Any need for floppy drive in a new system?

[Ofnuts]

VanguardLH wrote:

A really stupid idea and only practiced by boobs. You cannot interrupt
the BIOS burn process since not enough of the firmware code may be
written at the point of interruption to allow the computer to boot
thereafter. When flashing the BIOS, do it from single-tasking DOS and
to be safe have the computer connected to a UPS. In Windows, all it
would take is some service, background process, or crapware to hang or
crash Windows during the burn to interrupt the process.

Of course, but aren't we talking about more or less the same technology
than the various flash cards and USB keys? I would understand problems
with early slow flash memories, but can we assume that these have
evolved a bit? And, after all, isn't the risk limited to the flashing
itself (and not to the data move), which is quite short and occurs at a
hardware level, and so should be quite immune from software glitches in
other appications.

 

[Conor]

Yes, we all need a 650MB CD or 4.7GB DVD or 16MB thumb drive to store a
30KB data file. Whether you need a floppy drive is not really your
choice. Someone else or some program will get you stuck needing one.

Considering I work in IT, I think that would've occurred by now don't
you?

 

[Conor]

Is the snow shovel in your garage unusable simply because you haven't
had enough snow to shovel over the several years since you bought it?
You have a weird setup if the heads in your floppy drive are evaporating
or accumulating shit when nothing is rubbing against them.

So your house is completely dust free and metal doesn't corrode on your
planet?

 

[Conor]

When flashing the BIOS, do it from single-tasking DOS and
to be safe have the computer connected to a UPS. In Windows, all it
would take is some service, background process, or crapware to hang or
crash Windows during the burn to interrupt the process.

****, you're paranoid.

 

[Conor]

Yea, that's what I do except I never install the SATA driver and set it
back to SATA mode. What benefit does SATA mode give besides NCQ?

Sod all. It has to be the most pointless technology after PCIe graphics
cards.

 

[Conor]

As usual, the only head full of shit here is yours.

Riight. That's why there's no laptops being made with built in floppies
anymore....

 

[Sjouke Burry]

So your house is completely dust free and metal doesn't corrode on your
planet?

I have 10 computers with 13 floppies, some of them 15 years
old, and all of them work.
I cannot say the same about the quality of CD R and CD RW however.
However when you use nobrand floppy disks, all bets are off, and
the cause of your failing floppy disks may not be due to the drives.
My current brand is NASHUA.

 

[VanguardLH]

So your house is completely dust free and metal doesn't corrode on your
planet?

How long were you planning on using the computer?

Dust that accumulates in the floppy drive doesn't also accumulate in the
USB port openings? You don't dust your house? You leave that dust on
your monitor? You can't manage to figure out how to use a diskette
cleaner kit?

 

[VanguardLH]

****, you're paranoid.

You might build them. You don't have to service or maintain them. I
have. I am paranoid and have yet to lose a box during a BIOS flash yet
others that practice your procedure have ended up with dead boxes and I
had to help them find someone that would help burn a copy of their
EEPROM or sell them a replacement.

 

[Conor]

How long were you planning on using the computer?

Some stuff in my computer I've had for half a decade.

Dust that accumulates in the floppy drive doesn't also accumulate in the
USB port openings?

That doesn't make them unreadable.

You don't dust your house? You leave that dust on
your monitor? You can't manage to figure out how to use a diskette
cleaner kit?

Why should I? According to you, its the best invention since sliced
bread so should "just work"

 

[Conor]

You might build them. You don't have to service or maintain them.

Err, yes I do.

I am paranoid and have yet to lose a box during a BIOS flash y

Same here and I flash from within Windows...

 

[VanguardLH]

Why should I? According to you, its the best invention since sliced
bread so should "just work"

And now you are just making up your own story to support your assault.
The OP is building their own computer. Yep, resort to feminine logic:
if you are losing the argument, change the subject or change the story.

If they can't afford the $7 for a floppy for a mobo that already has the
port and which already provides the cable then they really can't afford
owning a computer.

 

[Conor]

And now you are just making up your own story to support your assault.
The OP is building their own computer. Yep, resort to feminine logic:
if you are losing the argument, change the subject or change the story.

If they can't afford the $7 for a floppy for a mobo that already has the
port and which already provides the cable then they really can't afford
owning a computer.

Well the good news is that they're being made obsolete which thankfully
means useless cunts like you will be as well.

 

[Jim]

Is there any need for a floppy drive in a new system? If, for example,
I were to use an Intel mb that has its drivers on a floppy, as I have
heard that the DP35DPM does (go figure!), what would the workaround be?
USB? CD?

