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Every time I start Google Chrome it tries to access my floppy disk drive (FDD). I know that because I can hear it scanning for a floppy disk. So if I close Chrome and then start it again I can hear the FDD scanning. So it is very consistent and I can replicate the problem simply by starting a new Google Chrome process.

Why is that? Could it be that Google Chrome needs a floppy disk to function?... it's looking for its master floppy?... Seriously though, floppy disk drive is not a requirement for Google Chrome to function, I checked the system requirements.

How come that no other browser is trying to access the FDD? If I start IE, nothing! If I start FX, nothing! Heck, not even when I start Windows Explorer do I hear the FDD scanning for a floppy disk (unless of course I deliberately click on its icon). It's only when I start Google Chrome that this happens by default upon starting the program. Of all programs, you would think that a web browser is the last program that would try to read a floppy disk drive. What is this? Are we back to the time of Netscape where one might have stored and read bookmarks from a floppy disk?

This is crazy, I tell ya...

I'm on Windows Vista 64-bit with SP2 and latest version ("28.0.1500.72 m") of Chrome.

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  • Sounds like Chrome is just "inspecting" all storage devices presented in the system.
    – VL-80
    Jul 19, 2013 at 22:45
  • @Nikolay You know, you are probably right, good guess! But it's a web browser! What is there to inspect?... You know, Google is also working very closely and deeply with the NSA, FBI, CIA, DIA, DEA, DOJ, etc. and et. al. and the list just goes on and on. They call it law enforcement and justice. I know it by other names. We better not say something "inappropriate" here.
    – Samir
    Jul 20, 2013 at 11:08
  • I'm still trying to figure out how you even HAVE a FDD. Most systems (and users!) can't identify them. Vista huh? Well, that's old enough to remember FDD's. {Grin} You could always disable that drive in Vista and you wouldn't get that scan grind.
    – lornix
    Jul 22, 2013 at 10:14

1 Answer 1

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Bug 234318.

[Storage Monitor] Check for floppy drives with both X: and \.\X: forms of device name.

We observe that in Windows 7 and 8, it looks like using the "X:" device name for QueryDosDevice doesn't work -- just returns "/". Using the slash-ified name is working. We aren't sure whether this does or does not work for older windows versions yet, so for now, trying both variants.

The fix will be in the next stable update.
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  • Thanks! I guess I will just uninstall Chrome then and use Firefox alone. I usually use Chrome as my secondary browser anyway, Firefox is already my primary browser. This issue was closed as fixed on May 17 and yet the regular Chrome release channel is still having this issue. It's July 20 now and they have not released a fix for the regular release. Instead, they ask people to join the un-tested and buggy Dev or Canary release channels. What are they waiting for? Are they waiting for major version 30 of regular Chrome? Why are they not pushing out this new fix?
    – Samir
    Jul 20, 2013 at 10:55
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    To hell with Google! Long live the Mozilla Foundation!
    – Samir
    Jul 20, 2013 at 10:56
  • I finally got this new update today, I got version 28.0.1500.95 m now and the FDD problem is gone. Or at least so it seems, because the FDD is not trying to access the floppy anymore. But what kind of information Google is accessing behind the scene... who knows? I'm just glad to have got rid of the rattling sound of the FDD every time I start Chrome, and this does not change the fact that Firefox is still my primary web browser. Chrome is sort of just my IE replacement.
    – Samir
    Aug 1, 2013 at 12:19

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