Slightly OT - What to do with old 3.5 floppy discs?

[hr(bob) hofmann@att.net]

I have a dozen old blank 3.5 inch floppy discs. They're not much good
for wind chime sounders, anyone got any good uses? I can always
scrap and recycle the sliding metal covers, but that's about all I can
think of doing.

 

On Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:48:50 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) hofmann@att.net"
<hrhofmann@att.net> wrote:

I have a dozen old blank 3.5 inch floppy discs. They're not much good
for wind chime sounders, anyone got any good uses? I can always
scrap and recycle the sliding metal covers, but that's about all I can
think of doing.
Store them next to your 8" and 5 1/4" floppies to remind your great

grandchildren how wonderful it was before Microsoft unleashed the
bloatware known as Windows.

I'm afraid it may have been lost, but for a time one of my favorite
examples was a 360K floppy that contained the essential DOS 2.1 files
to boot a computer, a complete WordStar installation (including
SpellCheck and MailMerge), and still had space for an 80K document.

PlainBill

 

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

hr(bob) hofmann@att.net wrote:

I have a dozen old blank 3.5 inch floppy discs. They're not much good
for wind chime sounders, anyone got any good uses? I can always
scrap and recycle the sliding metal covers, but that's about all I can
think of doing.

You should offer them on your local free items list.

There are people around who still use them.

Preparing for a move and significant downsizing, I am going through my old
disks and finding about half are no longer useable.

Seriously if you are into ham radio you know that as of Jan 1, 2013 it will
be illegal for nonhams to use wideband (25kHz channel spacing) two way
radios in the US.

This means there are lots of radios coming on the surplus market which were
made in the 1990's. They are programed using DOS software, which will not
run on a modern computer, or under any version of Windows.

Most people using these computers use floppy disks to install software and
transfer data.

There are also people who collect old computers, such as Apple II,
Comodore 64, early Macs, etc. Some use 5 1/4 disks, some 3.5.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, N3OWJ/4X1GM/KBUH7245/KBUW5379
In 1969 the US could put a man on the moon, now teenagers just howl at it. :-(

 

[Dave Platt]

In article <slrnjpts2t.qvk.gsm@cable.mendelson.com>,
Geoffrey S. Mendelson <gsm@mendelson.com> wrote:

Preparing for a move and significant downsizing, I am going through my old
disks and finding about half are no longer useable.

Seriously if you are into ham radio you know that as of Jan 1, 2013 it will
be illegal for nonhams to use wideband (25kHz channel spacing) two way
radios in the US.

That depends on the band.

The FCC has just announced that it is going to waive the "You must
narrow-band your systems" requirement, for licensees whose systems are
operating in the "T" block (the 470-512 MHz range).

These licensees are going to have to vacate this band within the next
ten years or so anyhow... and the FCC has agreed that it doesn't make
sense for the licensees to have to buy new narrow-band systems that
they'd have to abandon after only a few years.

This means there are lots of radios coming on the surplus market which were
made in the 1990's. They are programed using DOS software, which will not
run on a modern computer, or under any version of Windows.

True! People are resorting to the use of old junker AT-bus PCs, or
running the DOS softare under Qemu or a similar virtual machine (often
with a "slow down, damnit!" tweak).

--
Dave Platt <dplatt@radagast.org> AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

 

[Colin Horsley]

<PlainBill@yawhoo.com> wrote in message
news:hfstp7tb7c9gc3s2oko5d5ep540hhgc2q8@4ax.com...
: On Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:48:50 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) hofmann@att.net"
: <hrhofmann@att.net> wrote:
:
: >I have a dozen old blank 3.5 inch floppy discs. They're not much good
: >for wind chime sounders, anyone got any good uses? I can always
: >scrap and recycle the sliding metal covers, but that's about all I can
: >think of doing.
: Store them next to your 8" and 5 1/4" floppies to remind your great
: grandchildren how wonderful it was before Microsoft unleashed the
: bloatware known as Windows.
:
: I'm afraid it may have been lost, but for a time one of my favorite
: examples was a 360K floppy that contained the essential DOS 2.1 files
: to boot a computer, a complete WordStar installation (including
: SpellCheck and MailMerge), and still had space for an 80K document.
:
: PlainBill

I am still looking for the 5-1/4" floppy BIOS setup disk for my
first NEC 286 APC IV computer. Anyone got one?
20Mb HDD. 640k RAM. It also ran DOS3.3 and WordStar.

Colin

 

[Allodoxaphobia]

On Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:09:03 +0000 (UTC), Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:

There are also people who collect old computers, such as Apple II,
Comodore 64, early Macs, etc. Some use 5 1/4 disks, some 3.5.

...and some 8".

