Rinoa wrote on 2024-12-09, 18:34:

I am unable to get any files onto it or off of it due to the floppy drive not working in Windows

Could always plug the HDD into another PC - but it better be one with a real IDE interface (and older than the Sandybridge Gigabyte C847N - something from the 90s or early 2000s with proper manual settings) since your computer and the original disk are strictly CHS 😀

You might also like an equally small Compactflash with passive PCMCIA adapter, though that also has its gotchas (best to install freedos + volkov commander or the like to it and boot it directly to transfer files)

Also you could get a serial crossover (null modem) cable and a file transfer program that supports self-installation through DOS serial console mode, like Laplink 3 😀
Though, at least on the 365XD I had for a short while, you need the "PS2" program or its windows equivalent to enable the serial port or configure at least 2/3 of the system settings that a "normal" PC would have in the regular bios setup...

Rinoa wrote on 2024-12-09, 18:34:

The internal floppy drive can boot when the internal hard drive is removed, but once I add the hard drive, I am unable to boot from the floppy drive

This suggests it's a strict hardware problem, HDDs and FDDs have nothing in common (except for a tiny and probably irrelevant detail caused by both IDE disks' builtin controllers and "modern" FDCs wanting to be compatible with the IBM 5170's HDD and FDD combo card, which has one (1) memory address shared between the two parts)...

Tried removing all 3 batteries for a while to reset the configuration, just in case?

I agree, I plan to buy a little IDE cable adapter now that I have the hard drive case open, and I recently found a Pentium 266 computer that would be perfect.

I am contemplating possibly grabbing a second hard drive from another laptop and installing a new OS as you mention something like freedos. I wonder if maybe the PC resale company did something that messed up this computer.

In the end, I may fully open up this computer and make sure the motherboard is clean and that's a great reminder that there are more batteries inside. I haven't opened this one up very much because I thought it was a software issue, but you have given me renewed courage that it is a hardware issue.

I just thought of another possible cause. The LCD flickers quite a lot which I believe is due to bad capacitors, I wonder if the motherboard has bad capacitors as well. This was stored in a hot and wet shed since 2001. This could be a good learning opportunity for me to troubleshoot hardware level stuff.

Thank you for such a kind reply Ryccardo.

Hello, I would like to report that my steps had resolved it, and it was a windows issue, but I realized three of my floppy disks have gone bad. I was quite tired this morning when I was testing my experiments on it, and I thought it was a failure when it wasnt. I just now turned on the laptop and use a different floppy disk and it worked well.

Here is what I did. I saw that a CD-ROM drive was seen as installed but not present in the device manager, and so I removed it. I then looked at the generic floppy drive Resources tab, and saw that it was set to Basic Configuration 1. I changed that to "Use Automatic Settings". My laptop now reads my floppies. I seemed to have too many holes in my troubleshooting method, particularly failing floppy disks.

Thanks, and best of luck to anybody who comes across this.

Rinoa wrote on 2024-12-10, 05:05:

Hello, I would like to report that my steps had resolved it, and it was a windows issue, but I realized three of my floppy disks have gone bad. I was quite tired this morning when I was testing my experiments on it, and I thought it was a failure when it wasnt. I just now turned on the laptop and use a different floppy disk and it worked well.

Here is what I did. I saw that a CD-ROM drive was seen as installed but not present in the device manager, and so I removed it. I then looked at the generic floppy drive Resources tab, and saw that it was set to Basic Configuration 1. I changed that to "Use Automatic Settings". My laptop now reads my floppies. I seemed to have too many holes in my troubleshooting method, particularly failing floppy disks.

Thanks, and best of luck to anybody who comes across this.

You know, I always lamented not being able to choose Quistis as Squall's interest...

andre_6 wrote on 2024-12-10, 05:46:

You know, I always lamented not being able to choose Quistis as Squall's interest...

Hah, yeah I can see that. It's been a while since I played FF8, but it became my nickname years ago and now it's my real name.

I'd be more curious to see how all of the characters of ff8 matured, so I'd love to see a FF8-2 set 10 years later, but only if well-written.