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Is there really any need for a floppy drive?

Not really. I've used mine a couple of times. It can also help when you update drivers and things like that. I would just keep one around the house for emergenies
 
Originally posted by: tenshodo13
Not really. I've used mine a couple of times. It can also help when you update drivers and things like that. I would just keep one around the house for emergenies
Click to expand...

USB ftw.. no for a floppy.
 
I really stopped using a floppy when I put my Linux server together 5-6 years ago. The on-board floppy controller failed, so I simply went w/o (surprising as I didn't think I'd be able to boot off the supplied Slackware disc). Since then, I've decided to not even bother with them anymore.
 
dont need to...my mobos can update bios from windows or from a usb removable device (flash drive, external hd, etc).

if i need a floppy, i can just borrow my friends usb one.
 
If you have some older programs like Drive Image 2000 you will need a floppy, but for most newer programs and hardware there is no need for one. Use the bay in your case for a card reader instead.
 
A floppy drive: one of those things that you think you have absolutely no use for, until you have to have one.
 
Originally posted by: grrl
If you have some older programs like Drive Image 2000 you will need a floppy,
Click to expand...

You can use a virtual floppy drive in that case and use Drive image and initiate the creation of the rescue floppy but save to the virtual floppy.
http://chitchat.at.infoseek.co.jp/vmware/vfd.html
Then, use Nero (or any other CD writer) to create a bootable CD using the image.
Now, you can boot to the CD and run Drive image.
 
I wouldn't feel right w/o one - I've always had some kind of floppy drive since 5-1/4" days. I now have a YE Data combo floppy/flash card reader - makes better use of the space. Too bad I don't have any more to sell.

.bh.
 
It is still useful for some things.
If you reinstall windows xp and need special drivers (such as for a RAID-array), the only way to get them is putting them on a floppy and pressing whatever-key-it-is during the install. Of course, you can slipstream it, but that's more complicated. Stuff like that is still convenient to do with a floppy. Flashing BIOSes is often much easier to do with a floppy too.
Basically you can do without it, but it is really convenient in some special cases. If you have one, I'd say put it in. If you don't, don't bother getting one.
 
Originally posted by: myocardia
A floppy drive: one of those things that you think you have absolutely no use for, until you have to have one.
Click to expand...

Totally signed. My branch in work recently had PCs upgraded from P4 3Ghz to C2D E6400 stuff and the one difference you can see just by looking at it is no floppy drive. I work tech support so a floppy drive comes in really handy sometimes; update BIOS, network boot drivers, norton ghost, win95 boot disk, and times when you can't use USB. :thumbsup:
 
You know for as cheap as they are they can save you a lot of heartache. I still keep one and as a matter of fact I just upgrade my alps to a mitsumi with the card reader built into it.
 
I don't install them but I'm also hanging onto them. Sometimes it's the best way to flash a BIOS. (I'm just not comfortable with doing it from within windows and not all MB's have the flash drive option)
 
I've used a floppy 3 times so far. Once to flash the bios, then to run memtest, and just the other day I used it to repair my boot loader.
 
If you are using RAID, you'll want a floppy drive.

Vista should finally eliminate the need for floppy drives, except for the occasional obsolete program that requires a floppy disk.

The only other reason is that some BIOS and other Firmware updates might want a floppy. You still see that occasionally, although most updates can be done in Windows nowadays.
 
I always install one in systems I build & keep a spare sitting in my tool set ... its not somthing I find the need for very often but when I need it I really need it!
 
I never build a machine without one. You never know when you need one! I just disable the controller in the BIOS.
 
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