# Is a Floppy Drive Needed??



## Rambo

Hello....

I am putting a computer together with seperate components - all bought from eBay.

I have an old computer with a floppy drive in, but I can't get it out   !

Its got screws on both sides, 2 on each. I can't access the panel which covers the 'back' of the mobo.... I can't take it out you see....

After about 1 & a 1/2 hours of trying and trying (this is about a 10 year old computer by the way), and my Mom saying "If at first you don't suceed..... bla bla bla....". I finally had enough and left the ******* thing alone before I got mad, lol.

So, I have resorted to not having a floppy drive for my new computer, but it just struck me that every computer I have ever seen has one    This lead me to believe that every computer needs a floppy drive, but I'm not enitrely sure. So, can someone please say to me that a floppy drive isn't needed, or else I will have to buy that off eBay too, and the thought of spending more money makes me look like this ---->  

Ok, thanks!


----------



## SFR

No.


----------



## Greg J.

If you're building a new computer, then, in its BIOS, set the primary boot device as the CD drive in the boot-up sequence.  That way, you can install your operating system.  It's called booting from the CD drive.  You'll be fine.


----------



## jancz3rt

*I Have To Disagree*

Common, you are saying it's not needed. Well try using memtest for example without a floppy. One more thing, often the only way to transfer data from old computers without a burner or USB or priviledges to install drivers, is to use a floppy. Floppies will be here for quite a bit longer man.

JAN


----------



## SFR

jancz3rt said:
			
		

> One more thing, often the only way to transfer data from old computers without a burner or USB or priviledges to install drivers, is to use a floppy.



Crossover Cable.







> Floppies will be here for quite a bit longer man.








I disagree.  They are no longer a necessary component.


----------



## Lorand

If 3.5" floppies are obsolete, what about 5.25" floppies? And I still have a 5.25" floppy drive for just in case (it's not mounted in the computer case, but I can connect it in a couple of minutes when needed)...


----------



## Lorand

SFR said:
			
		

> Crossover Cable.


And what would you do if that old computer doesn't have network adapter?
If there's no USB, no NIC, no CD-RW, no modem, no nothing on that computer, you can still take out the hdd and connect it to the other computer. But for a few small files it's easier to do it with a floppy.


----------



## Verrona

U dont need a floppy but as Lorland said sometimes its easier 2 use a floppy.


----------



## smftexas86

I believe any computer self build or bought needs a floppy because, to many things still require a floppy.  Believe it or not I bought me a brand new mouse which came with a floppy disk that included the setup software.  Besides floppies are cheaper, then usb and almost any computer to date still has a FD so you should have it.


----------



## SFR

Lorand said:
			
		

> And what would you do if that old computer doesn't have network adapter?





			
				Lorand said:
			
		

> If there's no USB, no NIC, no CD-RW, no modem, no nothing on that computer, you can still take out the hdd and connect it to the other computer. But for a few small files it's easier to do it with a floppy.








yeah yeah yeah... 



I still believe that floppy's are a thing of the past.  The trend of a floppy-less computer is beginning to take hold.  So in a less than a decade a cd-r/rw will most likely be what floppies are today.  I still have floppy drives in 4 of my comps and there is nothing wrong with having them but I have not had the need for a floppy in a long time..  I take that back.. my Lysol disk is a floppy and I used that about a month ago..... so there will always be an exception.. but for the general public floppies might be put out to pasture sooner rather than later.


----------



## calvinius

i bought a mitsumi floppy/card reader for my comp
i  needed it to read my cards for my cameras and i thought the addition of a floppy would handy feature if needed
also being silver to match the comp is a nice touch too


----------



## robina_80

no floppys suck serious man there crap might aswell throw it in the trash 
and BTW cd-rw and dvd-rw arnt going to take there places USB flash memory is...i think?


----------



## SFR

robina_80 said:
			
		

> no floppys suck serious man there crap might aswell throw it in the trash
> and BTW cd-rw and dvd-rw arnt going to take there places USB flash memory is...i think?


dohhh.... Good point

Having two thumbdrives, one of which is right infront of me.. and I bring up cd/dvd -r/rw's???


my bad...


----------



## Lorand

Why using cds or thumbdrives when you got ftp (or e-mail for smaller files)?


----------



## Picklee

i'd have to agree that floppies are becoming a thing of the past. Dell's making their new laptops without floppies R.I.P.


----------



## SFR

Picklee said:
			
		

> i'd have to agree that floppies are becoming a thing of the past. Dell's making their new laptops without floppies R.I.P.


 
All of Dell's computers now can be configured to be floppy-less.




			
				Lorand said:
			
		

> Why using cds or thumbdrives when you got ftp (or e-mail for smaller files)?


because there are many situations when ftp wont work...

If you are in the IT world there is information you need handy no matter where you are. If I had to drive home every time I needed to ftp something to work... I would be traveling a few hundred miles a day.... 


For students in school... should they start their day by ftping their homework to the school server? ...guess that would eliminate the "my dog ate my homework last night"....


Not everyone has the internet... ..which still amazes me..


... come on Lorand! lol The reason for floppies and then cd-rw's and now thumbdrives are countless! The main reason I use ftp ... is ftping to a web or sql server.


