Data on a 3.5 diskette
in [Windows XP]
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From: Unknown on 8 Mar 2010 16:37 Not really. Whenever friends, relatives etc. want to give others a program or similar, we do it via the floppy. "Gordon" <gordonbparker(a)yahoo.com> wrote in message news:ecoxSGwvKHA.796(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl... > > "Unknown" <unknown(a)unknown.kom> wrote in message > news:ueN8VdvvKHA.3564(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl... >> The manufacturer of my computer updates my BIOS by me downloading the >> update which is >> written to a floppy. I then boot with the floppy inserted and my BIOS is >> updated. >> Should something happen to my BIOS, I have a copy of it on a floppy. >> This is why I use a floppy in the 21st century. > > And that's probably the ONLY reason for using a floppy.....
From: Twayne on 8 Mar 2010 20:03 Unknown, you may already know, but ... floppies lose their magnetic properties over time (thus they become unusable or the data corrupts). It starts at about two month point depending on the quality and age of the floppy, usually being closer to 6 months for el-cheapos and around a year for higher quality with good care. Before data corrupts, I mean. To prevent that, it's best to copy them to CD/DVD for long term storage. It's quick & easy to make a new floppy. The way to keep the floppy "refreshed" is to copy all the data off it to your hard drive and then simply copy all the data back to the floppy. In business, we used to do that monthly. I'd still do it monthly if I wanted a floppy to persist for the long term. But don't let the floppy be the only copy of the files; back them up too so you can always make another floppy. In the real world, I discovered a cache of about 100 floppies, some with some interesting files on them, and after over 5 years, still managed to get the data off over 55% of them. I was astonished! The software I used was a 100-pass program: It would try to read the data 100 times and then pick the sequence with the same identical data per try, and if it was over a certain number, call that the "data". It was surprisingly accurate for some of the "iffy" floppies. Now I have them on CD-R for long term storage - fun to play with sometimes. HTH, Twayne` n news:ueN8VdvvKHA.3564(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl, Unknown <unknown(a)unknown.kom> typed: > The manufacturer of my computer updates my BIOS by me > downloading the update which is > written to a floppy. I then boot with the floppy inserted > and my BIOS is updated. > Should something happen to my BIOS, I have a copy of it on > a floppy. This is why I use a floppy in the 21st century. > "Gordon" <gordonbparker(a)yahoo.com> wrote in message > news:OKB2gGkvKHA.5008(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl... >> >> "Twayne" <nobody(a)spamcop.net> wrote in message >> news:Oi8QeCkvKHA.732(a)TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl... >>> >>> But off topic and irrelevant since it has nothing to do >>> with the OPs query. >> >> Not at all. The question is - why would anyone want to use >> 1.44 MB floppy discs anyway in the 21st century? -- -- Life is the only real counselor; wisdom unfiltered through personal experience does not become a part of the moral tissue.
From: Twayne on 8 Mar 2010 20:07 In news:ecoxSGwvKHA.796(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl, Gordon <gordonbparker(a)yahoo.com> typed: > "Unknown" <unknown(a)unknown.kom> wrote in message > news:ueN8VdvvKHA.3564(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl... >> The manufacturer of my computer updates my BIOS by me >> downloading the update which is >> written to a floppy. I then boot with the floppy inserted >> and my BIOS is updated. >> Should something happen to my BIOS, I have a copy of it on >> a floppy. This is why I use a floppy in the 21st century. > > And that's probably the ONLY reason for using a floppy..... Or to make ASR diskettes and a host of other things. Would you believe even the CP/M OS is still viable and in use in several places? Just because something isn't mainstream is no reason to assume it's never used or only has one use, etc.. MSDOS for instance, is even still mainstream. HTH, Twayne` -- -- Life is the only real counselor; wisdom unfiltered through personal experience does not become a part of the moral tissue.
From: Gordon on 9 Mar 2010 03:36 "Unknown" <unknown(a)unknown.kom> wrote in message news:uHDSQewvKHA.6140(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl... > Not really. Whenever friends, relatives etc. want to give others a program > or similar, we do it via the floppy. Lat time I saw a PROGRAM that fitted on a floppy there were 24 of them......
From: Unknown on 9 Mar 2010 09:33
It doesn't have to be a "program". "Gordon" <gordonbparker(a)yahoo.com> wrote in message news:%23yoCmO2vKHA.404(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl... > > "Unknown" <unknown(a)unknown.kom> wrote in message > news:uHDSQewvKHA.6140(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl... >> Not really. Whenever friends, relatives etc. want to give others a >> program or similar, we do it via the floppy. > > > Lat time I saw a PROGRAM that fitted on a floppy there were 24 of > them...... |