Win10/64 Laptop: Usb Floppy Drive Stopped Working!

Hi! I use floppies to hold some of the programs on which I'm working, and, today, my Windows 10/64-bit laptop stopped working. I looked in USBDriveInfo in the Drives tab, and the entry for the drive said Not Found, and the right pane had the error code:

Problem Code = 38 (CM_PROB_DRIVER_FAILED_PRIOR_UNLOAD)

I really need this drive to work. How can I fix this problem?

 

I hope you have backup copies of all the files stored on your floppies. It should be noted that floppy disks are arguably the least reliable/safe place to store files. Note a robust backup plan involves maintaining multiple copies with at least one kept off-site.

I would try to uninstall your driver, reboot, then reinstall.

I note too according to Microsoft, the error message could indicate the driver is failing to load because Windows believes it is already loaded. So a "cold" reboot may be required. With a laptop, that means shutting down the computer, unplugging the charger, and removing the battery for 60 seconds or so.

I would also try your drive on another computer.

I also urge you to migrate away from floppies as soon as possible, if not before.

 

Never mind, it works now. I use floppies because I like them. I know that USB drives are better for most purposes, but I just like floppies. BTW, I have two back-up plans: 1. backup programs without rebuildable files to the hard drive, and 2. backup those programs and current versions to a flash drive.

 

Well, that's fine but again, they are most likely the least reliable method to store files. So as long as your backup plan includes multiple copies, AND (this is important too) you have tested the recovery options and know how to recover lost files, then that's fine. But I would also note that floppy drives and disks are fading into obscurity. You should start to migrate to something more current before you suddenly are left stranded.