If floppy disk heads are anything like 1/4" cassette heads, then you've got to worry about accumulation of oxidized gunk. Got a cleaning disk and alcohol handy?
On Tue, Jul 16, 2013 at 8:44 PM, Jon Harris <[email protected]> wrote: > Drive is good it is the disks that are not feeling good. I went thru > about 50 disks last night and have another 150 or so to go thru tonight. > So far I only have maybe 5 that appear to be bad but the percentage is > higher than I would like. Once I have checked and archived any data to a > hard drive they get destroyed. > > Jon > > ------------------------------ > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 17:08:40 -0700 > Subject: RE: [NTSysADM] Floppy disk recovery tool > > Depending on how long those drives have been laying around it could be an > issue of dirty heads… if you don’t want to buy a > kit<http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000V6Y1W6>, > there are youtubes of the process… or > > > > “If you suspect that the heads are just dirty, you can try using a can of > spray air to remove any dust from the drive. Floppy drives tend to > accumulate an amazing amount of dust. > > If after removing the dust, the drive still doesn’t want to read or write, > I recommend unplugging the computer and removing the floppy drive. Next, > use a cotton swab with alcohol to clean the drive heads. Alcohol is a > solvent and will remove any stubborn dust, oxidation, etc. from the drive > heads. Just make sure to let the heads dry completely before plugging the > drive back in. [Credit: Brien > Posey<http://www.techrepublic.com/article/quick-steps-to-service-a-broken-floppy-drive/> > ]” > > *From:* [email protected] [mailto: > [email protected]] *On Behalf Of *Jon Harris > *Sent:* Tuesday, July 16, 2013 4:50 PM > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* RE: [NTSysADM] Floppy disk recovery tool > > > > Disks in question are reporting they need to be formatted so I am guessing > they have lost(?) the correct bit/byte at the head of the disk and I don't > have my old tools to look at the bit and byte level of a drive. I was so > glad when things moved to DVD's guess I should have figured I would get bit > by old disks at some point. > > Jon > > > > From: [email protected] > > Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 07:13:58 -0400 > > Subject: Re: [NTSysADM] Floppy disk recovery tool > > To: [email protected] > > > > On Mon, Jul 15, 2013 at 10:31 PM, Jon Harris <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Anyone have a favorite recovery tool for getting to 3.5 and maybe even > 5.25 > > > floppies. I know they are old but sometimes we don't keep all of the > > > archives on current media this is one of those times. > > > > I presume you're getting read errors on the disk? > > > > I'd prolly try dd_rhelp (Linux tool). > > > > Floppy tech is old enough that the snake oil in SpinRite might > > actually apply. (Or not. I don't know, I'm just saying that Gibson's > > claims aren't obviously bogus for floppies, the way they are for > > modern hard disks.) > > > > -- Ben > > > > >
