AutoScan is molesting my floppy ...

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 7:41 am

My PC OS files got corrupted last week and I ended up having to do a complete re-installation of Windows XP and all of my software. Anyway, after reinstalling my AutoScan 5.7, every time I use the software -- for some reason it tries to access my 3.5 inch floppy drive (yes my PC is quite old but it usually does the job). AutoScan just keeps trying to access the floppy like every 2 seconds and when I shut the software down everything goes back to normal.

Anyone else have this issue?

I suppose I can go into my BIOS and disable the floppy but then if my system crashes again … it becomes a hassle to go back into the BIOS and enable it again in order to restore system files. I guess it may also be time to just start saving up for a new PC but then I can’t buy all of the xPAP supplies I want to try out.

Any advice sincerely appreciated …

- roberto

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 7:59 am

I would disable it, most new computers don't come with one. You can boot the system from the XP disk if need be, as long as your Bio will boot from CD. Jim

Daffney_Gillfin · Post by **Daffney_Gillfin** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 8:46 am

Roberto,

I don't have a floppy on mine, so I have no way of checking this out. Do you have an icon in your systray related to something called Alive? I don't remember what it looks like, maybe a yellow triangle or something? (I'm also not at the computer with Autoscan installed.) I noticed it running on mine once and closed it with no ill effects, but looking at the options for it, it appeared that might be the cause of the floppy abuse. I had found the alive.exe in my autoscan folder, so they must have thought it had some purpose at one time.

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 9:15 am

Thanks Jim and Dafney.

I'll check into the alive.exe and if that does not work, I'll go into the BIOS and disable the floppy.

-r

oldgearhead · Post by **oldgearhead** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 10:43 am

What's a floppy?

(Sorry, I just couldn't help myself)

oldgearhead · Post by **oldgearhead** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 10:49 am

Even though it was a long time ago, I remember a failed floppy drive
do this. I just don't recall if it was a 5 inch or an 8 inch. Is the little red light on all the time? Have you unplugged it recently? Plugging it in backwards will
usually result in a constant activity light..

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 10:51 am

DreamStalker wrote:AutoScan just keeps trying to access the floppy like every 2 seconds and when I shut the software down everything goes back to normal.

Anyone else have this issue?

When I used Autoscan, it always did that. I asked another Autoscan user if that was normal behavior with Autoscan and a floppy drive. He said it was. Sure was annoying to listen to that grinding sound.

Arizona-Willie · Post by **Arizona-Willie** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 10:52 am

Autoscan is poorly written software. It is looking for a card reader device that fits into a floppy drive. 6 people in the U.S. have one, 4 of them work at the company that wrote the software.

They did not design a way to turn off looking for that card reader.

You can put a floppy disk in the drive and that makes it quiet down a bit.

Or open the case and disconnect the floppy. How often do you use one of those anymore?

Or you can do it in the BIOS too if you wanna take the easy way out

Or just ignore it. It makes a bit of a racket as it checks the drive but no harm is done.

Fletch · Post by **Fletch** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 12:29 pm

I got Autoscan last week and was having problems with the card reader driver (long story will explain when I review the ACS reader) anyway my main machine doesnt have a floppy but when I tried to do the install on an old Win98 laptop I have I saw the same problem.

dsm · Post by **dsm** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 2:31 pm

Yup Autoscan actually access the 'floppy' drive which causes the mechanism to engage & clatter.

Most modern PCs & Notebooks are devoid of these archaic mechanisms (bit like serial ports although my newest duo pentium notebook still has 1 x 9-pin serial port ).

It is an irritation. I'd be happier if it didn't do that.

DSM

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 2:53 pm

more proof they write lousy software when it does that, then you have to ask yourself how good can they be at writing the software that runs the machine?

Offerocker · Post by **Offerocker** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 5:37 pm

Since it is looking for a floppy, just put in one and satisfy its needs; that's from where the cookie monster came. Get it, "cookie".

