Floppy Drive, Do I need one?

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T-ReV

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I'm about to build my first computer and I want to know if I need a floppy. The only thing I can think I would use it for is bios upgrades but I'm not sure if you can do this off cd or not.
 
I would keep one on hand but you don't neccesarily need one installed all the time. I dont use one. I have 512MB and 1024MB thumb drives
 
BIOS updates: Floppy is still the safest and most widely supported way. Some makers have in Windows flash utilities, or utilities that can read CDs, but they are far from universal.

F6 RAID/Mass storage drivers: Use nLite, slipstream them on to the CD. You'll never look back, and the floppy drive can be eliminated if this is what was forcing you to hang on to it.
 
For several years now I've done BIOS flashes via bootable CD. I include MS-DOS 6.22 that creates the bare minimum environment needed to flash the BIOS.

This is not to say I don't use floppy drives any more. They are useful for the rare time I need a file off of a floppy disk, and I also work with an oscilloscope that only writes to 3.5" floppies.
 
i saw the thread topic and i almost burst out laughing. i mean seriously, there is no practical use for floppys anymore. For bootup there are cd's like the previous guy said, for short term on the go storage flash and thumb drives work great, and have much much much MUCH bigger capacities, floppy drives take up extra power and most floppy's dont even work to their full capacity since the quality of production has gone down in the recent years since they are being phased out. the last floppy drive i had was 3 years ago, and i had never really used it anyway, then it decided to create some kind of short circuit with my power supply which burned out my mobo, ethernet, and one hard drive, i tossed out that floppy, but not before i broke it into 1000 pieces on my back patio with a sludge hammer. so the answer is no. . . floppy's can burn in hell :D
 
board2death986 said:
i saw the thread topic and i almost burst out laughing. i mean seriously, there is no practical use for floppys anymore. For bootup there are cd's like the previous guy said, for short term on the go storage flash and thumb drives work great, and have much much much MUCH bigger capacities, floppy drives take up extra power and most floppy's dont even work to their full capacity since the quality of production has gone down in the recent years since they are being phased out. the last floppy drive i had was 3 years ago, and i had never really used it anyway, then it decided to create some kind of short circuit with my power supply which burned out my mobo, ethernet, and one hard drive, i tossed out that floppy, but not before i broke it into 1000 pieces on my back patio with a sludge hammer. so the answer is no. . . floppy's can burn in hell :D
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I would agree with you, but I've had to use a floppy drive for my recent BIOS update. The floppy is only used nowadays for BIOS updates (when an OS-based flash program doesn't want to work -- or is nonexistent) or for installing the "F6 RAID" drivers.

There is a way to set up your thumb drive so that the BIOS "reads" it as a floppy (check out this thread where I did some experimenting...). If more thumb drives have this utility already built in -- or if future mobos/BIOSes start recognizing flash drives as removable media -- then I would say that floppies are dead in the water....
 
I'd say if you have one it can't hurt to stick it in. I built my last opteron box I actually snagged a good deal on newegg for a 7in1 floppy drive that still fits in 3.5 slot. I had the room for it and power for it so i got it for aboot $25 shipped... but to be honest I've never used it in the 8 or so months I've owned it :D So in my case maybe it was a waste of cash :/ ...

I've been able to use bootable cds or my thumb drive for any application i would've needed a floppy for so far.

If you have better use for that 3.5 ext slot then skip it but if not i dont see why not.
 
Time pass so fast. i wonder who remember 5.25" floopy disk now. Maybe several years later, someone will ask the same question again. But it will change to cd-rom.
 
if you get 4 of them together on a linux system you can make a software raid 5 drive out of them :)

Bios updates, and config files for network installs/booting
also just moving small files around the house/office
if you dont want to bother with one internaly you can pick up external USB based ones for about $29 or less
 
I always include a FDD because I know that it's one of the last things in a system which will stop working when it's experiencing problems.

Just inserting a FD during Windows setup to install on a RAID controller comparedt to slipstreaming the driver into the CD takes less time when you're installing on fewer than a dozen systems as well.

I like low-level interfaces such as PS/2, COM and LPT because they're (usually) the most reliable :)
 
There are still some applications and tools that require a FD. I would say its good to have one on hand but not needed to be installed.

Some of the older HDD utilities that perform LLF (tools provided by HDD manufactors are starting to not offer LLF) still require a FD and do NOT funcation on a CD.
 
Ultra Wide said:
for $9 it's better to have than not.
Click to expand...

Good advice, just when you think you don’t need one, you do.

Worst case keep one around with cable attached “Just in case”
 
When you need to install that driver during boot it's not so funny anymore. Sorry I don't want to Slipstream 1 driver.
 
My old floppy drive is an off beige so i just stick it in an unused harddrive slot. That way if I ever do need to use it i just pop off the side and put the floppy in. That way no one has to see it :)
 
Thanks for the replies, I think I will just try to boot my flash drive if I need a bios update and I wont be installing raid anytime soon. If I do need a FDD i will just rip the floppy drive out of our 8 year old dell box that my sister is using. I dont want to have to buy one of the damn things. I'm still bitter about all the floppies I have had in the past that have stopped working when I have had my school work on them. I <3 flash drives.
 
Floppy drives are dirt cheap, so I can't really see why you wouldn't have one. Maybe a friend needs to give you a document or something and that's their only means.

Or (true story) your internet connection takes a dump and you have to go to the library to send a class assignment and the only method of input there is a floppy.
 
Lethal said:
Or (true story) your internet connection takes a dump and you have to go to the library to send a class assignment and the only method of input there is a floppy.
Click to expand...

i have seen this happen soooooo many times

other thought....

if your going to put a floppy drive in
for about $15-20 on ebay you can find 120/240mb superdisk drives
they read floppys like normal but also superdisk's as well
it will make your rig just that much more l33t ;)
 
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