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Old April 20th 09, 08:11 AM posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage
GMAN[_10_]
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Default 5.25" floppy drive to IDE to USB?

In article , Arno wrote:
Anthony K. -removeme wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. Looks like it's really an
impossibility. I had completely forgotten just how many years have
passed since 5.25" floppies and USB. I kept a working 5.25" in my PC for
many years alongside a 3.5" FDD.


It's apparently not a matter of just gutting a 3.5" FDD USB drive and
connecting a 5.25". The controller will likely not be able to talk
5.25", and even if it did, there's other issues: MFM, proper power, etc.
Too much voodoo to address. 3.5" floppies aren't a concern at all as
there are USB options for those. I did once see a SCSI to USB adapter
cable online. Who knows, maybe a SCSI 5.25" FDD would work with that.


Arno, since you asked what I was trying to do: I have a collection of
good condition single and double sided 5.25" floppies from a couple of
different systems: PC DOS and Apple II. Some of it is old data I'm
curious about, but most of it is vintage software and games. My goal was
to make images of the disc for use on a modern computer, using
virtualization software to emulate DOS and Apple II. This would be more
convenient for me than maintaining two more computers. It's enough I've
got to deal with C64 and Amiga stuff too. I can always go the PC +
Slackware route, or just enjoy the disks on a vintage machine, but it
would have been nice to have to explain why I need to buy yet another
old computer.


Well, I has a similar but easier problem with my old
Atari ST floppies. Fortunately they have the standard PC format.

The way I went is that I made sector0-images of them all, currently
on a memory-stick and on several file0servers. I do not really know
how I can mount them though. The first thiong I would try is a
loopback mount under Linux of the image files.

It is just too much effort to keep the old hardware running IMO.

Arno

It was a piece of cake to make a 5 1/4 floppy drive for the ST. I have one
sitting in my closet.