For Historians only:
From an "archaic observer": The 3 1/2" Floppy Drive has always been Drive 'A', the substitute in software for the Card Reader (if you don't remember those, just "Trust Me". The card reader was the ONLY source of input to the computer system during boot when first designed. Then came the PC and the floppy, its only input device to the boot software. (keyboard not recognized for hopefully obvious reasons). That part of the software remains.

I have an external floppy drive for my laptop, "and glad of it" - found some old data!!! However, any programs on a floppy are more likely to be 16-bit (Win98 or older), rather than 32-bit (Win XP etc.). that's all I know about that, and you're glad of it! Also (sorry), it's the cheapest form of rewritable data to pass between systems. (old Dell desktop has internal floppy, but rest of innards up-to-date).

Daffney_Gillfin · Post by **Daffney_Gillfin** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 6:10 pm

Ok. I just installed Autoscan on my older computer with a floppy. It wasn't the alive.exe that was accessing the drive, but the crws.exe process. Once I killed that process, the floppy access stopped. I did not install my card reader on that other computer though.

I don't know what the crws.exe is for. I found it also in the Autoscan folder. I have also caught it trying to access the network, and now have it blocked at the firewall from phoning home, or whatever it's trying to do. I've killed the process in the past also, and never encountered a problem doing so.

So if someone with the floppy problem could test this out more thoroughly, and report back any problems, perhaps we can all learn how to deal with it.

Thanks.

dsm · Post by **dsm** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 6:19 pm

Another 0.2c worth.

This thread has been great for looking at an issue & discussing it and seeking ways to resolve/improve the situation. I think we may be close to a resolution even if it becomes a stopflop.bat command that we run to kill the crws.exe(?) task should that cause no other bad side effects.

This kind og helpful discussion is what this site should be about. Any posts that seek to 'dance on the grave' of AutoScan while a legitimate issue is being discussed, serve no purpose other than create frustration & dissention.

I am looking forward to the day that we all feel free to discuss problems and solutions to them without the act of doing so opening the door for self-serving political agendas.

Tks

DSM

Offerocker · Post by **Offerocker** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 6:30 pm

dsm wrote:Another 0.2c worth.

This thread has been great for looking at an issue & discussing it and seeking ways to resolve/improve the situation. I think we may be close to a resolution even if it becomes a stopflop.bat command that we run to kill the crws.exe(?) task should that cause no other bad side effects.

This kind og helpful discussion is what this site should be about. Any posts that seek to 'dance on the grave' of AutoScan while a legitimate issue is being discussed, serve no purpose other than create frustration & dissention.

I am looking forward to the day that we all feel free to discuss problems and solutions to them without the act of doing so opening the door for self-serving political agendas.

Tks

DSM

I 'highlighted' that last paragraph. As I did a SIGH OF RELIEF! Thank you for issuing that comment, DSM, for I too have felt the same!

There are SO many talented, intelligent, experienced people here that I would like to FEEL FREE to ask off-topic questions now and then, and NOT be snided. If someone doesn't like/understand/xxx/the post, PLEASE IGNORE IT! We all have our needs, some are GENUINE round-a-bouts, based to cpap.

Experience is not to be ignored or made light of - why, look what's in the Smithsonian!! The first computer I worked on/at/for. Yea, I've 'been there, done that, got the T shirt - and learned more than ...you get the pic.
There's so much to share.
Now, about this toilet that my husband attempted to 'fix'.... 3 in the house, 1 guaranteed to work without leaking somewhere. What now, Mork?

HMMMM Maybe I'll work on that stopflop command!

I would guess that crws.exe is a program (.exe) which is for a Card Read Write Subroutine. It does not exist on my laptop (no internal drive, not needed, and external is supported by its own software). There's nothing on the web search about it either, although I didn't go into anything beyond the surface layer.

Daffney_Gillfin wrote:Ok. I just installed Autoscan on my older computer with a floppy. It wasn't the alive.exe that was accessing the drive, but the crws.exe process. Once I killed that process, the floppy access stopped.

Another observant solution!! You may now go to msconfig and remove that program from your startup menu!

Any recommendations for a good Web Site Builder program?????

AutoScan is molesting my floppy ...

AutoScan is molesting my floppy ...

Re: AutoScan is molesting my floppy ...

Floppy accessing