Solutions for Using a Floppy Disk in a Modern PC (Not USB)

Anyone got any tried and tested methods of running a floppy drive in a modern PC?

Maybe a pci card with old school ide/floppy controllers?

I’ve done a bit of research on this in the past. Please note that the next best thing is probably a (software) floppy drive emulator (since you rule out USB). If that doesn’t work out, I’d say your best bet is to connect an older computer that actually has a floppy drive. But that’s not what you asked, so…

PCI to FDC (Floppy Drive Controller) doesn’t exist (there’s been a few companies that have produced them in the past, but I’m talking more than 15 years ago. Quantity was very limited so chances you find them working are very slim). What does exist in larger quantities is ISA → FDC. There are converters on the market that do PCI → ISA. I’ve seen PCI → ISA → FDC work. PCIe → PCI → ISA is something I have never seen before but should technically work.

I don’t see anything branded by StarTech, who still as PATA to PCIe devices, so you might just be SOL for non-USB. I might give it a further gander shortly…

Oh how I miss ribbon cables

Though as much, ebay for an old PC it is then.

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ZIP drive FTW!!!

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you could try to get an old LS120 /w parallel port connector. afaik those could read 1.44 MB floppies as well…

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He’s just as likely to find a functional driver for that as he is getting a PATA LS120, which also existed. At least other than getting an IDE controller, he’d mostly be set.

Not a clue how well it’d handle the offline/nodisk changeline, but it’d be easier than making a parallel one work, I’m sure.

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true story… a PATA LS120 I think I have in the basement somewhere… and a board, cpu, ram. FREE CANDY anyone? :wink:

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If you’re still looking, I had a brainfart when someone posted some old FreeBSD CDs.

An Adaptec AHA-1542 has a built-in floppy port and is accessible via SCSI.

However, uh, it’s ISA.

So, I guess this was a free, worthless bump.

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PCI → USB adapter, then a USB floppy drive :stuck_out_tongue:

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I bought a laptop with a built in floppy drive, sorted :slight_smile:

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Expensive way to read a floppy :smile:

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How old is that Thinkpad?

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its a compaq, thats how old!

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That has got to be a 4/25c? I don’t remember anything newer that had a floppy that wasn’t on an external dongle.

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