The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Does anybody get floppys anymore?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by jtodd939, Jul 26, 2006.

  1. jtodd939

    jtodd939 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    49
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    I saw a post below about floppy drive. Does anybody still get these on new puter purchases? What do you use them for?
     
    jtodd939, Jul 26, 2006
    #1
  2. titaniummd

    titaniummd Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    70
    Messages:
    1,746
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    With USB drives dropping in price (ie 29 USD for a 1 GB) and the speed of a USB, the floppy will soon die a fiery death. Obviously if you have old data and still use the old software for some reason (ie Government or city jobs), you may still need one.

    I do recall the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth and we had to format 1.2 MB 5.25" and 1.44 MB 3.5" floppies - I recall even the 360 k 5.25" and 720 kb 3.5". Talk about pain.

    Now with DVD-ROMs for PC software, installation is so much easier.
     
    titaniummd, Jul 26, 2006
    #2
  3. otaku

    otaku Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    99
    Messages:
    1,293
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    I have a few old machines around that still have floppies and just built a couple of cheap desktops that required floppies.
     
    otaku, Jul 26, 2006
    #3
  4. kingcrowing

    kingcrowing Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    352
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    in a word, no
     
    kingcrowing, Jul 26, 2006
    #4
  5. Iter

    Iter Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    465
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    If many user are using a new machine, probably, they will use a flash drive instead of a floppy drive. Floppy drive is still useful sometime for desktop for upgrading a BIOS.
     
    Iter, Jul 26, 2006
    #5
  6. citric

    citric Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    253
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    what's a floppy?

    No im kidding. But yea, with the ease of burning a cd, or even easier using a flash drive, floppy's have gone the way of the dinosaur.
     
    citric, Jul 26, 2006
    #6
  7. Thaenatos

    Thaenatos Zero Cool

    Reputations:
    1,581
    Messages:
    5,346
    Likes Received:
    126
    Trophy Points:
    231
    FAT12 was long in the tooth several years ago. Its slow and VERY limited in space. Access time is rediculous...flash is alot faster and can do all the things a floppy was useful for i.e. booting os, flashing bios, etc. Dont bother with it and get yourself a nice thumb/flash/jump drive.
     
    Thaenatos, Jul 26, 2006
    #7
  8. Sykotic

    Sykotic Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    29
    Messages:
    436
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I threw out ALL my floppies several years ago. At a recent computer software show venders were giving out software on usb drives because of the cheap price and ability to run on every computer. At one time every computer had a floppy drive, now every computer has at least 1 (6) USB ports.
     
    Sykotic, Jul 26, 2006
    #8
  9. Jalf

    Jalf Comrade Santa

    Reputations:
    2,883
    Messages:
    3,468
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    I've got a floppy drive. You still occasionally need it to install Windows XP on a SATA HD. (Depending on service packs and chipset, it may or may not be neccesary)

    So yeah, I've still got my floppy drive. That, and some vendors only supply utilities to update bios through a floppy.
     
    Jalf, Jul 26, 2006
    #9
  10. 1-800-Zealots

    1-800-Zealots Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    195
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    err no i dont they're always dead when i try one... arent there 1 gb floppies? a friend of mine had a few with his old imac, that was years ago
     
    1-800-Zealots, Jul 26, 2006
    #10
  11. mattgonebad

    mattgonebad Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    4
    Messages:
    166
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    floppys, man that was the day. I use to use the 5 1/2in real floppy disk
    lol
     
    mattgonebad, Jul 26, 2006
    #11
  12. Thaenatos

    Thaenatos Zero Cool

    Reputations:
    1,581
    Messages:
    5,346
    Likes Received:
    126
    Trophy Points:
    231

    they had zip and jazz drives but those are completly different.

    Im probly going to date myself but my elemetry and middle school had appleIIe that booted only from 5.25 floppies and didnt have a hdd...some of you youngers guys wont be able to fathom a pc...eeerrm computer that doesnt have a hdd built in.
     
    Thaenatos, Jul 26, 2006
    #12
  13. titaniummd

    titaniummd Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    70
    Messages:
    1,746
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    It also didn't have an integrated modem and the fastest speed was 2400. 'Experts' even said we couldn't get beyond 9600 due to the phone lines, then a few years later the 56k modem came out.

    Now that there is high speed internet, EVDO, wireless networks, etc, our possibilities are endless.
     
    titaniummd, Jul 26, 2006
    #13
  14. shivy

    shivy Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    1
    Messages:
    186
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    We have the new modern day floppy which I prefer to use the USB FLASH DRIVE, i LOVE this little things.I have a 4 gig one i transffered about 250 floppy disk it and threw awa all those floppies,my entire work spaceis clean now and all my friends want one
     
    shivy, Jul 26, 2006
    #14
  15. Thaenatos

    Thaenatos Zero Cool

    Reputations:
    1,581
    Messages:
    5,346
    Likes Received:
    126
    Trophy Points:
    231
    that was when we rated it in baud and not bits...ahhh those were the days. Thinking on my old pc days takes me back ...
     
    Thaenatos, Jul 27, 2006
    #15
  16. Daetlus

    Daetlus Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    -1
    Messages:
    216
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I have one computer with one and a USB one, but then again I'm a tech. I need it for silly things like loading SATA drivers for windows, moving drivers for my USB drive over to Pre XP windows OS's, and other random things.
     
    Daetlus, Jul 27, 2006
    #16