Installing a Floppy Drive Still Makes Sense?

[omerome]

I am thinking of purchasing a new system which would be focused on gaming. My budget is around $1000.00 and would love for it to be ready for Vista when it releases. I know it sounds like a silly question but would it still make sense to purchase a floppy drive even though it is being phased out?

 

[CompTIA_Rep]

Yes. If your still using XP and want to do raid, later on you will need a floppy to supply XP setup with the drivers. Also, because Vista will still be using BIOS you may need to access DOS via bootable disk for troubleshooting or memeroy testing......

I recomend it but maybe as a buy as you need device. Up to you. Plus floppies are retro cool now

 

[joefriday]

Why don't you just reuse the floppy drive in your current computer, instead of buying new?

 

[Kurz]

Some say you need it.
Personaly I didnt and probably wont ever need it.
Floppies are nice if you need a driver (Raid driver for example) during an installation of windows xp.
Though since SP2 has pretty much everything, I never needed it.
And usually you can put the drivers right on USB now adays.

 

[DarkOne0]

Better yet buy one of those floppy drives that is also like a 7 in 1 memory card reader. That what Im using right now and they are about 20 bucks.
Like this one:
http://www.directron.com/fa402a.html

 

[CompTIA_Rep]

your forgetting the 733t c007n335 of deh F70py dr1v3.

Ya Kurz is right too, most mobos can boot via usb, but all can boot via floppy.

 

[ConsciousTech]

I haven't found a bootup floppy program that I couldn't find with a bootable iso image.

Windows NT/XP/2000 Password Remover
DOS 6.xx
Recovery
etc.

BIOS updates usually have a flashing version that you can actually begin running in the Windows environment.
With my shop diagnostic disc I can boot up into different diagnostic tools in DOS like Memtestx86, etc.

EDIT: On a side note, on my personal machines and the shop machine, I always have a floppy drive in. Why? Nostalgia! That and for the shop if any customers come in and are a bit outdated with files on a floppy they want burned onto a CD or something I can throw 'er right in.

 

[JohnWeldt]

If you can aford the $10 price tag then buy one. Nothing worse the not having the right equipment.

You may only use it once or twice but it could save you time.

 

[elpresidente2075]

I have the same drive (actually its the 404, small diff) and its great. It is just a little finnicky with the connections for usb (internal header) when a new OS is installed. It is always great to have more versatility for your computer. That is exactly why ConsciousTech keeps one in his shop computers: if you have a need, it is always good to be able to satisfy that need.

Look at it this way: if you get a floppy you are out, what, 20 bucks? But if you don't and you find you need one (rare, but it happens eventually) you will have to buy one full price and it might be pushin 40 bucks. Oh yeah, and you will be out anywhere to a few hours to several days depending on how you aquire said drive. My advice: get one that is on sale and that you like. You don't necessarily need one right off the bat (most of the time) and you can do some shopping in the mean time. I was once shopping for floppy drives and found a company that was selling them in like 30 different colors for about 10 bucks a piece after shipping. Unfortunately that website has slipped my memory, as it has been almost 4 years since I saw it.

As always, do your research. Floppy drives are rarely a hinderance, and for the price, they are usually a pretty good idea to at least have around.

 

[omerome]

Why don't you just reuse the floppy drive in your current computer, instead of buying new?

Mostly because my old floppy drive is old and I mean old. :lol:
Sometimes, my computer doesn't recognize it unless I check the plugs.

Even considering most floppy drives cost less than $10, I was just wondering if I can use another device to boot first from like a USB drive.

 

[omerome]

Better yet buy one of those floppy drives that is also like a 7 in 1 memory card reader. That what Im using right now and they are about 20 bucks.
Like this one:
http://www.directron.com/fa402a.html

That seems like a good alternative and would be so much easier to upload pictures with a card reader.

 

[ConsciousTech]

Why don't you just reuse the floppy drive in your current computer, instead of buying new?

