The Floppy Is Dead – Long Live Cd

[Daffy D]

Hello All

My floppy drive is getting very cranky sometimes working sometimes not. Went to get a new one from my local shop and was told they would have to order it. Fair enough it’s not really a shop just a local guy who fixes mainly the gaming shop computers but handy to get some stuff without a major trip to town.

A week later went to get the new floppy drive and was told “Solly don’t make anymore”

I realize the floppy is on its way out and new computers don’t have a floppy drive anymore but what about the floppy boot and disaster recovery disks I’ve got?

I have about a dozen disks from HDD manufactures for start up and diagnostics in case Windows does not boot or start properly as well as other diagnostic and boot disks from various programs as well as the motherboard.

I have noticed that most times now there is the option of making a boot disk from floppy or CD. Guess I’ll have to go though my collection and update all to CD.

This brings up the question what about all that wasted space? Most of these programs are just a few MB and a CD will hold 700MB, and as presumably each boot will have to be on a separate disk that is a lot of near empty CD’s lying about. What a waste! Is it possible to but several boot disks on one CD?

The other question is what about the “Password Reset Disk” and “Automated Recovery Disk” on the XP system these only make a floppy with no option for making a CD?

Without a “password reset disk” it’s a possibility to get locked out of your own computer

Thank Ya’all

D.D.

[Veazer]

Take a look at the Ultimate Boot CD, it covers many of the points you discussed. It's a very handy thing to have.

[Daffy D]

Thanks “Veazer” I’ve had The Ultimate Boot CD on my list of things to do for some time but there did not seem to be any urgency.

Will definitely look into that now.

Daffy.

[quiksilva]

Hmm I wonder whether this will help solve my problem

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=161482

[stumonster]

you can buy and external USB floppy drive from panthip for 200 baht - they have IBM ob the box , but that could be misleading.

I bought one in november for a mate and it worked ok

[cali]

For internal floppy drives go to Pantip up to the floor just before the top. They have stacks of old equipment and boxes full of used floppy drives for a song. Bring your drive with you so you can match up the button and faceplate.

As someoene else mentioned an external USB floppy is a useful solution, especially if you have more than one machine so you can just plug it into the one you need and boot. Nowadays it seems the important boot utils can be put on CD's or thumb drives like memtest or bios flash programs.

[hp8000]

One of the best tool for repairing your system and recovering your data after a crash is maybe SystemRescueCd.

Now it even come with a graphical environment and firefox as a web browser.

It's a bootable CD based on Gentoo GNU/Linux but recognize many file systems.

Have a look at the many features on the web page.

[DamianMavis]

Floppy drives are on their way out? Ya like 8 track is on its way out too... WHOA! My friend, you probably have been hiding in your jungle hut for the past 10 years with your computer from the 90's and windows 95...... hate to break it to you but floppy isnt on its way out, its LONG GONE AND DEAD, I've been using computers for 15 years and I BARELY remember using floppys at the beginning of that time. If you still have floppys for your windows... dear lord go buy NEW WINDOWS, and you might want to get a computer that is capable of running it while you are at it heh.

Sorry, somebody had to say it!

Damian

[Naam]

I've been using computers for 15 years and I BARELY remember using floppys at the beginning of that time.

after consumption of more than one bottle of Port or Sherry in a single day i tend to make similar nonsensical statements

[whatsupdoc]

Apple introduced the iMac (without a floppy drive!) in 1998, and in this way was a frontrunner in making floppy's obsolete.

Rumour has it that they will introduce a laptop this month without a CD/DVD drive......

[Gumballl]

Apple introduced the iMac (without a floppy drive!) in 1998, and in this way was a frontrunner in making floppy's obsolete.

Rumour has it that they will introduce a laptop this month without a CD/DVD drive......

That's doubtful, unless somehow Apple has decided to produce the "$100" laptop. As long as the DVD (and for that matter, CD) is still in use by the masses, I think that a drive will be included. If indeed you are correct, I doubt anybody would purchase a computer that can't even playback a movie on a DVD.

[briley]

For the OP blank CD's are cheaper than blank Floppies, so even if you're only putting a few K on the CD it saves money.

