Question:
I have about 60 old floppy disks (3.5″ – 1.44 MB) containing hundreds of photos and other data that I would like to copy onto a Dell PC running that’s Windows Vista. The problem is that system didn’t come with a floppy disk drive. Can I add one to this computer or am I simply out of luck? –Aaron S.
Answer:
Aaron, you didn’t specify the model number of the Dell desktop so there’s really no way to check to see if a floppy drive can be added on to it – but I would recommend against it even if it’s possible. In all likelihood this will be a one-shot deal: copy the files from the floppies to a hard drive or onto DVD’s, then you’re done. If that’s the case, you really don’t need an internal floppy drive drawing power and using system resources when you’ll probably never need to use it again.
I would recommend checking with your friends to see if one of them has an external 3.5″ floppy drive sitting around, preferably one that plugs into a USB port. I so, borrow it and transfer the files, then give it back. If not, you can purchase a USB floppy disk drive for just a few bucks. In fact, you can buy a refurbished unit for $12.95 + shipping at FloppyDisk.com.
One thing to keep in mind is that floppy disks degrade over time, and the files on your stack of floppies might not be readable at this point. Best of luck!
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