Floppy disk sales have crashed

mimo2005 · 01-29-2007, 10:06 PM

A computer chain is dropping floppy disks from sale due to plummeting demand.

PC World will no longer stock the computer storage devices once its existing supplies have been sold.

And later this year none of the machines it sells will have built-in floppy drives.

The fast-moving world of technology has made floppy disks virtually redundant 36 years after they were invented, the chain said.

They have been replaced by CDs, memory cards and USB memory sticks which have up to 1,000 times as much storage capacity.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/...,00.html?f=rss

**JP198780** · 01-29-2007, 10:21 PM

lol, they were good, back in '98

...

i have floppys in my computers, never used them once, i have them unplugged, hate that noise they make bootin up lol

crazijoe · 01-30-2007, 05:57 AM

I actually still use them for testing purposes, wiping drives, flashing BIOSs, etc. I have a USB floppy drive for computers I work on that do not have one.

Tumbleweed36 · 01-30-2007, 06:24 AM

Hi,

Don't use it a lot, but there are times I am glad it is there. Both my rigs still have one in them.

**Kalim** · 01-30-2007, 08:10 AM

I do use them but it was known back in 2000 that they are to be dropped soon. With HD DVD and BD coming in, I guess not long from now onwards, they will be obsolete.

JohnthePilot · 01-30-2007, 09:00 AM

It's going the same way with cassette tapes.

**carsey** · 01-30-2007, 09:11 AM

Do you think my floppy drive will become antique and worth a lot of money??

JohnthePilot · 01-30-2007, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carsey

Do you think my floppy drive will become antique and worth a lot of money??

I hope so, cos I've got loads of them lying around

ebackhus · 01-30-2007, 11:26 AM

I have a rare 5 1/4" 3 1/2" combo drive!

I haven't installed many floppy disc drives in the PCs I've built lately unless it was requested. All the PCs where I work have just FDD and no CD/DVD which really really sucks. Some people bring in USB drives but not all of them work with the craptacular design of our Dells.

**Joefireline** · 01-30-2007, 01:42 PM

I've never really used floppy discs, they are so pointless. They break really easily, have very limited space, and are really big!

My 1GB worlds smallest USB pen owns them!

Quote:

Originally Posted by mimo2005

They have been replaced by CDs, memory cards and USB memory sticks which have up to 1,000 times as much storage capacity.

Well, actully, you could also get a 1TB external hard drive, now that's more than 1,000 times

**Kalim** · 01-30-2007, 02:27 PM

Well I know Research & development company AtomChip announced a 6.8GHz 1TB RAM and 2TB HDD laptop, Q4 '05. It doesn't use a hard disc, instead it is based on "solid state AtomChip optoelectronics". A new "non-volatile Quantum-Optical" type of RAM is used. Other features include voice commands, "Num Lock mode, Caps Lock mode, Scroll Lock mode".

And there are HDD's used in Data Lifecycle Management with sizes upto 16TB in use. We use 3TB ones ourselves quite frequently nowadays.

ebackhus · 01-30-2007, 02:35 PM

PuRAM? I'd love a HDD made of that, even if just for the OS.

Chevy · 01-31-2007, 08:26 AM

As long as someone tells Bill Gates and company so that when we Press F6 to install third-party drives, we can point it to a CD or USB device ...

**forcifer** · 01-31-2007, 11:00 AM

and that bios flashes WONT REQUIRE THEM ANY MORE. THE TECH IS BRAND NEW BUT YOU CANT USE IT IF TO USE IT YOU NEED CRAPPY STUFF!!

~~Nik00117~~ · 01-31-2007, 12:08 PM

Wow to think floppys are out!

I actually got a huge box full of them. When I need one I grab one use it and toss it away have been doing that for 4 or 5 years now.

Haven't even put a dent into my collection figure in5 0 years or so I could prob sale them to a collector.

Either way I bet within the next 10 years there won't be a need for floppies anyways.

ebackhus · 01-31-2007, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forcifer

and that bios flashes WONT REQUIRE THEM ANY MORE. THE TECH IS BRAND NEW BUT YOU CANT USE IT IF TO USE IT YOU NEED CRAPPY STUFF!!

Because of that problem I try to focus on buying boards that support flashing from within Windows.

**JP198780** · 01-31-2007, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nik00117

Either way I bet within the next 10 years there won't be a need for floppies anyways.

1 year*

sinclair_tm · 01-31-2007, 10:18 PM

well, my mac doesn't have one. apple quit using them back in the late 90's. but i've put one in my pc, and am glad i did. and there have been several times i did wish my mac had one. i do find it easier to transfer files with floppies than even usb drives. guess thats why i have a usb powered zip drive, and one zip100 disk, just for those times ( now theres a joke, zip100 disks are still 15usd a pop! ) anywho, one of the guys i work with and i were just talking about floppies as i was reading the stats of a mobo i just got to make a computer for another guy, and it said it supported both 5.25 and 3.5 disk drives, and i had to ask if you can even still get a 5.25 drive new. i can't recall the last time i even saw one.

