| Floppy Disks & Data Recovery |
What are Floppy Disks?
Floppy disks are data storage devices composed of a disk of thin magnetic storage medium covered in a plastic case. You will require a floppy disk drive in order to read or write data from a floppy disk. The first varieties of floppy disks were stored in bendable jackets. Floppy disks were the most widely used data storage medium of the early 1990s because they were simple to use, easy to carry, and were compatible with all the computer systems.
The floppy disks were introduced in 8" format and subsequently 5.25” format. However, both these formats were susceptible to problems. Due to this reason, the 3.5” format was introduced and the physical packaging of these floppies was considerably revised.
Why are Floppy Disks Used Even Today?
The low data storage space capacity is one of the major reasons for the decline of floppy drive era. Therefore, floppy disks these days are used only for exchanging small to medium digital files. However, email is fast replacing floppy disks in this area. But this does not mean that floppy drives have been rendered useless. In fact, floppy drives are widely used today for the old computers.
The old PCs cannot boot from a CD-ROM. Therefore, floppy disks are used for emergency boots in these old PCs because they can neither be booted from bootable media such as CD-ROMs not from USB devices. Floppy disks are also widely used for setting up a new PC.
Even the most recent operating systems such as Windows XP rely on third party drivers. These drivers are shipped on floppies. In addition, floppy disks are still used for BIOS updates because many BIOS update programs are still designed in such a way that they can be executed only from a bootable floppy disk.
The Future of Floppy Disks
The future of floppy disks appears to be bleak. Floppy disks face competition from high-end data storage devices such as USB drives and portable hard disks that not only offer the storage space advantage, but are also portable, easy to use, and economical.
There have been several attempts to salvage the lifespan of the floppy disks by increasing their capacity to 2.88 MB and even to 120 MB (LS-120) and 240MB (LS-240). While the 2.8 MB option proved to be too small in storage capacity, the LS-120 and LS-240 turned out an unreliable form of data storage. Therefore, none of these technologies could revive the initial magic of the floppy disks.
With the plethora of new data storage devices in the market, the competition that a floppy disk faces is intense. A CD can store data upwards of 600MB whereas portable hard disks can store several GB of data. Memory sticks have also become a good data storage option.
Some of the recent laptops do not even come with a floppy disk drive anymore. Therefore, people are slowly changing their data storage preference from floppy disks to other data storage media. The future of the floppy disk may change if practical applications of floppy disk with optical memories are introduced.
How Can You Lose Data From Floppy Disks?
Floppy disks are very fragile which makes them very susceptible to damage. The floppy disk is highly sensitive to any form of air, dust, or environmental contamination. In addition, extreme temperatures can cause condensation within the floppy disk thereby destroying the data within.
It is very easy to lose your data from a floppy disk if the disk is exposed to a magnetic field. Floppy disks are damaged by magnetic field if they are constantly exposed to magnets for a long period of time. There are times when people do not even know that they are exposing their floppy disks to a magnetic field. One such example is stereo speakers. Some stereo speakers have magnets in them that can destroy your floppy disk if you place the disk in close proximity of the speakers.
Many people tend to use floppies as portable data storage devices. Therefore, they tend to use their floppies on multiple computers. This significantly increases the chances of a virus infecting your disk. This virus can result in data loss.
Data Loss Solutions
If you have encountered a data loss situation while using your floppy drive, you can either select DIY data recovery software or hire the services of a professional data recovery company. Your choice will depend on the criticality of your data because there can be a huge price difference between these two options.
Handling Advice for Floppy Disks
It is important that you follow the manufacturer’s instructions about using and storing your floppy disks. Floppy disks are extremely vulnerable to damage. Therefore, make sure that you do not fend or flex the floppy disk or use solvent or other reactive chemicals on it. Excessive temperatures, dust, or other forms of pollutants can damage the floppy disk. Therefore, adequate care should be taken to protect your floppies from these contaminants.
James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you are concerned about data loss and would like more information on Data Recovery see http://www.fields-data-recovery.co.uk
Article Source: UnArchived Articles
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