| Even though there is a lot to be said about floppy | | | | you probably only know of the 3.5" floppy. These |
| drives, these forms of data storage are mostly | | | | typically came in sizes between 720KB and 2.8 MB - |
| mentioned in a historical capacity. While you can do a | | | | though the 1.44MB floppy disk was by far the most |
| data backup to a floppy disk (assuming your computer | | | | common size. |
| even has a floppy drive) it is definitely not | | | | The 5.25" floppy was the older version and was a bit |
| recommended. There are many other methods of | | | | floppier than the 3.5" version. These could only hold |
| backing up your information that are far more reliable | | | | between 100KB and 1.2MB of data. |
| and offer far higher capacities. | | | | Most computers do not come with floppy disk drives |
| The floppy disk was the first truly portable form of | | | | anymore. The reason for this is that they are no longer |
| information storage for computers. Sure, you could | | | | in wide use, and most of the important information that |
| move tape drives around at risk of severely damaging | | | | was on computers that only had floppy disks for data |
| the tape, and you could move punch cards from | | | | storage has since been moved onto newer |
| computer to computer, but both of these storage | | | | computers or storage media. |
| options were unwieldy. When they were invented, | | | | You may still need floppy disks if you need to |
| floppy disks could store up to 1.44MB of data. | | | | communicate with older technology. Some lab |
| As you can probably tell already, 1.44MB of storage | | | | computers at certain schools are so old that they |
| space is nothing in the world of today where most of | | | | need floppy disks to retrieve data from and store data |
| the files you will be saving are several or even several | | | | to. |
| hundred megabytes in size. | | | | If you need a disk drive and do not already have one |
| The floppy disk was invented by Dr. Nakamats, who | | | | on your computer, you can purchase an external drive |
| apparently did most of his thinking at the bottom of his | | | | at most computer stores. Hurry, though! This type of |
| swimming pool. The floppy disk drive was just one of | | | | data storage is so out of date that it is likely that these |
| the many things that he invented while sitting on the | | | | external drives will not be available for much longer. |
| bottom of his pool. Almost as soon as it was invented, | | | | These drives can be connected to your computer |
| the floppy disk made punch cards obsolete - they | | | | through USB or alternatively with a parallel port. |
| were just so portable, reliable, and easy to use. | | | | Unless the computer that you are using is too old to |
| The first floppy disks were invented in the 1960's by | | | | have USB connections, you should not be using a |
| IBM. The disks were 8" across and were used during | | | | floppy disk to bring information to and from school or |
| the 1970's on the computers of that time. However, it | | | | work anyway. Instead, you can just use a USB flash |
| was the smaller floppy disk drives that were | | | | memory drive, which is much smaller and harder to |
| commonly used in people's homes. | | | | damage. |
| There were two sizes of these commonly used | | | | Do not try to back up your computer on floppy disks! |
| floppy disks, the 5.25" and the 3.5" floppy. If you did not | | | | The number of disks that you will need will quickly |
| have a computer during the early 1990's or 1980's, then | | | | make this into a time consuming and expensive task! |