Step 6: Installing the floppy drive

I have occasionally tried to get away without a floppy disk drive (FDD) on some of my computers, and without exception, I have regretted not having one at some crucial moment.

Ensure that one of the 3.5-inch bays in your case is open. If your case came with rails for the floppy drive, attach them to the sides of the drive and slide the drive into the front of the computer until it clicks into place. Rails are small metal pieces which clip or screw on to the sides of the drive and allow it to be inserted and removed from the case with minimal effort in case you are wondering.

Otherwise, slide the drive into the front of the computer until the faceplate of the floppy drive is flush with the front bezel of the case and the screw holes along the side of the drive line up with the case. When everything lines up, screw the floppy drive in securely on both sides.

Plug in the power cable (see pic to right) carefully, since it is quite possible to miss one of the connectors, which will quite possibly cause some damage when the computer is powered on. Floppy drive power connectors are keyed in most cases, but if not, the red wire should be connected to the pin designated as 1 on the surrounding PCB.

Ensure that the power connector is correctly lined up with all 4 connectors. A flashlight is a good thing to have at this point. The floppy (data) cable is keyed to only fit one way. Note that it is keyed the opposite way to the IDE hard drive and CD drive, so that the red stripe on the cable should be facing the floppy drive power cable.

Floppy drive cables are solid ribbon on one end, and the other has a small section of the ribbon cut and twisted around. Ensure you only attach the floppy cable as shown in the picture below (cut portion of the ribbon attaches to the FDD itself).

Connect the data cable between the drive and the 'floppy1' connector on the motherboard.