 

[isw]

In article
<c6cf8342-fa95-4119-b1d8-105863ca14b7@f17g2000yqj.googlegroups.com>,
"hr(bob) hofmann@att.net" <hrhofmann@att.net> wrote:

I have a dozen old blank 3.5 inch floppy discs. They're not much good
for wind chime sounders, anyone got any good uses? I can always
scrap and recycle the sliding metal covers, but that's about all I can
think of doing.

Makes a good coaster for your coffee/tea/beverage of preference.

Isaac

 

On Apr 30, 3:40 pm, dpl...@radagast.org (Dave Platt) wrote:

In article <slrnjpts2t.qvk....@cable.mendelson.com>,
Geoffrey S. Mendelson <g...@mendelson.com> wrote:

Preparing for a move and significant downsizing, I am going through my old
disks and finding about half are no longer useable.

Seriously if you are into ham radio you know that as of Jan 1, 2013 it will
be illegal for nonhams to use wideband (25kHz channel spacing) two way
radios in the US.

That depends on the band.

The FCC has just announced that it is going to waive the "You must
narrow-band your systems" requirement, for licensees whose systems are
operating in the "T" block (the 470-512 MHz range).

These licensees are going to have to vacate this band within the next
ten years or so anyhow... and the FCC has agreed that it doesn't make
sense for the licensees to have to buy new narrow-band systems that
they'd have to abandon after only a few years.

This means there are lots of radios coming on the surplus market which were
made in the 1990's. They are programed using DOS software, which will not
run on a modern computer, or under any version of Windows.

True!  People are resorting to the use of old junker AT-bus PCs, or
running the DOS softare under Qemu or a similar virtual machine (often
with a "slow down, damnit!" tweak).

--
Dave Platt <dpl...@radagast.org>                                   AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page:  http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
  I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
     boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

Still have a pair pf AMD Athlon XP 3200 machines that can run MS-DOS
6.22 in all its glory. Old Tango PCB ran like a tornado. Also a
Pentium 166 and a K6-2 550. The Pentium actually gets fired up now and
then for the JDR universal programmer to fix old Tek TV scopes.

G˛

 

[Franc Zabkar]

On Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:48:50 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) hofmann@att.net"
<hrhofmann@att.net> put finger to keyboard and composed:

I have a dozen old blank 3.5 inch floppy discs. They're not much good
for wind chime sounders, anyone got any good uses?

http://www.geekosystem.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/floppy-disk-pen.jpg
http://walyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/space-invaders-art-from-recycled-floppy-disks-is-a-total-recall2.jpg
http://www.neatorama.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/5781-450x-floppybag_2.jpg
http://www.slipperybrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/floppy3.jpg
http://d200fahol9mbkt.cloudfront.net/item/14663581/Green_3-5_Disk_1.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3Z3N0aMElms/TUAwjK_Jh3I/AAAAAAAAAIE/iHf-BJ5ObVQ/s1600/il_570xN.197483018.jpg
http://cdn.walyou.com/wp-content/uploads//2011/11/notebook.jpg
http://media.techeblog.com/images/floppydisklaptopstand.jpg
http://www.instructables.com/image/FR2BLR9F2NOBLFI/Sew-Useful-Floppy-disk-binder.jpg
http://omarnas.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/george-hart-disk-combobulation.jpg
http://cdn.uberreview.com/wp-content/uploads/diskette-handbag.jpg
http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl0/1/15111/06_2008/diskette.jpg
http://mylifescoop.com/featured-stories/Floppy-Disk-Bag.jpg

Other geek art:
http://www.roumazeilles.net/news/fr/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/blondes29.jpg
http://walyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Keyboard-Fuction-Key-Clock-1.jpg
http://technabob.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/magnetic-tape-clock.jpg

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

 

[William Sommerwerck]

I hope to purchase a new computer in the next six months, and it will
definitely have a 3.5" drive.

A floppy is a good way to create an additional backup. And I have old
software I might want to install on the machine.

 

[Mark Storkamp]

In article <slrnjpts2t.qvk.gsm@cable.mendelson.com>,
"Geoffrey S. Mendelson" <gsm@mendelson.com> wrote:

hr(bob) hofmann@att.net wrote:
I have a dozen old blank 3.5 inch floppy discs. They're not much good
for wind chime sounders, anyone got any good uses? I can always
scrap and recycle the sliding metal covers, but that's about all I can
think of doing.

You should offer them on your local free items list.

There are people around who still use them.

Preparing for a move and significant downsizing, I am going through my old
disks and finding about half are no longer useable.

Seriously if you are into ham radio you know that as of Jan 1, 2013 it will
be illegal for nonhams to use wideband (25kHz channel spacing) two way
radios in the US.

This means there are lots of radios coming on the surplus market which were
made in the 1990's. They are programed using DOS software, which will not
run on a modern computer, or under any version of Windows.