But you still appear to need a floppy to install windows on a PC with SATA hard drives - or has that problem been resolved yet?

[whatsupdoc]

Apple introduced the iMac (without a floppy drive!) in 1998, and in this way was a frontrunner in making floppy's obsolete.

Rumour has it that they will introduce a laptop this month without a CD/DVD drive......

That's doubtful, unless somehow Apple has decided to produce the "$100" laptop. As long as the DVD (and for that matter, CD) is still in use by the masses, I think that a drive will be included. If indeed you are correct, I doubt anybody would purchase a computer that can't even playback a movie on a DVD.

The latest rumour is that Apple might offer an external CD/DVD drive with the laptop (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/01/02/apple_may_offer_external_optical_drive_with_new_sub_notebook.html).

The idea is probably to make a very compact, lightweight laptop. Such a computer would be ideal during travel, just for work or for surfing the internet and I am almost certainly going to buy it! All the 'heavy' applications or the ones that need a CD/DVD, I can run on my iMac at home.

[Plus]

It's a CD that is on the way out, and I bet you won't find CD readers anymore, only CD writers.

USB external floppy - will the computer boot up from that?

To create Ultimate Boot CD you need to copy system files from Windows CD, but it rocks, far better than DOS on floppies. In case of crashed Windows you can simply load system restore point without even booting it. You can fix the registry, scan for viruses and malware with several AV programs, go on the Internet and search for solutions - whatever. Try that with DOS.

[Daffy D]

Thanks “stumonster” and “cali” but the move away from floppy had to come some time and now seems to be that time. I live out in the boonies and a trip to BKK only happens about once a year so not really worth it just for a floppy. But thanks for the info anyway.

“hp8000” Had a look at your suggested site but noticed it was really for Linux systems. I’m sure as you say it recognizes other file systems but is bound to have a lot of choices in setting up. I’m not a choices person, anything that suggests leaving the default settings is fine with me. Nothing freaks me out so much as having been forced to make a choice and then it comes up “ARE YOU SURE”

Well “Damian Mavis” you are kinda right, but I bought this computer only about 5 years ago and it has a floppy drive. As for being out in the jungle you are right but manage to keep fairly up to date through all the nice people on this forum. And as for getting new Windows I am running XP Pro and from the feeling I get a lot of people still prefer it than the NEW Vista.

“whatsupdoc” Please don’t tell me the CD is on it’s way out I’m just getting into that technology.

“briley’ CD’s may be cheaper but they take up more space in my desk and all that empty space is not very “green”

Oh! Dear what is all that about needing a floppy to install Windows with a SATA drive? I recently added a SATA drive to my system though not as main “C” drive. I thought SATA was like the new thing how is that compatible with floppies that are on the verge of extinction?

What do computers running XP without a floppy do about the “Password Reset Disk” and “Automated Recovery Disk” that only make a floppy?

Before I make another coaster perhaps someone can help me. I have Ghost 2003 that boots off a floppy. Yes! Yes! I know my name should be Fred Flintstone but it does not ask too many choices and has saved my ass a couple of times. If I torture my floppy into submission one last time and copied the Ghost files to a CD could I them boot from that CD?

Maybe I should change my avatar to Barney or Fred.

Daffy.

[PhilHarries]

I've been using computers for 15 years and I BARELY remember using floppys at the beginning of that time.

after consumption of more than one bottle of Port or Sherry in a single day i tend to make similar nonsensical statements

Thak you Naam, I was wondering if I'd stepped in a space/time wormhole.

[briley]

Provided you have one IDE drive to install windows onto you don't need a floppy - but if your machine only has SATA drives you need a floppy to install the drivers.

Well I did the last time I installed win XP sp2 - about 2 months ago.

I hope things get better with vista or even sp3?

[DamianMavis]

Ya I was just being silly, the truth is, in Thailand they were selling and using the floppy drives longer than other countries so its not that strange. When I first got here 4... 5 years ago? I'm losing count.... I was shocked to see floppy drives on peoples computers and being used at pantip. But I like to tease anyway!

