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Anyone still use a floppy?

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There are floppy drives in my systems at home but are rarely used.

At work, there are floppy drives in every test bench in the labs for tasks such as bios flashing, bios extraction, and executing batch files to run miscellaneous test procedures.

I always submit for a procurement of floppies every month because we use them so much.
 
I use them about once a week. In my lab there are 4 computers and one internet connection (too costly for more connections and the one connection we have is tested weekly to make sure there isn't a hub connected - we'll lose the only connection we have if it is detected). So basically the best way of transferring files between those computers is still the floppy. I pull out one more AOL disk from the pile of hundred's I've been mailed through the years and put the file on it. Burning a CD takes far longer (plus they are annoying to have to keep replacing just to transfer one file) and using USB flash disks means pulling out any USB device which is plugged in.

Heck even if I transfer a file home, I'll use a floppy. The floppy takes 5 seconds, the dialup takes 30 seconds to connect + download time and costs money (I pay by the hour). So floppy it is.
 
Its strange how every part of a new computer system would be more advanced than it woulda been if it was bought ten years ago except the floppy drive. You would think that manufacturers would stop being cheapskates and give us zip drives instead.
 
Have one, but the only time I ever use it is for installing my Promise controller drivers during XP install. Otherwise it's just making the case look prettier 😛
 
Sure I have one. Sometimes it's difficult to do things any other way - like in case of a failed BIOS flash...

And BTW, 5.25" isn't a REAL floppy drive, it's a MINI floppy drive. A REAL floppy drive is 8"!!! I never owned any, because they were pretty much obsoleted by the 5" drive by the time they were cheap enough that I could afford one - but I did use them.
. You guys can't all be that young, can you???
. Remember the original Iomega Bernoulli Box? Modified 8" floppy technology - and I never could afford one of those until they were obsolete either - but I lusted. You could drop 'em from a foot or so and they wouldn't skip a beat. Try that with your flippin' Zip drives... 😉 How about "hard sectored" diskettes (even the diminutive term "diskette" began with the 5" floppy) with 10 or more evenly spaced sensor holes around the hub.
. C'mon, anyone else out there with some age on 'em?

.bh.
:moon:
 
Originally posted by: Alptraum
All of my computers still have one. I don't use the floppies much, but I need them from time to time.
Click to expand...
Ditto... Bios is easier that way for one thing.

 
I have one. I don't use it much.

But for any little programs its easier to use than burning a CD. Sometimes you could need to use something on a floppy outside of windows.
 
I have one and use it very frequently for school, home, work, etc. I don't think they'll disappear completely. Although there is my jump drive or thumb drive which ever you prefer that is much quicker, larger, and more stable. I use the jump drive for pc repairs; I use the floppy drive(s) for formatting HDD, transferring small files, rescue anit-virus disks, boot disks, Red Had boot disks, etc.
 
Originally posted by: Zepper
Sure I have one. Sometimes it's difficult to do things any other way - like in case of a failed BIOS flash...

And BTW, 5.25" isn't a REAL floppy drive, it's a MINI floppy drive. A REAL floppy drive is 8"!!! I never owned any, because they were pretty much obsoleted by the 5" drive by the time they were cheap enough that I could afford one - but I did use them.
. You guys can't all be that young, can you???
. Remember the original Iomega Bernoulli Box? Modified 8" floppy technology - and I never could afford one of those until they were obsolete either - but I lusted. You could drop 'em from a foot or so and they wouldn't skip a beat. Try that with your flippin' Zip drives... 😉 How about "hard sectored" diskettes (even the diminutive term "diskette" began with the 5" floppy) with 10 or more evenly spaced sensor holes around the hub.
. C'mon, anyone else out there with some age on 'em?

.bh.
:moon:
Click to expand...




I had an tape drive in my TRS-80 and upgraded to a 8" floppy. I have a 5.25" in one computer now🙂 not connected😉 but ready. All have a 3.5". Some have a Zips also. My IBM PS2-486 DX4-100 has a 3.5" 2.8 meg floppy. But I have no disks for it.🙁 It read's 1.4's ok though.

I think the reason the Zip drive is not more popular is because the disk are so expensive. The price now is about the same as it was 5 years ago.


Kwatt


 
Not yet . . . I built my P4 rig without it . . . I'll pick one up sooner or later . . . floppy's antiquated - yes, but still occasionally useful. 😉
 
Every computer I have and every one I build has a floppy drive, and will for the foreseable future. As someone already mentioned, until a replacement is found that is as widely supported and easy to use comes along, the floppy is going to stay. There are too many computers in use that don't have USB or can't boot to USB, so thumbdrives (the heir apparent)are no good. Why use a CD to copy tiny files. And emailing myself from one computer to another in the same room is silly. Though I have a network for that. Issues with space are irrelevant IMO. Even the tiniest of cases can fit a floppy drive, and they do. I grew up with 5 1/4 floppy drives. I don't feel I need it, they were replaced by something better in the 3.5 inch drive. And Zip drives are totally impractical. Again, why use a 100 MB disk to copy a 500k file? Plus not all computers in use support booting from Zip drives either. The floppy is here to stay for a while yet.

\Dan
 
I think the reason the Zip drive is not more popular is because the disk are so expensive. The price now is about the same as it was 5 years ago.
Click to expand...
Exactly.. Still around $10 a disk for 100MB. That is nuts when I can burn a CD for 25 cents.
I no longer have a floppy in my machine either. It has been replaced with a TDK external USB one for the rare times that I actually need one and it will work on all my machines.
 
I have one and have used it only twice in the past year+. Flashing a new motherboard bios and running memtest86. Just one of those things that's handy to have around sometimes. I don't see why one wouldn't have one. It's not like they're expensive or you could put something else in their place. Might as well have one.
 
I've been Floppy Free for two years I believe. Just shoved it out of my PC, didn't need it, still don't.

Anything i need to do i either get on CD or email. Its as cheap....
 
I just like having it because there are still processes which can only be done with a floppy, like installing your RAID drivers for Windows XP. Granted that is a one time deal, but I don't have anything better to put in there, and my wiring is SUPER neat in this new case anyway...so having it there so I don't have to open the case and connect it for occasional use is just better for me.
 
I didn't have 1 for a few years, but 6 months back a bad BIOS required me to use a floppy(not the first time in those years that I needed one). So I just said screw it, paid $15 CDN and installed a floppy. Haven't used it since, but it's there if I need it.
 
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