Finally, Death of the 3.5 inch floppy disk
in [Computers]
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From: Mark Borgerson on 28 Apr 2010 17:09 In article <OOednZWhLLmMEkXWnZ2dnUVZ8nCdnZ2d(a)lyse.net>, david.brown(a)hesbynett.removethisbit.no says... > Doug McIntyre wrote: > > John Tserkezis <jt(a)techniciansyndrome.org.invalid> writes: > >> Spehro Pefhany wrote: > >>>> The only way to load device drivers (drive interfaces, SCSI drivers > >>>> etc) when installing windows is via the drive at A:. And that's your > >>>> only option. > > > >>> My latest machine lacks floppy support on the motherboard (Asus P6T > >>> WS). They suggest using a USB flash drive or USB floppy for RAID > >>> drivers. > > > >> That's nice, but USB flash drives won't ever map to A: or B:. This is > >> done intentionally, and it makes perfect sense. But it doesn't help the > >> fact that Windows will not look at *any* other drive than A:. > > > > > > I have a Flash Drive that mimics part of its space as a USB Floppy > > that *does* map to drive A: or B:. Unfortunately it doesn't work very > > well with most systems. :( > > > > > >> So, that leaves USB interfaced FDDs, or, as already suggested, creating > >> an alternative boot disk with the drivers included. > > > > Of course this is all only just for WinXP (ie. that Windows release > > from 8 years ago), or Server 2003 from 7 years ago.. > > > > Unfortunately, XP is still the best version of windows for many uses. > Lots of companies feel they don't have time to waste testing for > compatibility with Win 7, or finding drivers for it, or re-training > staff, or handling the support. It's better with the devil they know. > Besides, Win 7 has no advantages over XP if you are actually /using/ the > computer, rather than admiring the pretty clock on the desktop. That's not exactly true if you're running the 64-bit version of Win 7. It does allow you to use more memory effectively. The downside is that it does require signed drivers---some of which weren't immediately available. About the only application I use that needs that much memory is Matlab. > > > Vista & Win7/Server 2008 either release have methods to read in > > RAID/HBA drivers off flash or USB devices during installation while > > booted into WinPE. And its easy to make a new WinPE boot environment > > with said drivers if needed. > > I had to install windows (XP and Win 7) on a couple of computers > recently - it is often faster to install Windows from scratch than to > start using a typical "pre-installed" system (after it takes ages to > install windows from a hidden partition, you then have to waste more > time removing all traces of the "demo" and time-limited junk that comes > with system). While Win 7 installation is mildly improved over XP, it's > still seriously inefficient. And once you have the basic system > installed, you then have to find and install the drivers - which are > often totally absurd (I had to download a 100 MB file for an Ethernet > driver, including it's useless utilities - and it wouldn't even install > until I'd added dotnet runtimes!). I'd like to give the originator of .net a piece of my mind----for about as much time and memory as it has cost me! > > The Windows developers really should get hold of a few Linux > distributions to see how OS installers /should/ be made - they have a > decade or so catching up to do. > Good point. I've installed Ubuntu several times---and it has always been pretty straightforward. Mark Borgerson
From: keithr on 28 Apr 2010 17:14 John Tserkezis wrote: > Don McKenzie wrote: > >> Sony announced on April 23rd that they will be discontinuing sales of >> the classic 3.5 inch floppy disk in Japan in 2011. The news marks a >> major end to a nearly three decade history of the disk type that the >> company helped to pioneer. > > Someone forgot to tell microsoft. > > The only way to load device drivers (drive interfaces, SCSI drivers > etc) when installing windows is via the drive at A:. And that's your > only option. > > Short of creating a magical alternate boot install CD/DVD for every new > model of box we get. Not looking forward to it. Thats why I keep a USB floppy drive, it gets used once in blue moon when I upgrade hardware, but it pays for itself every time.