Most people using these computers use floppy disks to install software and
transfer data.

There are also people who collect old computers, such as Apple II,
Comodore 64, early Macs, etc. Some use 5 1/4 disks, some 3.5.

Geoff.

I work in a machine shop with some 1990's vintage milling machines. The
quickest way to load programs into them is with a 3.5" floppy. Since
they used custom controllers, there is no easy path to upgrade to
anything else. Fortunately I have a stock pile of old disks that had
been used for backups, so I don't fear running out any time soon. I'm
more worried about someday not being able to get a motherboard that I
can plug a drive into.

 

[Allodoxaphobia]

On Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:34:28 -0700, isw wrote:

"hr(bob) hofmann@att.net" <hrhofmann@att.net> wrote:

I have a dozen old blank 3.5 inch floppy discs. They're not much good
for wind chime sounders, anyone got any good uses? I can always
scrap and recycle the sliding metal covers, but that's about all I can
think of doing.

Makes a good coaster for your coffee/tea/beverage of preference.

Not here. I drink coffe out of a beer stein.

Jonesy

 

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

Mark Storkamp wrote:

I work in a machine shop with some 1990's vintage milling machines. The
quickest way to load programs into them is with a 3.5" floppy. Since
they used custom controllers, there is no easy path to upgrade to
anything else. Fortunately I have a stock pile of old disks that had
been used for backups, so I don't fear running out any time soon. I'm
more worried about someday not being able to get a motherboard that I
can plug a drive into.

Scrounge the MAC lists for USB floppy drives. I got one with a first
generation iMac when the owner upgraded.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, N3OWJ/4X1GM/KBUH7245/KBUW5379
In 1969 the US could put a man on the moon, now teenagers just howl at it. :-(

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Mark Storkamp wrote:

I work in a machine shop with some 1990's vintage milling machines. The
quickest way to load programs into them is with a 3.5" floppy. Since
they used custom controllers, there is no easy path to upgrade to
anything else. Fortunately I have a stock pile of old disks that had
been used for backups, so I don't fear running out any time soon. I'm
more worried about someday not being able to get a motherboard that I
can plug a drive into.

There are replacement 'drives' that use USB memory sticks for some
machine tools. Not cheap, but they have a menu system to allow you to
store multiple programs on one stick. Some are available on Ebay. They
plug into the existing floppy drive data & power cables and operate just
like the original drive.


--
You can't have a sense of humor, if you have no sense.

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

William Sommerwerck wrote:

I hope to purchase a new computer in the next six months, and it will
definitely have a 3.5" drive.

Just buy an external USB floppy drive.


--
You can't have a sense of humor, if you have no sense.

 

[William Sommerwerck]

I hope to purchase a new computer in the next six
months, and it will definitely have a 3.5" drive.

Just buy an external USB floppy drive.

Good suggestion. I could use it on my notebook, too.

 

[David Lesher]

"hr(bob) hofmann@att.net" <hrhofmann@att.net> writes:

I have a dozen old blank 3.5 inch floppy discs. They're not much good
for wind chime sounders, anyone got any good uses? I can always
scrap and recycle the sliding metal covers, but that's about all I can
think of doing.

Someone from The Scrap Exchange in NC showed me how to make one
into the Enterprise. I wish I could recall how she did it.


--
A host is a host from coast to coast.................wb8foz@nrk.com
& no one will talk to a host that's close........[v].(301) 56-LINUX
Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433
is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433

 

[Franc Zabkar]

On Thu, 3 May 2012 14:36:43 +0000 (UTC), David Lesher
<wb8foz@panix.com> put finger to keyboard and composed:

Someone from The Scrap Exchange in NC showed me how to make one
into the Enterprise. I wish I could recall how she did it.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Starship-Enterprise-out-of-a-Floppy-Disk

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

William Sommerwerck wrote:

I hope to purchase a new computer in the next six
months, and it will definitely have a 3.5" drive.

Just buy an external USB floppy drive.

Good suggestion. I could use it on my notebook, too.

Keep an eye on Ebay. I've seen well known brands go for $20 in sealed
boxes.


--
You can't have a sense of humor, if you have no sense.

 

[William Sommerwerck]

"Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:w-6dnU5Jep5YkTnSnZ2dnUVZ_qOdnZ2d@earthlink.com...

William Sommerwerck wrote:

I hope to purchase a new computer in the next six
months, and it will definitely have a 3.5" drive.

Just buy an external USB floppy drive.

Good suggestion. I could use it on my notebook, too.

Keep an eye on Ebay. I've seen well known brands
go for $20 in sealed boxes.

With plain-brown wrappers. (I almost wrote "rappers"!)

I already ordered a new-in-box iomega for $25.

Verbatim had a double-speed drive for $40, but that's too much. There are
no-namos going for $4 or so, but that's taking too much of a chance.