I'm just curious. Who here would purchase a desktop computer without a floppy drive?

I'm starting to notice that in Europe this is becoming more and more popular. Obviously you can have the floppy drive installed or use a USB Floppy Drive; so it isn't like you can not have one at all, it's just that it doesn't come with the computer when you buy it.

So, would you purchase a computer without a floppy drive?

Yes, the cdrom drive can do everything that a floppy drive can. In the early 80s I used to work on machines that didnt even have the floppy diskettes, I think it was 5.5 inch floppies which would damaged if someone even slightly folds it.

Now even get smaller cdroms that look similar but smaller in diameter....maybe 3.5 inch. I am not sure if it can be loaded to the same cdrom drive or needs another drive. But it looks small enough to carry in your wallet or pocket

I have my notebook already without a floppy, who cares since I have a combo DVD/Writer, CDs are now cheap and ofcourse more reliable than floppies

but all desktops computers stills have a floppy by default... :D

Originally posted by RajanUrs
... I am not sure if it can be loaded to the same cdrom drive or needs another drive. But it looks small enough to carry in your wallet or pocket

YES! same drive reads that kind of CDs ;)

Of course I would. No Macs come with floppy drives any more.

none of my pcs have floppys. i have no use for them. :D

Even if you want to have a floppy drive it cost maybe 10 dollars or less.

I can do without one - I had mine removed after I bought it; though I always would like to have a Zip drive inside already. Yeah, so it's expensive, but I find Zip disks easier to carry around (and cheaper than a thumbnail drive at the moment).

>> though I always would like to have a Zip drive inside already. Yeah, so it's expensive, but I find Zip disks easier to carry around. <<

I have an external ZIP Drive. I don't use it much really except for backups, and also when I want to transfer things from my laptop to my desktop. I like ZIP disks, and prefer them a lot to floppy diskettes; ZIP disks can hold a lot more than floppy diskettes.

Originally posted by Anjay
I'm just curious. Who here would purchase a desktop computer without a floppy drive?

I'm starting to notice that in Europe this is becoming more and more popular. Obviously you can have the floppy drive installed or use a USB Floppy Drive; so it isn't like you can not have one at all, it's just that it doesn't come with the computer when you buy it.

So, would you purchase a computer without a floppy drive?

I think I just did. The Thinkpad I got cannot read floppy. I got someone to Ghost the hard disk before I *really* start using it just in case. So he prepared a CD recovery disk instead of a bootable floppy. But I guess that is standard nowadays right ?

Yes, i would. I use to store my space like those little floppys, on those new and 'improved' USB cards. They work like magic.

I would probably get an external USB One, since I hardly use floppy drives.

I just did (powerbook).

Apple haven't built a machine with a floppy drive since the pre-iMac era (1998ish)

Of course not. I use floppy's to bring stuff to school, such as word documents around 30 kb. It would be a waste to burn a cd for it.

Originally posted by ichris
Of course not. I use floppy's to bring stuff to school, such as word documents around 30 kb. It would be a waste to burn a cd for it.

Why not just get something like a USB pendrive type thing. Much bigger storage levels and just as easy to carry around.

And as for wasting a CD you can use CD-RW and when used with a program like Easy CD Creator can be used just like a big floppy disk.

Why not just get something like a USB pendrive type thing. Much bigger storage levels and just as easy to carry around.


Funny, I never thought about getting one of these, even though I knew they were around. :D I just looked on Newegg (http://www.newegg.com), and I saw a 128 mb pen drive for like 40 bucks! Wow, only 4x that of a floppy drive.

Originally posted by SniperDevil
Funny, I never thought about getting one of these, even though I knew they were around. :D I just looked on Newegg (http://www.newegg.com), and I saw a 128 mb pen drive for like 40 bucks! Wow, only 4x that of a floppy drive.

yeh, and the access and read/write speed is much faster with USB than a floppy

Originally posted by SniperDevil
Funny, I never thought about getting one of these, even though I knew they were around. :D I just looked on Newegg (http://www.newegg.com), and I saw a 128 mb pen drive for like 40 bucks! Wow, only 4x that of a floppy drive.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-191-205&depa=0

128mb - $28.00

I would.

I would. Floppies are dead, you can boot from both CD and USB.

Floppies are dead.. its true.
You can boot from cds...
I have a floppy drive in my pc right now.. but it died.. dont know why...
And i dont feel like getting a new one.
To transfer files.. we have either.. network.. or "INTERNET"
lol...
So floppies are obsolete

I would buy a computer without one but would probably add it at a later date. I do find myself using them on occasion (mainly fixing the old computers of friends) and it's a pain in the butt when a computer doesn't have it and I need it. They're cheap, anyway. If I were to purchase a computer with one vs. without one they would probably tack on some insane price for it anyway even though you can find a floppy drive for under $10.

Hell this one is going for $.01 and it ends in 45 minutes :D

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3666&item=3483883375&rd=1

Last time I used a floppy disk and drive was in 2001. I use USB pen drives a lot. They are cheap and very reliable when compared with very unreliable 1.44 MB floppies.

Originally posted by secludo
Hell this one is going for $.01 and it ends in 45 minutes :D

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3666&item=3483883375&rd=1

Check out the shipping though - they want $8 to ship that thing.

Yeah, I know. That's always how they get you.

Check out the shipping though - they want $8 to ship that thing.

$8.01... not bad. :D

I haven't used a floppy disk in about 5 years.

If you think about it, floppies and zip disks have been replaced by USB Jump Drives. I wouldn't be shocked if CD's would be replaced either.

Had mine removed a while ago and now I don't have a floppy drive nor a CD/DVD one...
USB all the way....:)

If you are into computer repair, you always say to your customer it is a must.

It saves aloooot of headache for me and them.

Most generic and sometimes original harware only come with flobby drives drivers, mostly 56 k's modems and ethrnet.

Knowning that most customers do not have an internet connection, and instead of me having to install it on one of my computers then putting it back I just download the driver and just install it.

Expecially when the users are using windows 95 and 98 (ME sometimes), it never recongnizes the drivers.

For recreational usage, its very stupid to have a globby drive, wasting a slot.

Peace,

I think I have an old 5.25 floppy drive sitting around here somewhere..

Originally posted by Vortex-Steve
Why not just get something like a USB pendrive type thing. Much bigger storage levels and just as easy to carry around.

And as for wasting a CD you can use CD-RW and when used with a program like Easy CD Creator can be used just like a big floppy disk.

Most, if not all, school security systems (over here) do not allow devices such as usb memoery sticks to be used..

Peace,

I have a 3 computers and use not one of the floppy drives... but I still couldn't imagine having a pc with out one. o.O

I can't remember the last time I used a floppy disk, so yes I would... in fact me macs don't have floppy disks.

So far, every CD burning application I've found is completely unreliable. Floppies are best for quick burns, and they don't take up that much space.. most of us have at least a mid tower anyways.