If the activity light on the floppy drive is not turning off, review the troubleshooting options below for help on fixing the problem.

Floppy drive data cable is not connected properly

The most common cause for the drive light not turning off is the floppy drive data cable is not connected properly. Verify the floppy drive cable is connected properly to the back of the floppy drive and to the motherboard. Pin one on the cable is usually located closest to the floppy power connector. Therefore, the red stripe on the cable should be facing the power connector on the back of the floppy drive.

Floppy drive is bad

If the floppy drive data cable appears to be connected properly, the floppy drive is likely bad and needs to be replaced.

  • See our floppy disk and floppy drive definitions for further information on each of these terms.
  • Floppy drive help and support.