Can FDS disks die?

[querjek]

I recently went on a binge on Buyee and ended up with a FDS that was recently refurbished/inspected, a bunch of games, and some fun stuff--a bootleg disk, an FDSKey, and a disk with copying software on it. Out of the 20+ games, some of the better ones (Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa, Doki Doki Panic) give error 22, Breeder gives error 17, and a few other disks don't have what's on the label.

I tried the copy software disk and some ROMs of copying software to restore the bad disks, using ROMs and a second, working Doki Doki Panic, only to learn that my FDS can't write disks.

I'd really like to get the right software on the disks, particularly Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa. But is it possible that the disks actually aren't fixable? These disks are pretty old, after all, and I have no idea how susceptible they are to rot. Can anyone help with rewrites?

Also--hi, I'm new to the forum! Sorry if this is in the wrong place.

[Jollie]

Error 22 is unfortunately one of those errors that can show up for a ton of reasons. I don't think I've ever seen Error 17 though. Maybe someone with more knowledge of the FDS has seen that one before.

 I would assume Disk Cards can develop the same problems as any other floppy disk over time. If they were stored improperly they will develop issues faster. Yellow Disk Cards have the added problem of not having a shutter for keeping the dust off the actual media inside. So if they are left outside of their protective case they are exposed to anything and everything. That being said, You should still try to either get them rewritten or, if you plan to dive headfirst into this hobby, invest in your own disk re-writer. That way, if some of the disks aren't salvageable for whatever reason, you can always buy cheap ones and write the ROM you want on it instead.

[P]

Error 17 huh? That's one of the unknown ones if it even is used at all. You sure you didn't mean 27?

Error from 20 to 27 are kinda hard to diagnose as Jollie said though. It basically seems to mean there is something wrong with the disk or the drive.
Rewriting requires a drive adjusted to factory specs otherwise you will get these same errors.

[querjek]

Error 17 huh? That's one of the unknown ones if it even is used at all. You sure you didn't mean 27?

Good catch! Indeed it was error 27.

Last week, I had the bright idea to just buy a writeable FDS and sell my current one, easy-peasy... except that I bought the second FDS through Buyee and it arrived damaged!!

The internal disk drive was loose inside the unit. I opened it up carefully and the screws holding the rubber feet had all come off. I repositioned the drive into place and it powers up, asks for a disk, then just says it's loading forever--no noise from the drive and no visible motion inside. I need to read some troubleshooting guides, but any advice is appreciated!

[P]

Ugh they just keep selling you broken units don't they?
Anyway doesn't seem like the disk drive gets any power otherwise it should at least make some noise, the RAM-Adapter always works even without the drive connected. How are you powering it? If you are using batteries they need to be not cheap crap but good quality of the same brand and charge amount. If using the original AC-adapter it might be old and worn out.


BTW, as for your first drive error 27 means you need to calibrate it, unless it's the disk that's bad (possibly written by a poorly calibrated drive).


It's nice to have a real working drive but if you are desperate you could also look into an FDSStick. In fact even if you get your drive to work I highly recommend it (or perhaps the new open-source FDSKey), it allows you to play any FDS disk image, including downloaded homebrew.

[querjek]

Update--I finally got around to opening up the damaged FDS. One of the wires had gotten cut by a loose piece during shipping, so a little solder was all it needed! I was able to rewrite all of my nonworking disks using an FDSKey. More importantly, I was able to rewrite my copy of Doki Doki Panic so that it doesn't have save data. They didn't implement a way to delete data and while there's a "fix" online that involves corrupting the memory, fresh installs are better!

Thanks all for the input!!