----------



## robina_80

every computers got an USB port now... so usb memory is going to take over simple as 
FLOPPYS NO MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## SFR

robina_80 said:
			
		

> every computers got an USB port now i think... so usb memory is going to take over simple as that


 
First off, that is a huge assumption and you are wrong.  Most likely (see that is not an absolute) new computers have USB ports...  I do agree that thumbdrives and the like will take over where floppies and then zip/jazz drives left off...

I am still a little puzzled as to why Lorand brought up ftp'ing.... hmm....


----------



## Lorand

> I am still a little puzzled as to why Lorand brought up ftp'ing.... hmm....


Because it's free...  
For about a year or two I no longer use floppies, cds, usb sticks (or whatever) for transporting files - simply upload and download them. I use the cd-rw only for making audio or video cds.
Don't you think that in the future web storage will be the best solution for store/copy/backup/share/etc files?


----------



## SFR

Lorand said:
			
		

> Because it's free...





			
				Lorand said:
			
		

> For about a year or two I no longer use floppies, cds, usb sticks (or whatever) for transporting files - simply upload and download them. I use the cd-rw only for making audio or video cds.
> 
> Don't you think that in the future web storage will be the best solution for store/copy/backup/share/etc files?






That part I understand... who knows what I was thinking… (I think I was being _facetious_) anyway.. I do not want my private information or backups on a web storage site.. Nor do I want my information only accessible at the whim of that storage site.


----------



## mgoldb2

I needed to make a floppy for my raid controller that I use during windows inatalltion.  Am not sure what I would of done if I did not have a floppy drive.  plus they only cost $5.


----------



## jancz3rt

*Is The Floppy Dead?*

Hey I jsut wanna hear your views on the famous FLOPPY. I believe that it will still be here for quite some time. I still prefer it for small files instead of my USB flashdisk. What are your views on that? 

JAN


----------



## magicman

I think it's a matter of personal preference. 
I myself will never go near a floppy again unless I have to - they're noisier, slower, smaller in capacity, bigger in size, more damagable than USB Flash Drives.

On second thoughts, what do you like them so much for?!?!
(only kiddin')


----------



## Ultravis

I have a use for floppys in that I've got a keyboard with a disk drive for transfering midi and other sequence files. Though musical hardware and the such seem to be gearing towards flash drives now anyway.

I have no need for them in terms of PC only use.


----------



## magicman

Ah, I see. Well the keyboard would probably give the floppy the edge in ur case.

What kind of music are you involved in?


----------



## double-dragon

http://computerforum.com/showthread.php?t=5722

...


----------



## magicman

I should have guessed this has been talked about b4...


----------



## Ultravis

magicman said:
			
		

> Ah, I see. Well the keyboard would probably give the floppy the edge in ur case.
> 
> What kind of music are you involved in?


Nothing on a large scale. It's just a hobby really


----------



## SlothX311

i havent really caught onto the whole flash USB thing yet, so like for me, unless i want to burn a CD, or Email the file to myself, floppies are the only way for me to get my files to and from school


----------



## magicman

Before they started making USB ports in the front of PC's, reaching round the back to plug a dongle in was always a hassle.

Thank God case designers have got some sense...


----------



## double-dragon

Still cant find any front usb port for my mobo .


----------



## magicman

I have one of these...






They have a little spring loaded trap door in the top, with a couple of usb ports and a couple of firewire ports.

That's what I call convenience


----------



## S_Doherty

well i know that dell and a lot of other companies are getting away from including 3.5" floppies in their computers....i think its personal preference


----------



## jancz3rt

*Wow*

I am surprised at how many of you are so involved in this topic. I think it's cool. No really. Anyway I do realise that the floppy will die oneday...it's already outdated now anyway. However I was just wondering whether you could use Memtest for example without a floppy? That's one important program that I can think of. Well...any other great uses aside from carrying small files anywhere you want.

JAN


----------



## Pyotr

I still use floppy disks. Some hardware drivers are on floppys, and one might want to install stuff.


----------



## S_Doherty

I totally agree with keeping drivers on floppy...usually they are small specs anyways


----------



## double-dragon

magicman said:
			
		

> I have one of these...


Where from and how much? That's assuming you self-built your comp.


----------



## OS Dragon

I used to use floppies and I was over the moon when I got a 128MB USB Watch http://shop.store.yahoo.com/meritline/meusbwafuwaw.html. 

I use this to take big files from home to college and vice versa. Floppies are too much hassle and prone to damage. And computer manufacturers are starting to replace floppy drives with USB ports at the front of the computer for USB Flash storage. All the computers at my college have usb portson every computer now.


----------



## SFR

OS Dragon said:
			
		

> I used to use floppies and I was over the moon when I got a 128MB USB Watch http://shop.store.yahoo.com/meritline/meusbwafuwaw.html.
> 
> I could use this to take big file from home to college and vice versa. Floppies are too much hassle and prone to damage. And computer manufacturers are starting to replace floppy drives with USB ports at the front of the computer for USB Flash storage. All the computers at my college have usb port now.


 
 

wow.... nothing surprises me anymore... 



