Floppy disk access?

[Chippy]

Strange thing: when I installed my new GF6800GT a few weeks ago, I noticed that the floppy disk gets accessed every time I switch from 2d to 3d, i.e. every time I lauch a game. It also happens in between individual 3dmark (2001, 2003 & 2005) tests. As each test launches, the floppy disk crunches.

I didn't know what might be causing this - it happens with all games, all driver versions and happens ever single time without fail.

I figured perhaps it was a power supply issue. Maybe the transient load when initialising a 3d game was very high and the 12v line was perhaps sagging and causing the floppy disk to reset? Well anyway, I bought a new *very beefy* power supply yesterday, and it still happens.

Question: does anyone else experience this floppy disk access thing?

Does anyone know what's causing it (and how to fix it)? Its slightly annoying.

Chip

EDIT: I just noticed something else. This does NOT happen if the 3d app is in a window, only full screen. I just tried launching GLQuake1 (sad, I know) and full screen, I get the floppy disk "crunch", in a window I don't.

I tested with some other apps. Same thing: Windowed, no floppy cruch. Full screen: floppy access.

Wierd???!?!

[crainger]

Hmmm, I don't have any floppy access when opening any 3d apps, but I do get it when starting 3DMark05, which is just it scanning the system I guess

Could it be your Anti Virus program doing it. Coz I remember one version of Nortons would scan the floppy every now and again.

If it really annoys you just unplug the floppy, unless of course you still use it LOL, I only use mine for BIOS flashing and the like

[Chippy]

Thanks. But its not the virus scanner, nor my firewall. I just tried disabling both and rebooting without them loading. And it still does it, so that's them ruled out.

Since I have tried playing around with this some more I find the key is screen resolution changes. Every time the screen resolution changes, the floppy gets accessed. That's why it doesn't do it with a windowed game.

But if I just change the desktop resolution: there it goes again accessing the floppy. Very very very odd.

Unfortunately I can't just disable the floppy. I use it a lot to transfer midi files to my Yamaha keyboard.

Anyone else with any suggestions?

Thanks

Chip

[mezkal]

It's reflective of a power consumption issue I guess. I used to get the same thing with my 450W PSU and an old Pioneer 1x DVD ROM drive connected. The drive would audibly CLICK whenever my FX 5900XT's GPU would by taxed in 3D mode. Once I removed the drive I noticed my card running perceptably better. Now I don't know your PSU's specs, but my guess is that the drive isn't searching but rather losing power as it's drained by your graphics card. Maybe you need a better PSU?

Cheers,

Mezkal

[Chippy]

It's reflective of a power consumption issue I guess. I used to get the same thing with my 450W PSU and an old Pioneer 1x DVD ROM drive connected. The drive would audibly CLICK whenever my FX 5900XT's GPU would by taxed in 3D mode. Once I removed the drive I noticed my card running perceptably better. Now I don't know your PSU's specs, but my guess is that the drive isn't searching but rather losing power as it's drained by your graphics card. Maybe you need a better PSU?

Cheers,

Mezkal

That's *exactly* what I thought. That the floppy was resetting itself after a voltage drop. But not so. I used to have a Globalwin SAF 520W PSU. It was a fairly good unit (30A on the 12v rail), and it was expensive enough. It kept the 12v line pretty stable. So the voltage drop theory seemed pretty unlikely, but that's all I could think it could be caused by.

Anyway, in a moment of madness, yesterday I purchased and installed a new OCZ Powerstream PSU (33A @ 12v). Admittedly I didn't need it, but this is a *fabulous* PSU.

I tested the 12v line with a multimeter and it doesn't budge. It stays at 12.xx (can't remember what the xx's are, but its 12+) at all times, no matter what I load it with.

So it can't be a power issue :-(

Chip