Mostly because my old floppy drive is old and I mean old. :lol:
Sometimes, my computer doesn't recognize it unless I check the plugs.



They haven't improved much, trust me =)

 

[krazyIvan]

Go with a 7-in-1, get the most from your 3.5 bay.

 

[ConsciousTech]

Go with a 7-in-1, get the most from your 3.5 bay.

definately probably the best bet for you, other then a ZIP drive you can't stick much of anything else into a 3.5 bay, so unless you're planning to throw in the ZIP, this should suit all your needs.

 

[p05esto]

Like everyone else said, get a floppy. I don't have mine installed but leave the cable dangling inside within easy reach just in case.

Stinkin computer always seems to break and you need a recovery disk or image loaded or some other thing that requires a floppy. I know there are better ways and I do use them, but still, I find myself needing a stinkin floppy from time to time. And those times are usually critical and my system is down. I had to drive an hour once when I was piss mad already just to go get a floppy drive and hope I could solve my problem with it.

 

[CompTIA_Rep]

Here is another issue I just thought of.

Anyone can make a bootable USB with any drivers programs and recovery tools, But you have to leave that USB alone for good. If you have a floppy drive you can buy inexpencive floppies and save recovery data to them. However, for the price of a floppy drive and floppies, you can buy a dedicated USB drive just for this purpose.

 

[jaguarskx]

I haven't used a floppy drive for more than 4 years.

 

[Logicsequence]

dude, it's not as if we're talking about an expensive peice of equipment here.... :roll: you can pick on up for like $4.99 on newegg.........

 

[chuckshissle]

For I got one personally for asthetics at first but then I wanted to raid my system and there finally I found a use for the floppy drive. It's like having an 8-track in a Toyota Prius old but it still plays music. It's still has use a bit, poor floppy.

 

[elpresidente2075]

dude, it's not as if we're talking about an expensive peice of equipment here.... :roll: you can pick on up for like $4.99 on newegg.........

One could even pick one up for free sometimes from a friend who is throwing out their computer. This happens much more often than most people would like to admit, but it happens, and its easy to pull a floppy out of an old compy. Usually they still work too! Good thing these things used to be made of steel. Lotsa longevity there.

 

[ANIA_fanboy]

You know what would be really cool is installing a 5.25 floppy drive. And then you could cut a notch on the side of the floppy and flip it over and write on the other side of the floppy it, like, doubles your storage!

oh...yea just buy a floppy JIC!

 

[martyjs]

As all ready stated, you need them for raid. I always put one in for backward compatibility but don't put them in most new systems we build.
Most new user don't need them, but quiet often I put them in systems for people who have had computers for a long time as they usally have some info on them.

 

[maury73]

Mostly because my old floppy drive is old and I mean old.
Sometimes, my computer doesn't recognize it unless I check the plugs.

The new FDD are even worse than your old unit!
I have some floppy drives manufactured by Sony and Toshiba in 1990 and they still read/write/format any disk. New drives often fail during a full formatting or rawrite, but my old units never failed a rawrite or a dd.

 

[jitpublisher]

I am thinking of purchasing a new system which would be focused on gaming. My budget is around $1000.00 and would love for it to be ready for Vista when it releases. I know it sounds like a silly question but would it still make sense to purchase a floppy drive even though it is being phased out?

Sure, for no more than they cost it's good to have one. As the luck of the draw goes, as soon as you get rid of something, suddenly you need it.

It's kind of like having a USB keboard, they are great and no reason to ever go back to a standard keyboard, UNLESS for some reason you have to reset your BIOS and suddenly USB support is disabled. You have to have that old standard keyboard to get back into the BIOS and set everything up again.

 

[roncpem]

buy a floppy drive or 2 & keep them before they quit making them. you could also buy an external usb floppy drive as well in case someone with an old machine wants to share some pictures or something else with you or you with them.