FDC Failure, no boot.

November 14, 2007 7:42 AM

Can't boot PC, getting "FDC Failure".

PC (Pentium 4, 1.6 GHz, AMIBIOS 2001 American Megatrends).
I turn on the computer, get 2 beeps and "FDC Failure, press F1 to continue". Do so. Go to windows' "we apologize" screen, with options: safe mode, safe mode with networking, safe mode with command prompt, start windows normally. Regardless of which I choose, computer tries to boot from scratch again, get "FDC Failure", etc.
Googling shows "FDC Failure" is floppy problem, but I don't have the floppy in my boot order.

posted by signal to computers & internet (8 comments total)

Windows XP SR2.
posted by signal at 7:42 AM on November 14, 2007

At a guess I'd say that FDC stands for Floppy Drive Controller. Have you been modifying your motherboard? Could the floppy cable be lose? Is the floppy drive old?

Try opening the case and temporarily unplugging your floppy drive cable from the motherboard. If that lets you boot then check the website for the maker of your motherboard for a BIOS update.
posted by deeper red at 7:52 AM on November 14, 2007

BEFORE you go opening up your case, try disabling your floppy drive controller via the BIOS setup and see if the problem goes away.
posted by wfrgms at 7:59 AM on November 14, 2007

Unplugged the floppy, and got rid of the "FDC Failure", but I still can't boot into windows. Keeps cycling through the "safe mode... etc" screen, never actually starting windows.
posted by signal at 8:06 AM on November 14, 2007

What are you choosing when you get the boot menu? If you choose "Boot Normally" or "Safe Mode" and continue to boot to the desktop, this should clear the dirty state and you should be able to shutdown and reboot normally and cleanly.
posted by rhizome at 8:33 AM on November 14, 2007

I suggest you reinstall Windows over the top of itself. Yeah, you'll have to update again, but at least you'll get a working system. Then take your problem from there. Sounds a lot like a damaged FDC on the motherboard or a damaged floppy. Try a different floppy drive if you have one.
posted by long haired lover from liverpool at 9:05 AM on November 14, 2007

Be aware that you can reinstall Windows without much trouble. It's a bit cryptic, though. When you boot the install disk, do not choose to repair windows. Go to the step where you are about to install. It will detect your existing installation and ask if you'd like to install on top of that, or make a new installation. Choose to install on top of the existing one.
posted by odinsdream at 9:43 AM on November 14, 2007

It's not one of those BIOSes with the option of either normal or Japanese-style^* floppy drives, is it? Can't say I've seen the option on anything that late, but it was fairly common on older 486 & Pentium m'boards. One symptom of setting the wrong floppy in the BIOS was hangs/reboots during install or startup, even after disconnecting/disabling the floppy.

Alternatively, maybe your CMOS battery is going flat?

(* The drive interface and disk format were non-PC standard; a hangover from some v.popular early computer/console in Japan)
posted by Pinback at 3:50 PM on November 14, 2007