Floppy disks
 

I have done a search of Google regarding the expected life of a floppy
disk and its data, but I was not very successful.

A group of genealogists would like to know the answer.

Can anyone help please?

Regards,
Emrys Davies.

Re: Floppy disks
 

"Emrys Davies" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:c72n9e$hl1i9$1@ID-108842.news.uni-berlin.de...
> I have done a search of Google regarding the expected life of a floppy
> disk and its data, but I was not very successful.
>
> A group of genealogists would like to know the answer.
>
> Can anyone help please?
>
> Regards,
> Emrys Davies.
>
>

Depends on who manufactured the disk.

--
I saw Elvis. He sat between
me and Bigfoot on the UFO.

Re: Floppy disks
 

Sony, for instance.



"one_red_eye" <someone@your.house> wrote in message
news:1099qc1g9e4aqc0@corp.supernews.com...
> "Emrys Davies" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
> news:c72n9e$hl1i9$1@ID-108842.news.uni-berlin.de...
> > I have done a search of Google regarding the expected life of a
floppy
> > disk and its data, but I was not very successful.
> >
> > A group of genealogists would like to know the answer.
> >
> > Can anyone help please?
> >
> > Regards,
> > Emrys Davies.
> >
> >
>
> Depends on who manufactured the disk.
>
> --
> I saw Elvis. He sat between
> me and Bigfoot on the UFO.
>
>

Re: Floppy disks
 

"Emrys Davies" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:c72n9e$hl1i9$1@ID-108842.news.uni-berlin.de...
> I have done a search of Google regarding the expected life of a floppy
> disk and its data, but I was not very successful.
>
> A group of genealogists would like to know the answer.
>
> Can anyone help please?
>
> Regards,
> Emrys Davies.
>
>

i've got some that are ten years old or more and still fine...
but i've seen new ones die in a week.

although a name brand disk like sony is apt to be good...
the bottem line is never to trust data to a floppy.

be sure you have impirtant data saved in several locations
such as the harddrives of two seperate machines...
a cd or two burned ...
and several floppies

Re: Floppy disks
 

Emrys Davies wrote:
> I have done a search of Google regarding the expected life of a floppy
> disk and its data, but I was not very successful.
>
> A group of genealogists would like to know the answer.
>
> Can anyone help please?
>
> Regards,
> Emrys Davies.

Though branding may be a factor, my view is that storage is the main one. I
am still using floppies that came as cover disks on PC magasines in the
early(1/2) nineties. I also have Maxell & Sony of a similar vintage. They
are stored in a lidded disk box (70+ capacity) which I believe evens out the
temperatures somewhat.

HTH

Re: Floppy disks
 

"philo" <philo@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:109a7ip3upt7kb6@corp.supernews.com...
>
> "Emrys Davies" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
> news:c72n9e$hl1i9$1@ID-108842.news.uni-berlin.de...
> > I have done a search of Google regarding the expected life of a floppy
> > disk and its data, but I was not very successful.
> >
> > A group of genealogists would like to know the answer.
> >
> > Can anyone help please?
> >
> > Regards,
> > Emrys Davies.
> >
> >
>
> i've got some that are ten years old or more and still fine...
> but i've seen new ones die in a week.
>
> although a name brand disk like sony is apt to be good...
> the bottem line is never to trust data to a floppy.
>
> be sure you have impirtant data saved in several locations
> such as the harddrives of two seperate machines...
> a cd or two burned ...
> and several floppies

Ya got /that/ right...too bad I can't convice the idiots at work of that
same concept.

Re: Floppy disks
 

Emrys Davies wrote:

> I have done a search of Google regarding the expected life of a floppy
> disk and its data, but I was not very successful.
>
> A group of genealogists would like to know the answer.
>
> Can anyone help please?
>
> Regards,
> Emrys Davies.
>
>
Back in the days when hard disks were something that big
computers had and floppies were used as system disks
(remember then?), the UK Civil Service had a policy that
floppies were to be replaced after 3 months daily use,
"whether they needed to be replaced or not".

Just for you, I have just dug out a box of backup 160K
floppies dating back to 1987 and I can still read them.
I have some older 8" floppies from earlier than that but I
think the drive is u/s.

Re: Floppy disks
 

"Palindrâ~»me" <sb382638@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:c737ib$g962p$1@ID-184954.news.uni-berlin.de...
> Emrys Davies wrote:
>
> > I have done a search of Google regarding the expected life of a floppy
> > disk and its data, but I was not very successful.
> >
> > A group of genealogists would like to know the answer.
> >
> > Can anyone help please?
> >
> > Regards,
> > Emrys Davies.
> >
> >
> Back in the days when hard disks were something that big
> computers had and floppies were used as system disks
> (remember then?), the UK Civil Service had a policy that
> floppies were to be replaced after 3 months daily use,
> "whether they needed to be replaced or not"
>
> Just for you, I have just dug out a box of backup 160K
> floppies dating back to 1987 and I can still read them.
> I have some older 8" floppies from earlier than that but I
> think the drive is u/s.

Heh heh ... we just retired our 8" floppy drive unit from the AS/400 last
month! IBM no longer supports the hardware <g>

Re: Floppy disks
 

"Toolman Tim" <tmayer541_at_charter.invalid> wrote in message
news:109a803f163he70@corp.supernews.com...
>
> "philo" <philo@privacy.net> wrote in message
> news:109a7ip3upt7kb6@corp.supernews.com...
> >
> > "Emrys Davies" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
> > news:c72n9e$hl1i9$1@ID-108842.news.uni-berlin.de...
> > > I have done a search of Google regarding the expected life of a floppy
> > > disk and its data, but I was not very successful.
> > >
> > > A group of genealogists would like to know the answer.
> > >
> > > Can anyone help please?
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > > Emrys Davies.
> > >
> > >
> >
> > i've got some that are ten years old or more and still fine...
> > but i've seen new ones die in a week.
> >
> > although a name brand disk like sony is apt to be good...
> > the bottem line is never to trust data to a floppy.
> >
> > be sure you have impirtant data saved in several locations
> > such as the harddrives of two seperate machines...
> > a cd or two burned ...
> > and several floppies
>
> Ya got /that/ right...too bad I can't convice the idiots at work of that
> same concept.
>
>

the one's i had that failed right away were from radio shack!

be sure to give your co-workers plenty of radio shack floppies to put their
important stuff on !!!!!

within two weeks, it will all be gone !

Re: Floppy disks
 

In article <c72n9e$hl1i9$1@ID-108842.news.uni-berlin.de>, Emrys Davies
<me@privacy.net> wrote:

> I have done a search of Google regarding the expected life of a floppy
> disk and its data, but I was not very successful.
>
> A group of genealogists would like to know the answer.

A floppy disk, probably a couple months. A floppy disk is a large paper
envelope, 5.25 or 8 inches. The surface of the disk is exposed, and
protective covers are uncommon, so they are very very easily damaged.
A diskette (which is 3.5 inches, in a hard plastic shell) kept in a
totally clean, totally dry container away from all kinds of magnetic
interference? Maybe a few years. Unfortunately, few people have any
access to such containers, and almost no one actually uses them.

So the answer to your question might be phrased as -- you should never
use them, ever. They are too small, too ineffective, slow, easy to
damage, store very little, and are well lost to antiquity.

Use a CD-R instead.