While the floppy disk is a thing of the past, even today some Windows PC users may occasionally use it for accessing older files on the drive. One of the common issues that have been reported by floppy users is the Error code 0x800706F9.
Error 0x800706F9, ERROR_UNRECOGNIZED_MEDIA, The disk media is not recognized. It may not be formatted.
Users have reported that they experience Error 0X800706F9 while they are trying to copy content files from a 3.5 floppy disk that was previously written on Windows XP or Windows 2000.
As a floppy disk user, you are likely to see an error – “An unexpected error is keeping you from copying the file”, while using MS office documents. However, when you get an error with message “Error 0x800706F9: The disk media is not recognized. It may not be formatted”, there could be several reasons responsible ranging from a driver issue to hardware or local storage issue, corrupted excel file or word file, or corrupted or missing system file. Here is the list complete of why this is happening (check if you are experiencing any of these).
What causes Error 0x800706F9?
- Driver issue due to OS change – As the floppy disk was written using an older OS, driver inconsistency might be the reason for this issue
- Moving file restrictions – If the original file was created with inherited moving restrictions, Windows might be having issues moving it on your local storage
- Corrupted MS Excel File – This happens when the MS Excel file being accessed is corrupted in nature
- Corrupted MS Word File – Similar to Excel file this can happen when the MS Word file being accessed is corrupted in nature
- Format files of Floppy Disk – This happens due to some kind of corruption that is affecting the format files on your floppy disk
- Hardware issue – If the floppy disk has an underlying physical damage then also you are likely to get 0X800706F9 In such as case resolution is not possible
Therefore, having come across scenarios that might be causing the 0X800706F9, here is a list of methods that can fix Error 0x800706F9.
How to Fix Error 0x800706F9
Below are the methods to fix error 0X800706F9.
- Running the Hardware Troubleshooter
- Saving the document in Rich Text (Applies only to MS Excel and MS Word)
- Recovering the Excel file (Applies only to Microsoft Excel)
- Recovering the Word file (Applies only to Microsoft Word)
- Running a CHKDSK Scan
Let us talk about them in detail.
1] Running the Hardware Troubleshooter
If the connected devices to the Windows OS have some issues, the operating systems start throwing up unexpected errors. Many of the users encountering the 0X800706F9 say that the issue was resolved after running the Hardware and Device troubleshooter. Here is how you can run the troubleshooter.
- Use Windows key + R to open up the Run dialog box. Type “ms-settings:troubleshoot” and press Enter to open up the Troubleshooting tab of the Settings
- Inside the Troubleshoot screen, navigate below to Find and fix other problems and click on Hardware and Devices. Now, Run the troubleshooter. Click on Hardware and Devices
- After you initiate this procedure, wait until the initial diagnostic phase is complete, then click on Apply this fix if a suitable repair strategy is found
- After the repair is successful, restart your PC and check if the issue has been resolved automatically at the next startup
2] Saving the document in Rich Text (Applies to Excel & Word)
Opening the file directly from the floppy disk and saving the file to a different format like Rich Text before moving it on your Windows 10 HDD / SSD may just resolve the issue. Here is how to do it.
- Double-click on the problematic document from your floppy drive to open it
- Click on the File option from the top-left corner
- Click on Save as > Click on Browse and select a location on your HDD
- Choose Save as type to Text format for MS Excel file and Rich Text format for MS Word file.
- Now, save the file outside the floppy disk and open File Explorer again to check whether the problem has been fixed or not
3] Recovering the Excel file
This method is applicable only for Microsoft Excel files. There are times when the file is corrupted to the point where your OS is unable to move it safely on the local storage. In such a case, the problem can be fixed by forcing the utility to Open and Repair the file. Here is how to do it.
- Open the file that is currently saved on the floppy disk with your MS Excel.
- Now click on File from the ribbon menu at the top, and then click on Open from the vertical menu.
- Inside the Open menu, click on Browse from the context menu.
- Inside the Open window, navigate to the location where the Excel file is saved, then click on it once to select it, then click on the down arrow of Open and click on Open and repair.
- At the Microsoft Excel repair prompt, click on Repair and wait for the operation to complete.
- Now run the Step 4 again. You will see the same prompt again, however this time click on Extract Data and choose a location on your HDD and wait for the operation to complete.
4] Recovering the Word file
This method is applicable only for Microsoft Word files. For Instances, when the file is corrupted to the point where your OS is unable to move it safely on the local storage. In such a case, the problem can be fixed by forcing the utility to Open and Repair the file. Here is how to do it.
- Open your Word program, and then click on File from the ribbon bar at the top.
- From the File menu, click on Open from the vertical menu on the left, then click on Browser from the context menu that just appeared. Open a file with your default Word program
- Inside the Open window, navigate to your floppy disk, select the Word file that is giving you issues to select it, and then set the file type to Recover Text from Any files from the context menu before clicking on
- With file opened in Recovery mode, save the file on a location outside your floppy disk, then see if the operation is successful.
5] Running a CHKDSK Scan
If methods 1 to 4 does not solve the issue then it is safe to assume that problem is either hardware related or the file is corrupted. Go for the CHKDSK scan on the floppy drive to mitigate errors or bad sectors. Here is how to do it:
- Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
- With Administrator privilege, type cmd in the search box and click on OK to open Command Prompt.
- Once the command prompt window opens, type chkdsk C:
- Depending on your storage, the process may take some time
- Once the operation is complete, close the command prompt window, and reboot your compute
Finally, check to see if Windows Error 0X800706F9 is fixed or not. Hope the above solution helps!
PS: Ever thought about why A the default Windows System Drive letter for Floppy Disks?
