WHY ARE SOME OF THE FLOPPY DRIVES DISAPPEARING IN THE LABS?

Introduction

You may have noticed that many computers today are sold without a floppy disk drive. Floppy drives have been around since the introduction of the personal computer. Have they become no longer necessary? And if so, what has replaced them? And why?

Computer Industry Trends

Dell has announced that starting in April 2003, floppy disk drives will no longer be standard in its desktop computers. As other industry leaders follow Dell’s decision, the production of the floppy drive and media will dwindle. As the storage demands of computer users increase, floppy disks – which can barely hold a single medium-size photo – are becoming less and less usable. Since software now ships on CD instead of floppy disks, there is no compelling reason for retaining the floppy drive on new PCs.

Even if a PC ships with a floppy drive, floppy functionality is growing limited. In earlier versions of Windows, the emergency floppy disk was used to launch the operating system's diagnostic and repair programs if the OS had become too corrupt to boot on its own. However, Microsoft's Windows XP uses the installation CD as its own rescue disk instead of a floppy disk. According to Microsoft’s support web site, future operating systems will require CD-ROM booting capability and floppy boot disks won't be an option. Another sign of Microsoft’s dwindling support of the floppy is Windows XP’s inability to format 720KB capacity floppy disks.

Since the introduction of the iMac in Summer 1998, all Apple Macintosh computers have shipped without a floppy drive. In the past, an emergency floppy disk could be used to boot an ailing Macintosh, but this is no more – like with Windows XP, the Mac OS installation CD is used as a bootable rescue disk.

Background

Floppy drives and disks are error-prone, low-capacity, and not very economical. Floppy disks are continuously exposed to external contaminants that can lead to data loss. Disks can demagnetize over time and become unreadable – nearly every computer user has experienced data loss due to a malfunctioning floppy, for the average longevity of a floppy disk can be estimated at between one and ten months.

Floppy disks have had two main uses in the past: file backup in the home setting and file transfer between persons or computers. However, using floppy disks for file backup has always been cumbersome. Since floppy disks hold only 1.44 megabytes of information, large files will not fit on a single disk and must be compressed or segmented over multiple floppies.

The 3.5 inch floppy disk is going down the same path of obsolescence the 5.25 inch floppy disk went several years ago. The popularity of the format is rapidly dwindling. Less than 10 percent of computer users store data on a floppy disk, and storage-media manufacturer Maxell says the floppy industry is shrinking at a rate of 5 percent yearly. Production of 3.5 inch floppy disks will eventually cease, which will be followed by computer manufacturers omitting floppy drives from any new computers.

Files stored on 3.5 inch floppy disks will rapidly become inaccessible. Although the concept of electronic storage is fairly new, a substantial amount of information stored in electronic form has already deteriorated and disappeared. In less than 20 years, the industry has gone through removable storage devices including 8 inch floppies, 5.25 inch floppies, SyQuest disks, Zip disks, 3.5 inch floppies, CD-R, and DVD-R. With dramatic increases in storage density, there is no chance that the movement to new storage devices will cease anytime soon. Anyone who stored data onto a 5.25 inch floppy disk in the early 1990s would be hard pressed to find a computer with a drive that could read that data today, and people using 3.5 inch floppies today face the same problem in the future. Anyone with important information on floppy disks should be transferring the data to a current, superior means of storage.

More efficient removable storage options, such as Zip disks, keychain-sized USB storage devices and CD burners are rapidly replacing the floppy disk. The Internet is also partly responsible for the growing obsolescence of the floppy disk, as it’s quick and easy to transfer files from computer to computer using email attachments.

Successors to the Floppy Disk

USB Storage Devices
Approximate cost: $20 and up

USB storage devices use flash memory and work by plugging into a PC or Macintosh USB (Universal Serial Bus) port. Power for the USB storage device is provided by the host computer. When connected, the device appears as a removable hard drive. Available in sizes ranging from 16MB to 512MB, even a small 16MB USB storage device provides the storage of over 10 floppy disks. Also known as USB Keychain Drives due to their tiny size, these devices are also more reliable than a floppy disk, as the information is stored on an internal computer chip instead of blank media, providing faster data access than floppy drives. If your computer does not have a front-mounted USB port, consider purchasing a USB male-to-female extension cable (pictured at right) which will prove useful in connecting your drive to hard-to-reach USB ports on the back of the machine. These cables retail for $5 and up.

