integral at the bottom.Click on FDC or FDS and disable it and you have cracked it

azajewel - Aug 26, 2008 04:17PM
I went into F2 mode but didn't have a "load default" option. I looked down the list for "integral" and didn't see it, nor did I see an option for FDC or FDS. Can you tell me what I might be missing here? I appreciate your help!
shazam - Nov 20, 2008 12:08AM
Thanks to Bigane my problem was solved. Thank you.
amod - Dec 1, 2008 12:22PM
Thanks Bigame, I had similer problem and solved it by going to bios f2 and click on load default then go into Integral at the bottom.Click on FDC or FDS and disable it. It solved my problem.
wasjosh - Dec 15, 2008 10:38PM
I had to disable it in another menu after changing boot sequence.
David - Jan 8, 2009 03:51PM
I have the same problem. After the Windows logo comes on the screen goes black and stays black. I did have an external floppy drive, but I disconnected it.

Your advice to someone else was: "I had the same bother and it was enabling floppy disc drive which i dont have.go to bios f2 and click on load default then go into Integral at the bottom.Click on FDC or FDS and disable it and you have cracked it."

What is bios? Is it a key on the keyboard? I tried clicking and holding f8 prior to the Windows logo so I could access Safe Mode. But the arrow keys won't work to highlight safe mode.
bearguy2u - Feb 21, 2009 07:05PM
Hi my name is Michael I'm a PC phone tech where I work. The BIOS stands for Basic Input/output Sytem and can be found by pressing F2 after the memory test is complete and before the Windows LOGO. The BIOS contains system preboot and configuration information, such as boot sequence, enabled or disabled devices installed on your system.
Michael
cameron - Sep 2, 2009 01:15AM
Michael,
I have a dell dimension 4600 that is slowly coming back to life after blue screen of death. I go it up and going and installed service pack 3, all seems to be good except for the initial black screen. It is telling me SATA primary drive and SATA secondary drive and the primary drive 1 not found. OS install mode enabled and I have limited memory. If I press f1 key, everything works fine, but the process continues everytime I start up. When I press f2 and go to drive config., it tells me both SATA drives are "unknown device" and the primary master drive is a hard drive. Not sure where or how to proceed from here to get a solution? Can you please help or lead me in the right direction?

many thanks

Cameron
mking78bearguy2u - Feb 20, 2010 06:59PM
Hi Michael, My Name is marshall is there any chance that i could get your email address due to i have an inspiron 530 and constantly having troubles with it to keep in contact if i require your technology brain due to i have no knowledge of the tech side of computer software.

many thanks

Marshall
kennylove - Mar 6, 2010 04:34AM
I went into Bios and I do not see anything like that
mathgeek - Apr 21, 2010 07:57PM
is this for my problem, or for dell??
Answer
+5
moins plus
Dell dimension 4600 bios version A07 ****||PROBLEM SOLVED ||****


What I did to solve this error was go into the bios by pressing F2 at startup.
I then changed the setting for the a: floppy drive to "disabled" as I do not have one installed.

I then checked the system event log on the bottom. It stated Bios battery failure. This explained the issue.

I then changed the bios battery inside the pc by opening the side of the case and removing the little flat 3v battery and replacing it with a new one.


*** !!!!Be sure to have the computer off and unplugged for about 20 seconds before attempting to replace the system battery. Also when replacing the battery make sure you are using one hand to hold a metal part of your computer case or have an electrostatic wrist strap on to avoid electrostatic discharge and damaging your internal electrical components!!!! ***


|
|
|

Answer
+5
moins plus
I have a Dell Dimension E521 with Windows XP Media Edition installed and i recently had an AVG screenpop up telling me i had a virus so i started a system scan. During this scan my pc restarted itself so i couldnt complete the scan and now when i try to boot up windows it says "Loading your personal settings" then if i'm lucky i'll get my wallpaperscreencome up for a few seconds and then it will go back to the user accounts screen and say "Logging Off". I have tried to run it again and reboot it but to no avail.
I have tried rebooting in safe mode, i've tried rebooting from the hard drive and the CD-Rom using the windows installation disc i originally got with the machineand i have tried the above options too but it still will not boot up.
I do have the "Diskette Drive 0 Seek Failure" message come up and it has also told me that the "Diskette Drive (B)" is corrupt.
How do i sort this and is my hard drive completely knackered?
Thanks in advance for any advice

jUNIOR - Mar 6, 2010 09:21PM
THANKS A MILLION! :)
Answer
+5
moins plus
Vista XP on Dell desktop: F2 for set-up, go "Standard CMOS Features", change Drive A: from "1.44, 3.5 in" to "None." Solves the "Diskette Drive 0 seek failure" problem.

