Windows 95 File System Questions and Answers (132993)

MORE INFORMATION

1. Q. I am experiencing problems accessing a floppy disk drive in Windows 95. What can I do to fix this?
   
   A. There are many possible causes for floppy disk drive problems. To troubleshoot the problem, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   131690 Troubleshooting Floppy Disk Drive Problems in Windows

2. Q. Why do I not see a device that is connected to a controller in Device Manager?
   
   A. The device may not appear because there are no protected-mode drivers for it, or because Windows 95 did not detect it. Try the following steps:
   
   
   1. Determine if the device works at in MS-DOS or with its Windows 3.1 drivers. If it does, Windows 95 is not able to detect the device or there are no protected-mode drivers for it.
   2. Use the Add New Hardware tool in Control Panel. Let Windows detect the hardware in your computer. If the device is not detected, run the Add New Hardware Wizard again and choose the specific device.
3. Q. How do I resolve device conflicts that Device Manager indicates?
   
   A. Device Manager may display an exclamation point in a yellow circle or an "X" in a red circle next to a device. An exclamation point in a yellow circle indicates that the device is not present, is not working properly, or does not have all its drivers installed.
   
   An "X" in a red circle indicates that the device has been disabled. You can enable the device by clicking the Original Configuration (Current) check box in the properties for the device.
4. Q. I have a CD-ROM drive connected to my sound card but I cannot access the drive. Why?
   
   A. Windows 95 includes drivers for CD-ROM drives on SoundBlaster, MediaVision, and Aztech sound cards. If Windows 95 does not support your sound card or CD-ROM drive, you must use real-mode drivers to access the CD-ROM drive.
5. Q. Why can't I access my ATAPI CD-ROM drive in protected mode?
   
   A. Some ATAPI CD-ROM drives require real-mode drivers to be loaded in order for Windows 95 to activate the CD-ROM drive in protected mode. Such drivers need to be installed before Windows 95 Setup can detect or enable the drive.
6. Q. Why does the Performance tab in System properties indicate that the MS-DOS compatibility mode is in use on my large IDE hard disk?
   
   A. Any of the following conditions can cause the file system to use the MS-DOS compatibility mode:
   
   
   • You use OnTrack Disk Manager version 6.02 or earlier. Disk Manager 6.03 is supported in protected mode on hard disks on the primary IDE channel and when DriveSpace disk compression is not installed. For drives on the secondary IDE channel, Disk Manager 7.0 or later is required. When using the DriveSpace compression software that is included with Microsoft Windows 95 and Microsoft Plus!, Disk Manager 7.04 or later must be used. For information about upgrading your version of Disk Manager, please contact OnTrack.
   • You use any MicroHouse EZ driver version. If you use any MicroHouse EZ driver version, contact MicroHouse for information about version updates and compatibility with Windows 95.
   • The presence of a virus may force the file system into the MS-DOS compatibility mode.
   • There is no Windows 95 protected-mode driver for your hard disk. Contact the hard disk manufacturer about a Windows 95 protected- mode driver.
7. Q. My removable-media device does not work in Windows 95. How can I fix this?
   
   A. To correct the problem, try these steps:
   
   
   1. Verify that the removable-media device works in MS-DOS.
   2. Make sure that a cartridge is in the device before you start Windows 95.
   3. Load the removable-media device's real-mode drivers in the Config.sys file.
   4. Try to format a new cartridge in Windows 95. If you can access the drive, the original cartridge may be formatted with a format that Windows 95 cannot use.
8. Q. Windows 95 can read a data CD-ROM but cannot play an audio CD. Why?
   
   A. This behavior can be caused by either of the following conditions:
   
   
   • You may have a CD-ROM drive with outdated firmware. In order to use this drive properly, you must load its real-mode drivers. The Hardware.txt file included with Windows 95 may provide additional information.
   • If you are loading real-mode drivers for your sound card, make sure the audio settings in Windows 95 match the audio settings for the real-mode driver.
9. Q. What can prevent my SCSI device from working properly?
   
   A. Most SCSI problems are due to hardware termination issues. Refer to the hardware manual for the proper termination settings.
10. Q. Device Manager displays an entry for an unknown device. What is this?
    
    A. Unknown devices are enumerated devices without a class. These devices consume resources (such as interrupt lines or input/output addresses) but they do not have protected-mode drivers.