A:\

Hi, (using XP) whenever I boot my computer,
this message always comes up

"A:\ Disk Error
press F1 to continue"

and I am unable to access my A:\ afterwards.
How can I fix this?

 

Open the case and check the ribbon cable and power to make sure they are secure. Check the motherboard end as well.

 

I've checked, it's all secure

 

I'm sure you've ruled this out, but was a floppy left in the drive?

 

Hi, yes there is no disk still inside the drive.
This happened after I installed a new hard drive.
I think I may have accidently pulled the cable out from the disk drive. I'm not too sure how the proper cable orientation should look like

 

It should fit only 1 way usally the tappered end goes down (the cable and HDD is set up that way). Good Luck

 

Have a look in the box. The ribbon cable for the floppy is usually the one that has a twist in it, however that's not always the case anymore.

You should be able to see where it connects, as there will only be a couple of possibilities. Sometimes the cable can be slightly pulled away from the drive, causing a lack of power supply. Perhaps if you make sure everything is seated properly, that will help.

 

Unfortunately the Pin 1 rule doesn’t always apply to floppy drives. The true way to tell is when your machine boots the green light on the floppy drive should come on for a second and than go out. If the green light on the floppy drive stays on, this means your floppy Data cable is backwards. TURN POWER OFF and rotate data cable 180 degrees plug in, and turn machine on, watch green light.