My floppy drive searches at completely random times--usually not when I am browsing for files. I might be in the middle of a spreadsheet or on Internet or doing nothing--doesn't make any difference. It might go for days without doing it and then do it several times in a day. It really isn't bothersome but it isn't normal and I don't like things that are not normal! One previous post suggested disabling "search for floopy drive at startup" in the BIOS, but wouldn't that prevent the use of a startup disk? I guess I could change the BIOS back if I needed to use a floppy startup disk, though, but with 7 PC's to maintain, it would be easy to forget to do it in a crisis. Thanks.

Delete Documents>things in your C:\WINDOWS\Recent Folder. Also you can use Find to look for Shortcuts to your Floppy Drive. TheGorx http://pages.hotbot.com/arts/gorx/windows.html

Also I kind of wonder if Outlook, the Microsoft mail program, doesn't do some strange things concerning the floppy drive.

I have several other PC's in the office with Outlook, Microsoft Mail, etc on them and they don't do the search thing. Plus I have used this PC off of the network before using Office 97 heavily and it did it then, too.

Check your virus scan options.

Try the following: 1. Remove Findfast utility, which the MS Office installation routine unpolitely sticks in your Startup group. 2. Empty the Recycle Bin and Clear the Documents out of the Documents Menu (c:\windows\recent). 3. If the drive is still rattling or engaging try searching for reference to the A: drive by doing the following: FYI: These files listed below were short-cuts or applications that had a:\ as text in their command-lines. Find the offending files by doing a "Find" from Right Clicking the Windows 95 Start button, insert c:\ under "Look In". Then at the "Advanced" tab put "a:" (excluding quotes) in the "Containing text:" field and clicking "Find Now". After identifying the offending files (by selecting or scrolling past one, the a: drive would engage or rattle) you must delete it. Then empty the recycle bin when finished. Hope it works

Removing FindFast solved this problem for me. you can use the MSConfig program to prevent it from loading.