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Will 10.15 support Floppy disks?
- Thread starter wellander1
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Does it not use Standard USB Mass Storage drivers? Or do you mean internal drives?
FAT/FAT32/EXFAT is supported and USB Floppies are still a class device so it should work depending on the chipset in it.
^^^^Does a chicken have lips:
https://www.amazon.com/Floppy-Disks-3-5-Inch-DS-HD-Formatted/dp/B01N23FBYD/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=11P6LDEQW7GJ1&keywords=floppy+disk&qid=1563139250&s=gateway&sprefix=floppy+disk,aps,203&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/Maxell-1-44MB-Pre-Formatted-MF2HD-10-Pack/dp/B00004Z5AS/ref=sr_1_3?crid=11P6LDEQW7GJ1&keywords=floppy+disk&qid=1563139283&s=gateway&sprefix=floppy+disk,aps,203&sr=8-3
Lou
https://www.amazon.com/Floppy-Disks-3-5-Inch-DS-HD-Formatted/dp/B01N23FBYD/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=11P6LDEQW7GJ1&keywords=floppy+disk&qid=1563139250&s=gateway&sprefix=floppy+disk,aps,203&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/Maxell-1-44MB-Pre-Formatted-MF2HD-10-Pack/dp/B00004Z5AS/ref=sr_1_3?crid=11P6LDEQW7GJ1&keywords=floppy+disk&qid=1563139283&s=gateway&sprefix=floppy+disk,aps,203&sr=8-3
Lou
yikes. why would anyone still use floppies? (really, am asking.) i mean, for less than the cost of one box of floppies you could buy a 128GB flashdrive; that's 14mb vs 128,000mb, in one smaller device...
Amongst others, because in some business areas you might have to have access to decades old archived data. I know companies that still have old PCs with 5.25" floppy drives in storage in case they need certain old data.
And copying to newer storage media formats is not always feasible or possible.
why would that be? (just wondering; am astonished anyone uses floppies... outside of, say, a business that has a large archive of them)
Could be a number of reasons. In connection to what I mentioned about sometimes even having to keep old computers around, you might have to keep your data on floppies because you there are no programs for modern computers that could read the old data, so you will only read the data on old machines anyway. There are related issues, such as modern computers not being able to read the disk format (the somewhat exotic 800k Mac and 880k Amiga floppies come to mind). Or the old computers not being able to handle modern storage media.
Sometimes, you also have equipment, such as manufacturing machinery, with a lifetime of 30, 40 years which require or produce digital data and can only read or store it on built-in floppies.
And last but not least, there are economic reasons. Transferring old data to new storage media can be quite an investment, especially when you need external expertise to do so. And when you are in year 26 of a 30 year legally required archival period of the data on floppies, it's simply not worth the money.
if you have data on floppies that's important, and can only be accessed by an older computer (with, of course, an older OS).. i get that. but why someone on a 'modern' mac running a modern OS wouldn't transfer all that data to a modern drive... i don't get that at all. the OP wants to use floppies in catalina, not on an older mac. anyway, whatever works!
Well, let me put it this way: if there are no other obstacles against transferring the old data from floppies to modern storage media on a modern computer running a modern OS, you still need a floppy drive to do that, don't you?
Well, let me put it this way: if there are no other obstacles against transferring the old data from floppies to modern storage media on a modern computer running a modern OS, you still need a floppy drive to do that, don't you?
right, and if you're not yet on catalina and use floppy disks... then now's the time to do that.
right, and if you're not yet on catalina and use floppy disks... then now's the time to do that.
It's not just transferring data from the old computer. It's transferring data to the old computer. If you are a hobbyist. You may have vintage computers. In which case using a floppy is the only option to move files between your new computer and the old one. Otherwise you then have to keep an intermediate computer as well. Plus add another step to the process. To bridge the gap.
Manufacturing was already mentioned. It's not just that those computers need to access old data on those disks. If you are manufacturing products where you change designs regularly. You may use a new computer to update those designs. Then transfer them via floppy to the old machine which runs the equipment.
am trying to focus on the OP, who wants to move to catalina & use floppies. outside of hobbiests, i don't get why anyone wouldn't move their data from floppies to modern storage. but, as i said, whatever works.
What makes you think the possible need to read floppies for whatever reason suddenly ends when Catalina comes out?right, and if you're not yet on catalina and use floppy disks... then now's the time to do that.
not really what i mean. what i really mean is this: why not, in the present, copy floppy data to a more modern format while it's still possible? in case, some time in the future, floppies can't be read (and for the obvious convenience of having, say, 9000 floppies stored on a flash drive you can fit in your pocket).
but, again... whatever works. we all get to do what we choose to do (as long as there's tech to support it).
There have been given plenty of examples why one may need or want to use floppies. I don't think anyone is implying floppies are a better option. They are, at times, the only option. I'd expect if moving everything off of floppies was an option. The Op would have already done so.
The Op hasn't shown interest in saying why they need or want to use floppies. Their specific reason will remain a mystery. Who knows. Maybe the Op does have 9,000 floppies. That would take a long time to copy all of them. It could just be easier to access them when needed rather than spending weeks or months transferring all of them. It may be prudent to move everything but people are lazy.
i have an old USB floppy drive from my kindergarten 2001 iMac
i can dig it out & try it if you want?
my new Mac doesn't have a cd-rom drive though, so i will have to drive out the ext. burner too LOL
later i will try it, if i remember
i can dig it out & try it if you want?
my new Mac doesn't have a cd-rom drive though, so i will have to drive out the ext. burner too LOL
later i will try it, if i remember
https://www.amazon.com/10-Pack-5-25-Floppy-Disks/dp/B00TUEH1XQ/ref=sr_1_4?crid=ACZJQW5AQB19&keywords=5.25+floppy+disk&qid=1563466240&s=gateway&sprefix=5.25"+floppy+disk,aps,139&sr=8-4
I still have a desk full of these even...
And yes, I even have a USB 3.5" floppy drive that works great. I even use it occasionally (I still have a desk full of those too). They contain records, source code to some "programs" I wrote years ago, and some old DOS games, that I actually play from time to time using DOSBOX and BOXER.
They are archived of course on CD's and recently the CD's were backed up to two of my Archival purposed HDD's by way of xxx.iso / xxx.dmg files. I seldom throw out information media until it fails to function.
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