Damian

[cali]

I still find floppy disks the old reliable standard for use in Thailand. They are useful to bring something to print to an internet cafe. Some places are modern, some aren't. Every place I have been has floppy drives and some places still run Windows 98 so they don't handle many thumb drives and CD recordable formats without supplying driver disks, and good luck finding Windows 98 drivers.

[Naam]

Apple introduced the iMac (without a floppy drive!) in 1998, and in this way was a frontrunner in making floppy's obsolete.

Rumour has it that they will introduce a laptop this month without a CD/DVD drive......

WHO or WHAT is Apple and iMac? are we talking computers or fruit?

[Naam]

For the OP blank CD's are cheaper than blank Floppies, so even if you're only putting a few K on the CD it saves money.

But you still appear to need a floppy to install windows on a PC with SATA hard drives - or has that problem been resolved yet?

says WHO?

[Naam]

It's a CD that is on the way out, and I bet you won't find CD readers anymore, only CD writers.

sure! no need for future generations inhabiting this planet being able to read. all what they need is the ability to write and draw some pictures

[Naam]

Provided you have one IDE drive to install windows onto you don't need a floppy - but if your machine only has SATA drives you need a floppy to install the drivers.

incorrect info. installed XP Pro SP2 end of november on new computer with 2 SATA drives and no floppy. no problem at all. downloaded a few drivers (latest sound and graphics) from the net.

[briley]

Naam -

How did you get around the point in windows XP install that asked for the drivers for the SATA drive.

Until the drivers were presented - and they HAD to be on a floppy - Windows install could not recognise the SATA drives, well not in the machine I set up in November. But it was an older machine.

[Veazer]

Naam -

How did you get around the point in windows XP install that asked for the drivers for the SATA drive.

Until the drivers were presented - and they HAD to be on a floppy - Windows install could not recognise the SATA drives, well not in the machine I set up in November. But it was an older machine.

You just need a slipstream installation CD, a windows CD that has SP2 "applied" to it before installation. nLite is great way to accomplish this.

If the required drivers were created after SP2 or are not included, you can integrate them as well.

[Plus]

It's a CD that is on the way out, and I bet you won't find CD readers anymore, only CD writers.

sure! no need for future generations inhabiting this planet being able to read. all what they need is the ability to write and draw some pictures

That has already happened - Web 2.0! Everyone is a publisher, no one reads anymore.

[jerry921]

I've been using computers for 15 years and I BARELY remember using floppys at the beginning of that time.

after consumption of more than one bottle of Port or Sherry in a single day i tend to make similar nonsensical statements

Yeah, I used floppys quite a bit in the 90s.

CDs for boot recovery and data backup, USB "thumb" drives for transferring files between computers (what we used to call "sneaker net". Brits I guess would want to call it "trainer net" but that doesn't have the same ring to it).

[Naam]

Naam -

How did you get around the point in windows XP install that asked for the drivers for the SATA drive.

Until the drivers were presented - and they HAD to be on a floppy - Windows install could not recognise the SATA drives, well not in the machine I set up in November. But it was an older machine.

had no problems at all. neither XP nor Bill Bloody Gates asked any questions and the SATA drives were recognized without hesitation. perhaps worthwhile to mention is that the C-drive had some special DOS installed and that the drive was already formatted when i bought the computers. second drive was a raw drive which i had to format but was recognized too even before formatting.

what i definitely know is that i did not need any specific SATA drivers.

[whatsupdoc]

Apple introduced the iMac (without a floppy drive!) in 1998, and in this way was a frontrunner in making floppy's obsolete.

Rumour has it that they will introduce a laptop this month without a CD/DVD drive......

WHO or WHAT is Apple and iMac? are we talking computers or fruit?

what planet are you from????

[Naam]

Apple introduced the iMac (without a floppy drive!) in 1998, and in this way was a frontrunner in making floppy's obsolete.

Rumour has it that they will introduce a laptop this month without a CD/DVD drive......

WHO or WHAT is Apple and iMac? are we talking computers or fruit?

what planet are you from????

Planet Klingon. why do you ask?