01-29-2007, 10:06 PM	#1 (permalink)
mimo2005 Manager, Emeritus Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 11,142 OS: xp	Floppy disk sales have crashed A computer chain is dropping floppy disks from sale due to plummeting demand. PC World will no longer stock the computer storage devices once its existing supplies have been sold. And later this year none of the machines it sells will have built-in floppy drives. The fast-moving world of technology has made floppy disks virtually redundant 36 years after they were invented, the chain said. They have been replaced by CDs, memory cards and USB memory sticks which have up to 1,000 times as much storage capacity. http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/...,00.html?f=rss __________________ TSF has outgrown its server, again. Please help "Gutta cavat lapidem, non vi sed saepe cadendo"

01-30-2007, 05:57 AM	#3 (permalink)
crazijoe Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Omaha, The Center of the Universe Posts: 7,632 OS: WinXP, Win2K3 My System	I actually still use them for testing purposes, wiping drives, flashing BIOSs, etc. I have a USB floppy drive for computers I work on that do not have one. __________________ Microsoft MCSA + Messaging, MVP, A+, Network+ http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3...other/Help.jpg Do you want a real Republican? HDD diagnostic tools / HDD data recovery software

01-30-2007, 06:24 AM	#4 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 19,655 OS: XP Professional	Hi, Don't use it a lot, but there are times I am glad it is there. Both my rigs still have one in them. __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread.

01-30-2007, 09:00 AM	#6 (permalink)
JohnthePilot Manager, TSF Articles Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cheltenham, near Wales. Posts: 30,921 OS: XP Home SP3, PCLinux, Vista Home Premium SP1 My System Blog Entries: 1	It's going the same way with cassette tapes. __________________ Submit New Articles Here If you feel that TSF has helped you please make a donationand help to keep the forum free Cenedl heb iaith, cenedl heb galon Folding@Home - Team 85015

01-30-2007, 09:11 AM	#7 (permalink)
carsey Moderator, TSF Articles Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hunwick, Co. Durham England Posts: 10,678 OS: XP Pro SP3 My System	Do you think my floppy drive will become antique and worth a lot of money?? __________________ Submit New Articles Here

01-29-2007, 10:21 PM	#2 (permalink)
JP198780 TSF Regular Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Deptford, NJ Posts: 700 OS: XP Pro, Home My System	lol, they were good, back in '98 ... i have floppys in my computers, never used them once, i have them unplugged, hate that noise they make bootin up lol

01-30-2007, 08:10 AM	#5 (permalink)
Kalim Roaming To Help Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 5,642 OS: Many	I do use them but it was known back in 2000 that they are to be dropped soon. With HD DVD and BD coming in, I guess not long from now onwards, they will be obsolete.

01-30-2007, 11:26 AM	#9 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 14,260 OS: WinXP Pro SP3/Windows 7 RTM My System Blog Entries: 28	I have a rare 5 1/4" 3 1/2" combo drive! I haven't installed many floppy disc drives in the PCs I've built lately unless it was requested. All the PCs where I work have just FDD and no CD/DVD which really really sucks. Some people bring in USB drives but not all of them work with the craptacular design of our Dells. __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

01-30-2007, 02:27 PM	#11 (permalink)
Kalim Roaming To Help Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 5,642 OS: Many	Well I know Research & development company AtomChip announced a 6.8GHz 1TB RAM and 2TB HDD laptop, Q4 '05. It doesn't use a hard disc, instead it is based on "solid state AtomChip optoelectronics". A new "non-volatile Quantum-Optical" type of RAM is used. Other features include voice commands, "Num Lock mode, Caps Lock mode, Scroll Lock mode". And there are HDD's used in Data Lifecycle Management with sizes upto 16TB in use. We use 3TB ones ourselves quite frequently nowadays.

01-30-2007, 02:35 PM	#12 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 14,260 OS: WinXP Pro SP3/Windows 7 RTM My System Blog Entries: 28	PuRAM? I'd love a HDD made of that, even if just for the OS. __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

01-31-2007, 08:26 AM	#13 (permalink)
Chevy Retired Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Notlob Posts: 5,452 OS: Vista Ultimate My System	As long as someone tells Bill Gates and company so that when we Press F6 to install third-party drives, we can point it to a CD or USB device ...

01-31-2007, 11:00 AM	#14 (permalink)
forcifer Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Kansas City kansas Posts: 3,625 OS: Vista Premium 32 My System Blog Entries: 1	and that bios flashes WONT REQUIRE THEM ANY MORE. THE TECH IS BRAND NEW BUT YOU CANT USE IT IF TO USE IT YOU NEED CRAPPY STUFF!! __________________ now i remember

01-31-2007, 12:08 PM	#15 (permalink)
~~Nik00117~~ Troubled Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Germany Posts: 1,572 OS: XP Pro, Vista Ulimate My System	Wow to think floppys are out! I actually got a huge box full of them. When I need one I grab one use it and toss it away have been doing that for 4 or 5 years now. Haven't even put a dent into my collection figure in5 0 years or so I could prob sale them to a collector. Either way I bet within the next 10 years there won't be a need for floppies anyways.