Compaq Presario with one 3.5" floppy; XP says 2 5.25" drives

The unit has not had a clean install of XP. The existing system is the original Compaq XP with all of the cumulative updates to date.

The Restore CD set will only reformat the HD and reinstall everything as a new unit, minus a zillion updates. All files and apps will be lost.

The XP Home CD will not reinstall because it will not do so on top of a newer version, XP SP2.

I have tried removing the floppy drives from the Device Manager and having the system scan for new devices in the hope that it will find and install the 3.5" floppy driver, but the system refuses to do so because "the name is already in use as a service name or a service display name", whatever in the hell that means.

Any other suggestions?


.

If the restore CDs were used. As I noted I didn't have a guinea pig unit to dive in and dissect why this happens. The report back is that the restore CDs fixed it.

Sorry that I do not have another answer.

Also I do know this is caused on other machines by the BIOS settings. Again I have to take your word that you don't have such a setting and that removing or uninstalling the entry in device manager does not fix it.

This leaves me with the only reported cure.

Bob

Do that step in SAFE MODE.

Thanks! I rebooted in SAFE MODE (for the uninitiated, hold down the f8 key when rebooting) and then right-clicked on MyComputer, and selected PROPERTIES.

I entered the Device Manager and uninstalled the floppy disk drive devices. After the list refreshed, minus floppy drives, I right-clicked on the Hardware name and clicked on SCAN FOR HARDWARE CHANGES.

The scan found a floppy drive and installed it into the hardware list. No idea of what type of drive it installed.

When I returned to MyComputer, it listed ONE 3.5" floppy drive, but also reported that it was the Floppy B: drive. It seems to work, but there is some recalcitrance in some apps because they are expecting to see a drive A, not just drive B.

All of the support info from Microsoft indicates information about changing the drive letter for the hard drives, not for a floppy under XP.

Now, any ideas on moving the weird floppy B drive back to drive A?


.

All of t

Try this in a command window.

SUBST A: B:\

Bob

The SUBST command does work, and MyComputer does report that I have TWO 3.5" floppy drives A & B.

So, the command doesn't get rid of the drive B, but it does make the system work with software and installers expecting to use drive A.

The command only works up to the next boot, which will wipe out the instruction to use drive B as drive A.

The downside is that the command seems to be making the system slow down, even when the system is not accessing the floppies.

Are there any other fixes to zap the registry into telling it that I only have a 3.5" floppy drive A ?


.

Since I can't access your BIOS or find a manual we have reached the end of my suggestions.

One could put this in a batch file for ready use.

Bob