Answer
+4
moins plus
nevermind. i solved the problem. for dell users u have change your first boot hardware to Harddisk and the go to integrated components and disable FDC.

gw2250 - Feb 17, 2009 09:57AM
i bought a computer from my grandma she had the computer for 2 years but the software was all messed up so i had to restore to factory setting and now its telling me it can't find diskette 0.
mattger - Mar 8, 2009 05:29AM
I followed your advice and it worked. Thanks.
mattger - Mar 8, 2009 05:33AM
Hi Rapture. My computer is Dell with windows vista. I followed your advice and it worked. Thanks.
Postal268 - Mar 20, 2009 08:24AM
Dude thank you so much, I had been messing with the setup for hours. I figured the hard drive part but I never would have thought to go to integrated and turn off the FDC. Thanks a ton man.
lukefirewalker - Mar 29, 2009 10:59AM
That did it, thanks.
luko - Apr 2, 2009 06:36AM
how do i do that?
pari - Apr 6, 2009 05:30AM
hi,
Thanks a lot buddy, I solved this problem after a year....such a long time, so all credits goes to you my friend, Thnaks once again.

Pari
sealtsswine - Jun 2, 2009 11:31AM
very much a novice- please help
I have the same problem with a dimension 3000

I went to F2 then I am not sure where to go, any help is trully appreciated.
Cookie288 - Jun 26, 2009 11:37AM
where is the first boot hardware?
soldiersunlimited - Jul 15, 2009 04:38PM
Thank you for the info!
vaquero usa - Jul 23, 2009 08:02PM
thank you very much rapture it works...after almost 6 mos I keep on pressing F1 to open my computer, and also thank's to google.
BenP - Jul 27, 2009 09:15PM
Thanks very much for all your wonderful notes on how to solve this problem. I followed your steps and it worked accuratedly.

BenP

Port Moresby
Papua New Guinea
Thaulsa - Aug 2, 2009 02:08PM
thank you very much rapture i had problems with my diskette not working so i pulled the plug on it. still got the same error, then i realized it was booting of cd rom 1st changed to hdd and turned off diskette in bios bam works great
steve4782 - Aug 3, 2009 07:16PM
THANK YOU!
cfj52 - Aug 19, 2009 06:08AM
How do you get to the integrated components to eliminate FDC?
albertanewfie - Aug 23, 2009 05:03PM
I'm getting the same error message, how would you change those options to get rid of the error message? I'm pretty good with computers, but I don't want to do it wrong, so if you could walk me through the steps pls..
thanks
barika - Sep 25, 2009 03:54PM
Rapture, I have a Dell Dimension 3000 and am receiving the error message Primary Dive 0 not found. I think this is similar to some of the problems other people are having. I called Dell and they said I cd pay then $200 for them to see about it. I wd love to save that $ if you could help.

Yours Truly,
Carmen
pana4321 - Oct 6, 2009 03:25PM
hi. I have a dell inspiron 6000 with the same problem. I already tried f12 after turning on. Can you give me please further details on the explanation. I do not know much about IT. thanks
whiteboy - Oct 8, 2009 08:51PM
I had the same problem diskette drive 0 seek failure, your advise fix mine the first time-THANKS
LisaP - Nov 6, 2009 09:24AM
I am not that computer smart and do not know how to do the things you are saying to do. My computer was updated by Windows XP Saturday evening. When I got up Sunday morning, it was trying to restart. When it finally did, it had this error. I have tried everything to fix it. I do not know how to get into the BIOS on XP. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you very much!
salamat - Nov 28, 2009 02:55PM
how will i do that?? please tell me in details thanks
workout girl - Dec 17, 2009 01:34PM
Hey thanks. That worked!
hansdoner - Feb 9, 2010 07:48PM
Great tip, solved the issue, disable FDC, amazing...take care!
kennylove - Mar 6, 2010 04:14AM
How do I change my hardware to hard disc
Answer
+3
moins plus
go into your bios and disable floppy drive, disk 0, its should be under drivers

doeboy - Oct 6, 2009 11:30AM
i have a dell dimension c521, i have the same problem ,(diskette drive 0 seek failure). hit f1 or f2 , i turned it off in bio and it still comes up, went back to default and still the same . i did a full recovery and for some stupid reason i cant get the drivers to install. please help . Email Id removed for security. it was doing this b4 i started working on it
Computernovice 1Posts Wednesday January 27, 2010Registration date - Jan 27, 2010 08:57PM
Thanks a million for that simple tip. It took care of my "diskette drive 0 seek failure" problem. Sincerely Computernovice.
Answer
+3
moins plus
I have 2 errors Disk 0 and Disk 1 seek failure. When I go to F2 nothing happens or F12 nothing hppens, same message w/no results. I am assuming the motherboard at this point is dead as there is no BIOS to find.

