Where to buy floppy drive?

[Hawkmoon]

I stumbled across a cache of old 3-1/2" floppy disks, some of which have stuff on them that I'd like to transfer to CD-ROMs. None of my current computers has a floppy drive.

Where's a good place to buy a black floppy drive? I used to buy things like that from Geeks.com, but they seem to be out of business.

[AJ Dual]

http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=21-121-001

[Perd Hapley]

I may have one. I'll take a look here in the next couple of days.

As long as an internal drive will work for you.

Another option is to surf the flea markets and secondhand stores.

[GigaBuist]

An internal floppy drive isn't likely to be of much use these days.  I can't remember the last time I saw a computer that actually had the connectors required for the old ones.

USB would be fine though:  http://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Floppy-Drive-FL-UDRV/dp/B00E9MD700/

[Hawkmoon]

Once I install it I'll probably use it extensively for a week or two and then never touch it again. But ... while an external offers more flexibility, it's also one more thing for me to misplace. Pretty sure my computer has the connector, because my assigned computer at work is the same Dell series and it has a floppy.

All I've seen on the used market are the old, traditional beige faceplates. In fact, I have a dead box that has one in it, but the current box is all black and I'd like to stay with that.

But ... I might drink the Kool-Ade and go with an external. That would allow me to use it with any of the notebooks, which wouldn't be a bad thing.

[lupinus]

for such things I would vote external all day long.

[lee n. field]

I haven't seen anything but external USB 3.5 floppy drives for quite a while, and not many of them. 

I've got one around here somewhere.

[Firethorn]

If the connector is missing, try something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1NV1SM3758

Many of the multis still have a floppy connector, but this one is apparently 100% usb.

[erik the bold]

I have a HP usb one that I'd part with for $10 or so + shipping.

[KD5NRH]

Just get a hard drive cold or show it a picture of Nancy Pelosi.

[Hawkmoon]

I went for the external in Gigabuist's link. Curiously, when I went to Amazon to order it, they also showed me an IDE internal (in black) for a whopping $8.99. So I bought that, too. They arrived today. I'll start playing with the external ASAP, and then schedule some down time ti install the internal and see if it works.

[Mannlicher]

along the same line of thought, how about an external drive to read those 5.25 inch floppys?  I have stacks that I'd love to be able to look at, or to at least copy to a modern external hard drive.

[Northwoods]

I thought Irwin burned them all years ago?

[TechMan]

I thought Irwin burned them all years ago?

That was all the AOL discs.

[RoadKingLarry]

That was all the AOL discs.

All my non-computer owing relatives would save those damn things for me. I'd just take the damn things to keep from offending them. Mom handed me a  stack of about 20 AOL CDs once and couldn't understand that they were useless trash. "You've got have some use for them".
I glued felt on some for coasters and made a sun catcher out of the rest and gave them back to her for Christmas.  She quit saving them.

[MechAg94]

along the same line of thought, how about an external drive to read those 5.25 inch floppys?  I have stacks that I'd love to be able to look at, or to at least copy to a modern external hard drive.

Can modern computers even read a drive that small?  I am thinking the doublesided disks were 640KB if my memory is correct. 

[lee n. field]

Can modern computers even read a drive that small?  I am thinking the doublesided disks were 640KB if my memory is correct. 

double sided high density were 1.2mb.  double sided regular density were 320K.

[MechAg94]

I don't think I had one of those new fangled computers that could do 1.2 MB.  The invention of the 3.5" disks were amazing.