5 1/4 floppy?!

[Marek Kalisz]

Where to get old 5 1/4 (or 5 1/2) floppy drive? Which was the last Windows
supporting those?
I have several diskettes with older programs and data that I'd like to read
and transfer those to my new systems/other media.
My very old system (that has such a drive) is too rusty to work.
Marek Kalisz
PS. Some comp hacker told me that even military (which still operate many
computers needing those drives and diskettes?) couldn't find a supplier to
buy replacements...

 

[Ghostrider]

Where to get old 5 1/4 (or 5 1/2) floppy drive? Which was the last Windows
supporting those?
I have several diskettes with older programs and data that I'd like to read
and transfer those to my new systems/other media.
My very old system (that has such a drive) is too rusty to work.
Marek Kalisz
PS. Some comp hacker told me that even military (which still operate many
computers needing those drives and diskettes?) couldn't find a supplier to
buy replacements...

Might want to shop around, especially to local estate auctions,
computer surplus supply stores, etc. A Google search turned up
about 778 hits. The drives are still being sold. However, not
sure just how good the 5.25-inch floppy diskettes would be after
so many years.

 

[Ted Zieglar]

You'll have to find a computer that has that type of drive installed.

 

[Bob Harris]

I seem to recall that Windows 3.1 could handle this size floppy, but that
was merely a shell on top of DOS. After you find the hardware, it should be
mostly a matter of getting drivers that are compatible with the operating
system.

You might try a school or library, but look in a town that is fairly poor,
and so can not afford modern hardware.

Finally, some old, maybe free, version of LINUX might be able to handle such
floppies. It might be worth a search or two. Here is one hit I got on
"LINUX floppy 5 inch"
http://www.debian.org/releases/slink/i386/ch-install-methods.en.html

 

[Bob I]

Floppy Disk Formats That Are Supported in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309623/en-us

 

[Guest]

I have a 5-1/4-inch floppy drive in one of the bays in my desktop. It's a
brand new computer (1 year old) but yes, Windows XP will support and use (and
even format for you) those disks. No worry about support, as long as you
have a drive and it'll plug into your motherboard.

- skeene

 

[JS]

I've used Windows 98 and 5.25 inch floppies which I copied to the hard drive
and then archived to a CD.
Your PC BIOS must support 5.25 inch floppy drive and the cable connector is
not the same as a 3.5 inch drive.

JS

 

[Eric P.]

However, not sure just how good the 5.25-inch floppy diskettes would
be after so many years.

Yesterday I was experimenting with a NEC 1.2MB 5.25" floppy drive from
1987 that I had attached to a Gateway G6-350 PII computer about 10 years
younger.
I have never had special problems with floppies, except around 1997 when
I bought a large box of preformatted TDK 1.44MB floppies of which many
had problems even when I formatted them myself.
Also this time the 5.25" drive read 360KB and 1.2MB floppies from the
later eighties without any problem.
I forgot to test the 180KB single sided flavour.
I think a lot depends on how you handle and store floppies.

 

[Marek Kalisz]

Thanks all of you for tips. Now I know which way to go...
Marek Kalisz

 

[Papa]

One thing to consider is: just how worthwhile those old programs are. That
type of drive has not been used for years, so the software on the media has
very likely been surpassed long ago in capability by more modern software.
Even if you do find a good drive, the software may not be compatible with
current operating systems.

However, try one of the Mom and Pop small computer stores, or try Ebay. Good
luck.

 

[Jim Macklin]

Floppy drive support is usually embedded in/on the
motherboard. Open your BIOS and look to see what floppy
support is included. You might also find an external drive
that would connect to a parallel or serial port.


| One thing to consider is: just how worthwhile those old
programs are. That
| type of drive has not been used for years, so the software
on the media has
| very likely been surpassed long ago in capability by more
modern software.
| Even if you do find a good drive, the software may not be
compatible with
| current operating systems.
|
| However, try one of the Mom and Pop small computer stores,
or try Ebay. Good
| luck.
|
|

 

[philo]

Where to get old 5 1/4 (or 5 1/2) floppy drive? Which was the last
Windows supporting those?
I have several diskettes with older programs and data that I'd like to
read and transfer those to my new systems/other media.
My very old system (that has such a drive) is too rusty to work.
Marek Kalisz
PS. Some comp hacker told me that even military (which still operate many
computers needing those drives and diskettes?) couldn't find a supplier to
buy replacements...

If you are in the USA I'll send you one free (you pay postage)

my gmail addy is philo565