Availability: HSU Bookstore, local computer and office supply outlets, online retailers

More information: http://www.humboldt.edu/~ac/helpdocs/floppy-alternatives.shtml

Zip Disks
Approximate cost per disk: $10 and up

Iomega’s Zip disk offers greater speed and reliability than floppy disks, and can hold much more data – a 100MB Zip disk can hold the equivalent of 70 floppy disks. Zip disks come in three capacities, 100MB, 250MB and 750MB. The most universal format to use at HSU is the 100MB Zip disk, as it can be read on computers with 250MB or 750MB Zip drives, as well as older computers with 100MB drives. Note that the 750MB Zip Drive can only read from a 100MB Zip disk; it cannot save to a 100MB Zip disk. Also, Iomega-branded Zip disks are recommended over third party brand Zip disks for reliability.
Availability: HSU Bookstore, local computer and office supply outlets, online retailers

More information: http://www.humboldt.edu/~ac/helpdocs/floppy-alternatives.shtml

Recordable CD
Approximate cost: $1 per CD

Offering enormous amounts of storage, the recordable CD is not only a solution for making audio CD-Rs, but also for storing data. The data from 500 floppy disks can fit on a single 700MB CD-R. The lifespan of a CD-R disk is estimated to be at least 70 years. Trying samples of various brands of blanks is recommended before you make a major purchase to ensure compatibility with both your CD burner and audio CD player. While CD recorders are not available in Academic Computing facilities, CD-R disks can be read on any modern CD-ROM drive.

Availability: HSU Bookstore, local computer and office supply outlets, online retailers

Brands recommended: Mitsui, Verbatim, TDK and others – see http://www.cdrfaq.org

Email
Floppy-sized files are easy to transfer as email attachments. Mail the file to your own email account, and retrieve it on any other computer with Internet access.

More information: http://www.humboldt.edu/~its/techguides/email/email.shtml

Academic Computing Labs with Floppy Drives: Fall 2003

Founders Hall 202 • Jenkins Hall 212 • Harry Griffith Hall 229 • Siemens Hall 1 (Macs only) University Annex 123 • Gist Hall 215 • Gist Hall 218 (Macs only) • Library 310

Solutions for Older Home Computers

Although your home computer may not have USB ports, a CD burner or a Zip drive, it is often relatively inexpensive to add these devices to an older Macintosh or PC. If your computer meets the prerequisites listed below, you can purchase a USB PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) card which will allow you to connect to modern-day peripherals. CD burners and Zip drives can also be added to older computers, and are available for both internal and external installations for maximum flexibility. Check the specifications of the product before purchase to ensure compatibility with your computer and operating system. Depending on your degree of confidence, you may wish to enlist the help of a skilled friend for the installation.

	MINIMUM COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS	APPROXIMATE COST	CONFIGURATIONS	DIFFICULTY OF INSTALLATION
USB PCI Card	PC: Windows 98 SE or later, an open PCI slot MAC: Mac OS 8.6 or later, an open PCI slot	$20 and up	Internal	Medium
USB A-to-B Cable	PC: Open USB port MAC: Open USB port	$5 and up	USB A-to-B cables are used to connect printers and other external peripherals. The male end of the cable is rectangular (A), and the female end is six-sided (B)
CD Burner	PC: Windows 98 SE or later* MAC: Mac OS 8.6 or later*	$50 and up	Internal: ATA and SCSI External: USB, SCSI, FireWire	Internal: Medium External: Mild
Zip Drive	PC: Windows 98 SE or later* MAC: Mac OS 8.6 or later*	$50 and up	Internal: ATA and SCSI External: USB, Parallel, SCSI	Internal: Medium External: Mild

*Earlier versions of Windows or Mac OS may be used with certain devices – check manufacturer specs before purchase

Availability: HSU Bookstore, local computer and office supply outlets, online retailers