[SOLVED] Read old floppy disk formats

[shedmeister]

I have some old 3.5" floppies I would like to get the data off of. They are older formats: SS DD (360 KB) and DS DD (760 KB). I have a commonly available USB floppy drive (BYTECC BT-144), which true to its name, can only read 1.44 MB disks. So I'm looking at those adapter cables - USB to FDC (Floppy Disk Controller), and they also call themselves 1.44MB 3.5" USB adapters. I still have some old floppy drives and FDC cables - so why wouldn't they work with this adapter? Isn't the intelligence to support the other formats in the drive itself and not the interface adapter? And for that matter, why couldn't I also attach a 5 1/4" drive to this adapter? These adapters seem to only be made in China and I can't get answers from the manufacturers.

 

[jeremyj_83]

That drive should be able to read anything older than it. What OS are you using with the drive?

 

[ex_bubblehead]

Diskettes that old are most likely no longer readable, even with the correct hardware.

 

[jeremyj_83]

Diskettes that old are most likely no longer readable, even with the correct hardware.

Depending on where and how they were stored, 30 - 40 years isn't out of the question for the data to still be there on a floppy.

 

[USAFRet]

Depending on where and how they were stored, 30 - 40 years isn't out of the question for the data to still be there on a floppy.

And I've personally seen similar be unreadable at 5 years.

Careful storage in controlled conditions, 30-40 yrs maybe, some of them.
Typical box in the basement/garage/attic...who knows.

 

[shedmeister]

That drive should be able to read anything older than it. What OS are you using with the drive?

I tried it with Windows 10 and Ubuntu 18.04. Windows struggled even with a 1.44MB disk. Linux read 1.44MB fine but could not 'lock on' to the other formats.

 

[shedmeister]

And I've personally seen similar be unreadable at 5 years.

Careful storage in controlled conditions, 30-40 yrs maybe, some of them.
Typical box in the basement/garage/attic...who knows.

The disks have been stored in main living spaces their whole lives. But you're right - they're close to 40 years old. So you're saying even though these drives / adapters call themselves 1.44MB, they're not really limited to that?

 

[USAFRet]

The disks have been stored in main living spaces their whole lives. But you're right - they're close to 40 years old. So you're saying even though these drives / adapters call themselves 1.44MB, they're not really limited to that?

A 1.44 capable drive should be able to read 360/720kb disks. In perfect conditions, with "new" disks.

Disks that are decades old? Who knows.
The top layer can flake off, even just a teeny bit. Same thing happens with the mag layer of cassette and reel to reel tapes. Flaking.