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From: ingoldsb%ctycal@fsa.cpsc.ucalgary.ca (Terry Ingoldsby)
Newsgroups: comp.virus
Subject: Re: Is virus infection by inserting floppy disk possible? (PC) (Mac)
Message-ID: <0015.9104181344.AA09450@ubu.cert.sei.cmu.edu>
Date: 17 Apr 91 18:23:51 GMT
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Approved: krvw@sei.cmu.edu

p1@arkham.wimsey.bc.ca (Rob Slade) writes:
...
> On a PC: no.  Or at least, not with standard machines.  (I use an old NEC
> laptop for my comm sessions, and it growls at every disk insertion so it
> must be doing *something*.  But most PC's don't.)

I recently installed a floppy disk drive on a non-PC computer
(actually a Radio Shack Color Computer).  I bought the drive without
power supply or cabinet and assembled the unit myself.  I discovered
that the drive would cycle the power on for about 5 seconds every time
a disk was inserted, even when the drive was not connected to a
computer.  It appears to be a feature that makes certain the disk has
seated itself properly before any data operations take place.  As far
as I could tell the computer is not advised of the insertion.  Perhaps
this is what you are experiencing?

- --
  Terry Ingoldsby                ingoldsb%ctycal@cpsc.ucalgary.ca
  Land Information Services                 or
  The City of Calgary       ...{alberta,ubc-cs,utai}!calgary!ctycal!ingoldsb