I figure I would rather not put in the extra cable if it is not needed.
The $20 expense is negligible.

Thanks
KK

Simple answer - do you have floppies with data on them?

If so $20 is cheap access.

 

[Ken]

Ken said the following on 4/13/2008 12:19 PM:

Is there any need for a floppy drive in a new system? If, for example,
I were to use an Intel mb that has its drivers on a floppy, as I have
heard that the DP35DPM does (go figure!), what would the workaround be?
USB? CD?

I figure I would rather not put in the extra cable if it is not needed.
The $20 expense is negligible.

Thanks
KK

Well, I am certainly surprised to see such verbal disrespect and
vulgarity from some of the members here. I had not expected a "religious
war" about floppy drives. As was pointed out, the expense is minimal.

The followup to the question is that there, in fact, is not a floppy
disk controller on the board I chose (Intel DP35DP). However, a member
emailed me that there is an easy work-around in Microsoft article
KB916196. On the WinXP there is support for Mitsumi and certain IBM
(Teac) fdd's.

Thanks for the discussion.

Ken K

 

[Ed Cregger]

Ken said the following on 4/13/2008 12:19 PM:


Well, I am certainly surprised to see such verbal disrespect and vulgarity
from some of the members here. I had not expected a "religious war" about
floppy drives. As was pointed out, the expense is minimal.

The followup to the question is that there, in fact, is not a floppy disk
controller on the board I chose (Intel DP35DP). However, a member emailed
me that there is an easy work-around in Microsoft article KB916196. On
the WinXP there is support for Mitsumi and certain IBM (Teac) fdd's.

Thanks for the discussion.

Ken K

--------------


My computers boot up from the USB floppy drive without a problem, once
enabled via the bios.


Ed Cregger

 

[Paul]

Ken said the following on 4/13/2008 12:19 PM:


Well, I am certainly surprised to see such verbal disrespect and
vulgarity from some of the members here. I had not expected a "religious
war" about floppy drives. As was pointed out, the expense is minimal.

The followup to the question is that there, in fact, is not a floppy
disk controller on the board I chose (Intel DP35DP). However, a member
emailed me that there is an easy work-around in Microsoft article
KB916196. On the WinXP there is support for Mitsumi and certain IBM
(Teac) fdd's.

Thanks for the discussion.

Ken K

This might be the SuperI/O chip on the DP35DP (it was mentioned on a
Russian site, and I cannot read the text besides that part number).
It does seem to have a floppy interface. And I see a connector pattern
on the motherboard, where a floppy connector might fit. But if the
support was removed from the BIOS (device disabled by BIOS code),
that might make it harder to get going. (Like if you tried soldering
a floppy connector to the motherboard.)

http://www.winbond.com/hq/enu/Produ...uperIO/AdvancedSuperIOforDesktop/WPCD376I.htm

http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/13-121-314-04.jpg

A similar thing happened with the "two floppy versus one floppy" support
thing. The chips continued to have the ability to control two (or more)
floppy devices, but the BIOS was neutered so only one would work.

Some SuperI/O chips use extensive multiplexing, and if you enable one
I/O function, it prevents another from working (because the pins are
"borrowed" to make the first function work). But seeing as
there is a connector pattern on the motherboard, it would seem
this was a marketing decision, rather than an engineering one.

Paul

 

[Andy]

Floppy drives are prehistoric and there is noooo need for them period.

Unless...

1: You want to install Windows XP onto a RAID array.
2: You want to use the Automated System Recovery in XP Pro.
3: You want to run some low level diagnostic software and can't create a
bootable CD.

Andy

 

[Man-wai Chang ToDie (33.6k)]

It seems clear from all the reply posts that I got on this subject that the

floppy drive is still a useful tool for computer builders, power users, and
hackers of all sorts.

You could turn a USB drive into a floppy disk with HP USB Key Boot
Utility and a DOS image. It works as long as your PC's BIOS could
boot from USB devices.

http://blogs.oreilly.com/digitalmedia/2004/10/utility-to-make-usb-flash-driv.html

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[TVeblen]

You could turn a USB drive into a floppy disk with HP USB Key Boot
Utility and a DOS image. It works as long as your PC's BIOS could
boot from USB devices.

http://blogs.oreilly.com/digitalmedia/2004/10/utility-to-make-usb-flash-driv.html

But then what would I do with all these free floppy drives I have lying
around here?