Neyo - Jun 8, 2009 03:37AM
My system is not coming on and when l press F2 and F12 it is responsible it is only showing diskette drive 0 seek failure
markishere2000 - Jun 18, 2010 06:13AM
have you fixed this problem yet because mine is doing the same can not get the keyboard to run to press f2 or f12 my usb's kick in after the bios
Answer
+3
moins plus
Check your hardware configuration in your computer. How many hard drives do you have? on your IDE Cable, the big skinny Grey cord, make sure you plug the end cord of the IDE cable to your hard drive and your CD/DVD ROM drive to your middle one and the other end to your motherboards primary IDE port(Should say on your motherboard were to plug into Primary IDE) and change your jumpers on your CD/DVD Rom to slave(Look on the drive it should say were to plug it in for the jumpers) and your hard drive you use to store your OS on to Master,|| and your other hard drive you use to store your photos and all on master also(plug this on the secondary IDE port if there isn't one, refer to step 1) and start up your computer(but remember if you have a second hard drive, use the end of the ribbon cable to your hard drive and the other to the motherboard(usually the blue part that goes into the motherboard) and it should work. if it don't tell me your hard drive configuration and i shall help you. and i think that error message shows if these steps didn't help, go into your bios and change the settings on the drives to

1:Primary Master Drive Boot Device - CD/DVD Rom
2: Primary Slave drive - hard drive
3: Secondary Master Drive - Hard drive.

if these don't work refer to this post and i will try and help you on your problem, but post your hard drive configuration and maybe some pictures of your bios so i can help properly.

Kimo - Apr 12, 2009 01:42PM
Hi, Im kimo
And i have the Diskette Drive 0 Seek Failure error
my pc specifications are : Dell Optiplex 170L,1.66GHz , 512MB
I messed up my whole PC, couldnt find a engineer
But.. I've been checking the most forums and others say that my Hard Disk is broken
Can't believe that cause my PC is still reading it and i tried 3 other Hard Disk
I Hope you can help me Solve this problem?
scott - Feb 26, 2010 02:49PM
Hey my service tag for dell is 22jm0(zero)51 just tellin you that to know the type of pc i have.. i have one hardrive in that i bought but is it possible to put 2 in? if so how?
scott - Feb 26, 2010 02:50PM
22jm051 is my del service tag. i dont know what type it comp it is. but is it possible to put 2 hardrives in it if so how> i need help
Answer
+2
moins plus
Thanks to all...if not for forums like this my life would be a hell of a lot more difficult

Answer
+1
moins plus
Hi this might happen becaue of Faulty or improperly installed diskette, loose diskette/CD interface cable, or loose power cable.Replace the diskette. Ensure that the diskette/CD-drive subsystem is properly installed. If the problem persists, replace the diskette/CD-drive subsystem. try checking it might help

Answer
+1
moins plus
I've tried shutting it off in the BIOS menu but then i get a bunch of other messages witch i forget what they say but after that the computer just does nothing so i have to restart the computer and turn it back on for it work. the computer runs just fine when the menu pops up and i hit F1.

I should also let you know that the computer was used by my uncle who like to vist porn sites and the computer was loaded with virus and everything before i did the the factory default restart.

Answer
+1
moins plus
I fixed mine. The board reset when I removed the battery. So I went into BIOS and set the floppy drive to disabled (because I have no floppy so it will never find a floppy upon startup). It was right on the first page of the BIOS settings.

Answer
+1
moins plus
i'm really2 thanks to you.......:p
lalalalalalalalalalalala...........

Answer
+0
moins plus
Thanks alot Richard

Answer
+0
moins plus
Thanks bigane, my error message was fixed, but after that it goes into this black screen with just the arrow mouse on it. This started happening around the same time as the error message, what could it be?

Answer
+0
moins plus
I had the same problem, and these answers helped a lot. My bios menu was a little different. Look for anything that refers to your 'drives'. Make sure its not trying to find a floppy drive that isn't there. That's what mine was doing. If it is change where it says floppy to 'not installed'

Answer
+0
moins plus
Good advice ... But now the screen has gone blue and it says"STOP : 0x00000024 blah blah blah! Help

tklov87 - Jan 16, 2009 08:29AM
I have no clue on what could fix that. Contact the manufacture.
1 2 Next
This document entitled « Diskette Drive 0 seek failure (error message) » from Kioskea (en.kioskea.net) is made available under the Creative Commons license. You can copy, modify copies of this page, under the conditions stipulated by the license, as this note appears clearly.

Not a member yet?

sign-up, it takes less than a minute and it's free!

Members get more answers than anonymous users.

Being a member gives you detailed monitoring of your requests.

Being a member gives you additional options.

Receive our newsletter

health.kioskea.net

Diskette Drive 0 seek failure (error message) - page 2