....Dick Tracy is probably rolling in his grave  lol.. walkie talkie watch...


----------



## Praetor

> well I know that dell and a lot of other companies are getting away from including 3.5" floppies in their computers....i think its personal preference


LOL good ... stupid floppies ... copy a file onto the disk and by the time I walk upsatairs the friggen thing is corrupted 



> I totally agree with keeping drivers on floppy...usually they are small specs anyways


Only for minor drivers ... not happening with sound, mobo, video drivers


----------



## Greg J.

The only use for floppies that I can see is for rebuilding older computers that need the generic drivers to install OS and devices.  That, or storing and transfering/backing up word documents and excel spreadsheets, notes, lists, etc.


----------



## Cromewell

> That, or storing and transfering/backing up word documents and excel spreadsheets, notes, lists, etc.


 but CDs are cheaper, especialy for backup purposes. and USB drives work better for transfering files


----------



## OS Dragon

My friend with the same watch as mine (USB Watch 128 MB) stored more that 40MB of data on his watch within one minute (in one go). It would take a lot more time to get that on cd! Everyone is in such a hurry these days, we need speed in our drives.


----------



## Cromewell

a 48x cd write doesnt take a minute for 40mb


----------



## OS Dragon

Although I don't prefer floppies, they are great for kids to learn how to save and trasnfer their files. So as long as kinds and students (as well as older comp. users [no offence]) are using it, there floppy will be around.


----------



## Greg J.

Isn't the usual way to re-flash BIOS done by using a floppy?  That is a pretty essential, non-complicated way to update the BIOS (go ahead, extract the update from a USB memory stick, sounds like real easy fun).


----------



## surfing4ever24

Floppys are cheap and easy to use for school. I'll probably end up geting a memory key soon because floppys are very unreliable.


----------



## Cromewell

> Floppys are cheap


cds are cheaper now


----------



## Yeti

Is there another way other than a floppy to install third party drivers when installing windows?


----------



## Cromewell

> Is there another way other than a floppy to install third party drivers when installing windows?


unfortunately you still need floppies for that


----------



## Praetor

*Merged*


----------



## dave597

i feel left out.. i dont have a floppy drive on my comp, although my old comp had one. i have managed to get by tho, i even flashed my bios in windows, using the msi utility. i once found a floppy at uni, and took it home only to realise i dont have a drive! so pointless.

miicrosoft better make it so you can install stuff from cds instead of just floppy, they are so slow and unreliable...


----------



## p4r4s1t3

512Mb Flash drive/MP3 player.  Technological genius standing proud in it's glory.  Seriously, floppies are pathetic! I think the music guy is the only person in the world who NEEDS them now lol.  Hurry up and get a new keyboard so the rest of the world can move on with their technologies 

Yeah CDs are cheaper than floppies too, I throw blanks around like tissue paper cos they cost next to nothing.


----------



## Yeti

> 512Mb Flash drive/MP3 player. Technological genius standing proud in it's glory. Seriously, floppies are pathetic! I think the music guy is the only person in the world who NEEDS them now lol. Hurry up and get a new keyboard so the rest of the world can move on with their technologies
> 
> Yeah CDs are cheaper than floppies too, I throw blanks around like tissue paper cos they cost next to nothing.


I still wouldn't have my RAID array running if it weren't for the floppy drive I yanked from my old computer just to install drivers


----------



## PC Technology INC.

Rambo said:
			
		

> Hello....
> 
> I am putting a computer together with seperate components - all bought from eBay.
> 
> I have an old computer with a floppy drive in, but I can't get it out   !
> 
> Its got screws on both sides, 2 on each. I can't access the panel which covers the 'back' of the mobo.... I can't take it out you see....
> 
> After about 1 & a 1/2 hours of trying and trying (this is about a 10 year old computer by the way), and my Mom saying "If at first you don't suceed..... bla bla bla....". I finally had enough and left the ******* thing alone before I got mad, lol.
> 
> So, I have resorted to not having a floppy drive for my new computer, but it just struck me that every computer I have ever seen has one    This lead me to believe that every computer needs a floppy drive, but I'm not enitrely sure. So, can someone please say to me that a floppy drive isn't needed, or else I will have to buy that off eBay too, and the thought of spending more money makes me look like this ---->
> 
> Ok, thanks!



If you're not using the box anymore, then torn out the metal until it goes out


----------



## pc club guy

From experience i would get a floppy-drive because first of all-it faster to save homework in, rather then wasting a cd-r or wasting space on cd-rw(it takes to long when in a hurry-they scratch easily) i just think they should re-invent cds  . Secondly, it will allow you to save and edit faster at home or in school. thirdly, its something EVERYONE I KNOW still uses. fourth and last, they are good for sharing or lending to friends. 

why not to get one: floppys have small space and almost worthless to todays programs that save on larger quantaties(size)
floppy drives make an annoying noise!

Overal Opinion--get a *floppy* drive or a Zip drive(but zip drives are not that popular)


----------



## tomb08uk

I have a floppy just incase and for about 3 quid you cant really complain, yes they are slow and noisey and unreliable, but better to be safe than sorry.


----------

