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5.5 floppy drive

PAUL161

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Is there a USB 5.5 external floppy drive available? I have a ton of old 5.5 disks I want to put on USB sticks. I haven't had a computer with a 5.5 drive in years. PJ
 

NutmegCT

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Paul - I asked the same question here a few months ago. No such animal exists.

So I built my own system, using a TEAC 5.25" drive, a USB interface, and some simple software; plugs into my Windows 10 laptop. Here's a photo:

FC5025.jpg

But I'm sure Linux can do the job for you. :devilgrin:
 
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PAUL161

PAUL161

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I have an internal 5 inch floppy drive out of an old computer I stripped a long time ago and have been trying to figure out how to hook it up to something! I guess there isn't a USB converter to a ribbon connection. Tom, do you have a diagram for building one? PJ
 

Gliderman8

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PAUL161

PAUL161

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Thanks Elliot, I checked the drive ribbon connection and it's a 25 pin connector, I don't think it'll work. I appreciate the interest though. PJ
 
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PAUL161

PAUL161

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Found out there's a floppy controller FC5025 that will convert it to a USB port, the power supply is extra, approx cost $80 for both! PJ
 

NutmegCT

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Paul - that's the system I used. A couple caveats: the controller only works on a TEAC 360/1.2meg drive. The Windows software supplied is a bit "challenging" to use.

Any questions, just PM me. Or if you want to ship me the disks, I could do it for you.

Tom M.
 
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PAUL161

PAUL161

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Tom, I haven't done anything with it yet, too much work around the place for the moment to get involved with another project. At the moment we have a storm blowing through and dumping a ton of rain and wind, I guess the folks up in Kansas are pushing it our way just to get rid of it! :highly_amused: I'll more than likely work on it in the Fall. I have about 50 or 60 5.25 discs I want to convert to 3.5s. :encouragement:
 
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Would a floppy disk to hard drive converter be something made by Viagra? C'mon.....someone had to say it, might as well be me..... :D
 

JPSmit

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Tom, I haven't done anything with it yet, too much work around the place for the moment to get involved with another project. At the moment we have a storm blowing through and dumping a ton of rain and wind, I guess the folks up in Kansas are pushing it our way just to get rid of it! :highly_amused: I'll more than likely work on it in the Fall. I have about 50 or 60 5.25 discs I want to convert to 3.5s. :encouragement:

splain please? why would you convert stone paintings to papyrus? (I presume you have an old computer to go with?) :grin:
 
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PAUL161

PAUL161

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Yes I do have a computer that plays 3.5 discs JP, I even have a 3.5 USB remote reader. I have a ton of old programs that I'd like to install in an old computer. The old computer I have is very slow but perfect for the old mini programs. Just a play toy killing the boredom when nothing else to do. :encouragement:
 

NutmegCT

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Yes I do have a computer that plays 3.5 discs JP, I even have a 3.5 USB remote reader. I have a ton of old programs that I'd like to install in an old computer. The old computer I have is very slow but perfect for the old mini programs. Just a play toy killing the boredom when nothing else to do. :encouragement:

Paul - just to check ... are you wanting to run programs that are on those 5.25" disks? Or do you just want to read the files and look at photos?

If there are programs on the 5.25 disks, they're probably DOS programs, which require DOS (not Windows) to run. There's a work around (DOSbox) which you can install in Windows. But you won't need DOSbox if the old computer you're talking about runs on DOS.

Tom M.
 

JPSmit

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Yes I do have a computer that plays 3.5 discs JP, I even have a 3.5 USB remote reader. I have a ton of old programs that I'd like to install in an old computer. The old computer I have is very slow but perfect for the old mini programs. Just a play toy killing the boredom when nothing else to do. :encouragement:

I presumed :smile: - though you might want to throw them all on a USB stick too. When we got our first computer (took out a bank loan!) it came with a bunch of 3.5s of silly games - they are long long gone but every once in a while..... OTOH it is amazing what people have archived on the interweb - whenever I get a hankering for Dr. Mario (the only game I could ever play) there it is. https://www.retrogames.cz/play_061-NES.php?language=EN
 

DrEntropy

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As storage media evolve, the task of archiving data is never ending. Now there are things smaller than my thumbnail with capacity unbelievable two decades ago.

"The dog swallowed my archive!"

View attachment 64528
 
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Yea, I have a 1/2 terabyte stick smaller than my little finger I keep my traveling music on. Who would have though 20 years ago we'd personally need anything like that...
 

GregW

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I seem to recall having problems installing programs that were not physically on floppies anymore. I think the install program was looking for a particular file structure when trying to load a second or third disk. Windows 95, which was the first CD OS Microsoft had, had to follow the floppy structure I think before they figured out a better way.
 

DrEntropy

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I seem to recall having problems installing programs that were not physically on floppies anymore. I think the install program was looking for a particular file structure when trying to load a second or third disk. Windows 95, which was the first CD OS Microsoft had, had to follow the floppy structure I think before they figured out a better way.

Yep. Had to "direct" the install process to the "Disk_2, Disk_3" etc. section of the CD's.
 
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