[Web4lib] floppy disk issues

[Vernell Ward]

Ed, 
 
The only way that I know for floppies to be read is to format them
first on an xp machine. They are missing a snippet of information that
xp supplies and the older windows versions do not. The older ones can
still read it (in my experience).  This was the fix I found by scouring
the Internet.
 
We started having trouble with Windows 2000 and using a floppy that we
transferred from one operating system to another. XP said it was
corrupted.
 
I retreived the data, put it on the network, and all was fine.
Not exactly the answer you were looking for--but many people have gone
away from floppies. I rather like them, but not all computers still have
those drives. The newer drives don't seem to be very good, either.
 
Hope this helps.
 
Vernell
 
 
Vernell Ward
Library Serials
OBU Box 61309
500 W. University
Shawnee, OK 74804
405-878-2255

>>> "Erjavek, Ed" <erjaveked at sbpl.org> 04/27/07 1:12 PM >>>

We were curious if anyone has had any success dealing with a growing
problem
for us with patrons trying to have info read on their floppy disks.



It isn't a question of the hardware on the floppy drive being bad as
the
sectors on the floppy disk not lining up.



The issue is likely that was the original computer that the patron's
document was saved on. The chances are best that the document will be
able
to read on the machine that it was originally created on.



When the patron tries to open that document on another machine, it may
or
may not be able to read that document because the heads on the floppy
disk
drive may or may not be able to read the sectors on the floppy disk
because
they don't line up properly.



Does anyone out there have any ideas how to alleviate this problem?



Thanks, Ed







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