"Floppy disk seek failure"

When I boot my computer a message comes up that says, "Floppy disk seek failure. "
Does this mean my floppy disk is suddenly no good and I will have to have them come out and replace it?
It says "press F1 to continue so I press F1, but the next time I boot the same message comes up...

Win XP Pro SP2

 

I am old and disabled and there is no way I could take a computer apart. I guess I will have to have a tech come out from Dell to take it apart.
What does "seek failure" mean??

 

If you never use it then disable it in bios.

 

I do use it and paid extra for it....I would have no idea how to disable it anyway as I know nothing about a BIOS.

What does "seek failure" mean?

 

I don't want to disable it because I need it, and, no, all my friends are either dead or moved to Florida and know nothing about computers anyway.
I had to pay extra for the computer to have a floppy drive...

I just want the floppy disk to work...
Why, all of a sudden, did it disappear so the computer can't find it?

 

It's most likely a hardware failure and will require someone to open the box and check all connections as mentioned. If that doesn't fix it, then the drive has failed and will have to be replaced.

 

It has only been used 3 times and it has failed? I won't buy Dell again!!
Thanks for the responses....I guess i will have to buy a new computer but I absolutely do NOT want Vista....Oh well, I have lived many years without a computer; I guess I can do it again.
I probably should shut this down if it has failed hardware.
Another computer goes in the back junkroom with 4 others....I give up. This computer wasn't cheap either...almost $1500.

 

This computer is crazy! Three times when I booted I got the seek failure message...I just rebooted and did not get the message...it just booted normally. Did it somehow fix itself? I am really confused now.

 

Hi,
It appears to be an intermittent problem and as suggested, the cause may well be a bad connection. It may be that the "data" cable needs replacing.

You don't have the ability to open up the case and check. Buying a new computer would be a solution, but it could be like "throwing out the baby with the bathwater ".

So my suggestions...
Contact your local government in Halifax. There are likely to be "computer groups" in your area that will be willing to take a look at it for you. Helping the elderly will be one of their aims.

If it continues to be a problem, you could consider getting an external floppy drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=external+floppy+drive
$20 or so is a little better than buying a new computer. Even if you replaced the current floppy drive and the data cable the cost of parts would be less than $10.

Here are the instructions for disabling the drive
http://support.dell.com/support/top...&component=-1&lang=-1&doclang=en&toggle=false
if decide to get an external drive or do not want to see that message before you can get somebody to help you.

If you can get somebody to help you, ask them to replace the CMOS battery at the same time (just to be on the safe side).

Matt

 

In Halifax? A computer group? LOL! There is one woman at the library that tells people how to use a computer...she knows even less than I do if that is possible.
I bought an extended warranty and Dell will just have to come out and fix it. They have replaced the HD twice and the monitor once...that does not speak well of Dell computers. Now there is trouble with the floppy drive...they must use very shoddy hardware. Of course it says "Made in China" on the computer and monitor so that may be the problem right there.
Thanks very much for your responses and your patience.