From: Andy Peters on 28 Apr 2010 18:55 On Apr 27, 4:43 am, Didi <d...(a)tgi-sci.com> wrote: > On Apr 27, 2:07 pm, John Tserkezis > > <j...(a)techniciansyndrome.org.invalid> wrote: > > .... > > > But yes, you make a valid point ... and I shall make a note to stock > > > up on 3.5" floppy disks while they're easily available, as some of the > > > ones I have at home are slowly decaying with age. > > > Indeed. I've never had much luck with the longevity of 3.5" disks.. > > They simply do not last. .... > > Stocking a lot is unlikely to help. Not so long ago I did a final > transfer > of data I had on floppies from the early 90-s. They were all readable > and > in good health (some were even from the late 80-s), I moved them to > images on newer media (HDD, which I currently backup on DVDs) all > right. > > But when I tried to write to some of them they all failed miserably, > even the newest ones. Non-formattable, complete scrap. And some of > them had been written just once or twice, so my guess is that even > unused new disks will age and become unusable within max. 10 years. > As if the brownish magnetic stuff they are covered with dries and > hardens > over the years and the tiny magnets inside remain stuck forever :-). > > Dimiter > > ------------------------------------------------------ > Dimiter Popoff Transgalactic Instruments > > http://www.tgi-sci.com > ------------------------------------------------------http://www.flickr.com/photos/didi_tgi/sets/72157600228621276/ > > Original message:http://groups.google.com/group/comp.arch.embedded/msg/13a4b9c40be4c51... The audio recording guys deal with this on a regular basis. Old tapes come in for remix/remaster and the oxide layer is in danger of shedding. So the tapes are baked at a moderate temperature to allow the binders to hold the oxide on the tape for one last pass through a tape deck. -a
From: Joerg on 28 Apr 2010 19:26 Spehro Pefhany wrote: > On Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:15:21 -0700, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> > wrote: > >> Spehro Pefhany wrote: >>> On Wed, 28 Apr 2010 11:49:10 -0700, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> >>> wrote: >>> >>> >>>> Yes, and that wear is clearly visible. However, the typical disk is used >>>> as file storage and only once in a while read back, and then only small >>>> parts of it. >>> I have an old HP logic analyzer that boots off of a floppy. >>> >> AFAIK there's also plenty of scopes from Tek and others where that's the >> only way to get screen shots over to your PC. Unless you bought the now >> pretty much unobtanium GPIB interface for beaucoup $$$. But mostly I see >> that with production machines. One floppy slot and absolutely zilch in >> terms of other interfaces. CNC gear become almost useless without being >> able to feed data into it. > > Many, maybe most, of them have an old-fashioned serial interface too, > for which people have cobbed together interfaces so that they can be > controlled from a central point. There are half a dozen, from several > different suppliers, in a college machine shop that I'm familiar with- > used for teaching CNC machining. > Occacionally I have been asked to take a look at a machine shop. Mainly because it gets messy in there and they'd rather not carry disks around and worst case get a splotch of gunk or metal chafings into a drive (happened to me once). But usually there was only one or two of the machines that had RS232, sometimes none. -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. Use another domain or send PM.
From: Mr.T on 28 Apr 2010 20:10
"larwe" <zwsdotcom(a)gmail.com> wrote in message news:308e956b-c044-4155-aa23-f31a8eb505ad(a)12g2000yqi.googlegroups.com... >> >I explicitly did not include digital downloads for obvious reasons. >> Yes you appeared to be making an invalid point. >No, you just seem to be unwilling to think about what I was saying. And that was what exactly??? That vinyl sales have increased from next to nothing to slightly more than nothing. So what? Compared to their sales 30 years ago many would claim they are still effectively dead. >> >BTW, I refuse to believe the music DVD one - I've never even SEEN a > >music DVD. It's like SACD; it's an acronym, there were/are devices > >> Now that's *really* silly. I have about a hundred, and there are *many* > thousands currently available. >LOL. I could say the same thing about my collection of 78rpm records. What, that you've never seen one, or they don't exist? >SACD and audio DVD are primarily an attempt by the music industry to >get rid of CDs because CDs have no DRM. No argument there. However I said music DVD's, not DVDA or SACD. MrT. |