Question: I have a lab with Windows 98 computers and sometimes the diskette (a:) drive suddenly starts to make noises and even though there is no diskette in this drive, it looks like the computer is searching for something there. This process slows down the computer. Is there a way to stop it?
The IT Guy says:
There are several things that could cause this, but the one I've seen most often is the recent installation of a program that didn't install fully, was corrupted, or has a conflict with another program already installed on your system. I would recommend looking at what programs have been recently installed and doing a complete uninstall / reinstall, or if the program is not needed just leaving it off your system entirely. Another possibility is that your virus scan software is enabled to scan the A: drive. If so, disable that feature. Another possibility is that the micro switch that tells the computer there is a disk in the drive is dirty; that can cause a similar problem to what you have described. Try shooting compressed air (not more than 25 psi) into the base of the drive to clean it out. The last possibility is that Microsoft's "fast find" may be enabled at startup to search your files to allow a faster find. Disable this feature if enabled.
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