Let’s look at the options for copying the data to a modern PC from easiest to most difficult. Then, you can copy the data over your LAN to a modern PC. If you have an older Windows 98, ME, XP, or 2000 PC or laptop with Ethernet and a 3.5-inch floppy drive, it might be able to read and copy the floppy to the computer’s hard drive. Option 4: Use a Vintage Computer with a Floppy Drive and Network Connection We haven’t tested those boards, though, so proceed at your own risk. Another option is to mount the drive and adapter internally in a computer case, and then use a SATA power adapter there.
You can rig an external power supply for the floppy drive with the proper adapter. You can connect it to a generic floppy-to-USB adapter. Perhaps you even have one sitting around.
If you’re looking for more of a roll-your-own challenge, you could also buy a vintage internal 3.5-inch floppy drive. Option 3: Use an Internal Floppy Drive with a Cheap USB Adapter For example, a Sony USB floppy drive will work when connected to a USB port on any Windows PC. Most are still supported as plug-and-play devices by Windows 10.ĭespite the branding, you don’t need a drive that matches your PC. We recommend searching eBay for something like “ Sony USB floppy drive,” and trying your luck with one of those. We’ll cover the options from easiest to most difficult. As a result, there are many semi-modern drives and solutions available. The 3.5-inch floppy drives held on as a legacy product long after their 1.44 MB capacity had become absurdly small in relative terms. If you have 3.5-inch floppy disks formatted for MS-DOS or Windows that you want to copy to a modern Windows 10 or Windows 7 PC, you’re in luck. This is the easiest format to work with. RELATED: How To Use DOSBox To Run DOS Games and Old Apps How to Copy Files From a 3.5-Inch Floppy Drive to a Modern PC Benj Edwards / How-To Geek
You’ll have to figure out how to access or convert the data using emulators, such as DOSBox or other utilities, which is beyond the scope of this article. It might be locked in vintage file formats modern software can’t understand. Once you copy the data, you have to be able to read it. What we’re going to cover here-copying data from a vintage floppy disk onto a modern PC-is only half the battle. There’s a Catch: Copying Data Is the Easy Partīefore we begin, you should understand a huge caveat. Here’s how to access a vintage 3.5- or 5.25-inch floppy disk on a modern Windows PC or Mac. Eventually, they were replaced, and floppy disk drives vanished from new computers. Remember floppies? Back in the day, they were essential.
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