Floppy Drive, Computer Checks Repeatedly

29. Floppy Drive, Computer Checks Repeatedly

To put a lid on this annoying behavior, go to Start, Settings, Control Panel.
In the Control Panel choose System.
In the System Dialog Box, click on the Performance tab.
In the Performance section, click on the File System button.
In the File System Properties dialog box, click on the Floppy Drive tab.
In the Floppy Drive dialog box you’ll see this sentence: “Search for new floppy disk drives each time your computer starts.”

Click on it to remove the check mark in the box to the left of the line.
Alas, Windows is not the only culprit behind frequent A-drive checks.

Your computer may be trying to access your A drive for other reasons.

You may have tried recently to get a file off a floppy and your computer may have gotten stuck in that particular fetch-boy mode.

Or a utility - an antivirus program, for example - has decided that it is a good idea to apply its duties to a floppy disk as well as your hard drive.

Begin your troubleshooting by clearing your Documents folder in Start.

To do so, right-click anywhere on the Taskbar, which is along the bottom edge of your screen.

From the pop-up menu choose Properties.

In the Documents section of the Taskbar Properties, click on the Clear button.

Check the settings for your antivirus and computer maintenance utilities.

If they are set to include the A drive in their work, dissuade them from doing so.

Speaking of antivirus programs: Update your antivirus program then have it check your system.

You may have picked up the Neuville virus - also known as EE, French Boot, Jumper, Sillybob and Touche.

The virus, no matter what alias it is using, may be goading your PC into polling the A drive at inopportune times.

Determine whether your PC uses Microsoft Office's FindFast. It is doing just that if there is a FindFast reference in your StartUp folder.

An orphaned file, one that was left behind when the program to which it belonged was uninstalled, may be seducing your PC into inappropriately checking the A drive.

If you have a third-party uninstaller, use the program's utility that finds and deletes orphan dynamic library link, or dll, files, as well as other orphaned files.

If you are using Norton Navigator, Symantec suggests that you manually clear the program's Run History List.

Doing so, the company says, may "prevent unexpected accessing of the A drive if the list contains many references to it."

For more information, go to http://www.symantec.com/techsupp

Using the options available on the site, make your way to the Symantec Knowledge Base for Norton Navigator and search for the document "How to Clear the Run History List."