Why can't I format floppy disks?

Question

I bought some floppy disks they are the standard disks that I use all the time. For some reason they won't read on my computor. It tells me that the disks are not formatted, then it's asks if I would like to format them, I click yes, and then it tells me that this disk can not be quick formatted, then I try to format it the other way it starts just fine, ane then it says windows cannot completely format this disk. What do I do.

Answer

This question was answered on March 24, 2004. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

If you have Windows XP, it will not format low-density floppy disks.

When you bought the disks you might have bought the same size disks but the density level may be different.

Check some of your previous disks purchased and verify how the density compares.

The other scenario is that the disks are the same density but may be formatted differently.

Author

Posted by Student of Katharine Gibbs School - New York on March 24, 2004