Floppy Disk Drive Does Not Appear in the My Computer Folder

After you upgrade to Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, the floppy disk drive may not appear in the My Computer folder. In Device Manager, the device status for the Floppy Disk Drive returns the following error message:.

This behavior occurs because the SmartDisk FlashPath Monitor from Synchronized Technologies, Inc. is installed. When you start the computer, this program typically loads automatically and changes the registry settings that belong to the floppy disk drive.

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: To resolve this issue, remove the FlashPath Monitor from the Startup folder, and then edit the registry settings for the floppy disk drive.

To remove the FlashPathMonitor from the Startup folder, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Startup, and then right-click FlashPath Monitor.
2. Click Delete, and then click Delete Shortcut to confirm the deletion.

To repair the registry settings for the floppy disk drive, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, in the Open box type regedit, and then click OK.
2. In Registry Editor, locate, and then click the following key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Flpydisk
3. In the right pane, click ImagePath.
4. On the Edit menu, click Modify.
5. In the Edit String dialog box, under Value data, type system32\drivers\flpydisk.sys, and then click OK.
6. On the File menu, click Exit to close Registry Editor.

The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: