New Computer Builder - Question about floppy drives

  • Thread starter Thread starter Alan
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A

Alan

Hi,

I'm building a new computer and decided not to use a floppy disk drive. My
question is, after I install all the components in the case, how do I boot
up the computuer without using a floppy disk? Will I be able to do that?

Thanks,
Alan
 
Alan said:
Hi,

I'm building a new computer and decided not to use a floppy disk drive. My
question is, after I install all the components in the case, how do I boot
up the computuer without using a floppy disk? Will I be able to do that?

Thanks,
Alan
Click to expand...
Without a floppy disk drive, you will need to boot to a bootable CD or
the HD. I still like the FDD option.
 
Alan said:
Hi,

I'm building a new computer and decided not to use a floppy disk drive. My
question is, after I install all the components in the case, how do I boot
up the computuer without using a floppy disk? Will I be able to do that?

Thanks,
Alan
Click to expand...

Most CD's for operating systems are bootable.
If you are going with XP, for example, all you need to do is set the bios
to boot from CD, you can partition and format your drive from there.

Not only that, most 3rd party cd burning software has the ability to make
bootable cd's.

That said, I'd still put a floppy drive in the thing!
 
Ralph Mowery said:
Most systems will boot off the CD just fine and no floppy is needed.

Why is it that people are cutting costs so much ? The floppy and a box of
disk is under $ 20. Some devices need the floppy to install and it is
sometimes handy to have a floppy to save or transfer data.

Many will not back up the data either and then cry about how they lost some
important data or ever worse the pix from a digital camera. That could be
advoided by spending a few bucks for a cdrw and box of disc.
Click to expand...

I don't know that they are cutting cost as much as they are cutting clutter.
Eventually there comes a time when it makes sense to drop old formats --
that is why you don't see too many people with 5-1/4" and 8" floppy drives
on their systems any more.

I took a hard look at what is really needed while building my latest
computer and realized that I hadn't actually USED the floppy drive on any of
my systems for a few years. My notebook didn't come with one and that hasn't
been a problem. If the time came when I really really needed to read a
floppy it would take five minutes to pop the cover on one of the big systems
and hook up a floppy drive to do the job. On my latest system, a Shuttle
super-compact which has only one space to fit a floppy drive I elected to
install a USB 2.0 flash card reader instead since dumping pictures from my
Canon camera is a constant need. But if someone was in need of both they
could always buy one of the Mitsumi drives which combines a floppy AND the
flash slots (but it isn't a USB 2.0 device so the flash work would be slower
than necessary).
--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]

Return address will not work. Please
reply in group or through my website:
http://johnmcgaw.com
 
I'm building a new computer and decided not to use a floppy disk drive.
My
question is, after I install all the components in the case, how do I boot
up the computuer without using a floppy disk? Will I be able to do that?
Click to expand...

Most systems will boot off the CD just fine and no floppy is needed.

Why is it that people are cutting costs so much ? The floppy and a box of
disk is under $ 20. Some devices need the floppy to install and it is
sometimes handy to have a floppy to save or transfer data.

Many will not back up the data either and then cry about how they lost some
important data or ever worse the pix from a digital camera. That could be
advoided by spending a few bucks for a cdrw and box of disc.
 
Alan said:
Hi,

I'm building a new computer and decided not to use a floppy disk drive. My
question is, after I install all the components in the case, how do I boot
up the computuer without using a floppy disk? Will I be able to do that?

Thanks,
Alan
Click to expand...

OEM floppy drives are available for less than $10.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=21-103-109


Although most current OS's will boot from floppy: for $10, why not
include one??? It's a sure thing somebody will give you one to read in
the future (I call this the "mom factor")....

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=21-103-109
 
The reason why I chose not to include a floppy drive is because in todays
age of computer technology they're useless and outdated. How many people
actually use them anymore? For storing large file sizes such as digital
photos, mp3's, system backups, etc., the preferred storage of choice is a CD
media. Especially that you can get CD burners so cheap. Many of the large
computer companies such as Dell have done away with floppy drives altogether
and do not include them on their new line of computers. I think the floppy
drives time has come.

Alan
 
Alan said:
The reason why I chose not to include a floppy drive is because in todays
age of computer technology they're useless and outdated. How many people
actually use them anymore? For storing large file sizes such as digital
photos, mp3's, system backups, etc., the preferred storage of choice is a CD
media. Especially that you can get CD burners so cheap. Many of the large
computer companies such as Dell have done away with floppy drives altogether
and do not include them on their new line of computers. I think the floppy
drives time has come.

Alan
Click to expand...

It's your build. Do it they way you want. I don't disagree that the
technology is outdated and inadequate for the large file sizes in play
for most data transfers these days.

But: since my extended family is still running machines with floppies as
their *only* way to share data. The $10 I spent for a floppy on my last
build (late 2002) was more than worth the aggravation of trying to
overcome lack of a floppy by moving files around online.

Like my last post says: it's the "mom" factor...and until I can convince
mine that she needs how to learn to burn CD's...I'll be needing a
floppy:-)
 
Many of the large
computer companies such as Dell have done away with floppy drives altogether
and do not include them on their new line of computers. I think the floppy
drives time has come.
Click to expand...

_________________________________________________________

Not just yet. Several software makers have you create a boot rescue
disk during installation; so far, always a floppy. You *can* create a
bootable CD, but you have to do it yourself.

But soon.
 
Alan said:
The reason why I chose not to include a floppy drive is because in todays
age of computer technology they're useless and outdated. How many people
actually use them anymore? For storing large file sizes such as digital
photos, mp3's, system backups, etc., the preferred storage of choice is a CD
media. Especially that you can get CD burners so cheap. Many of the large
computer companies such as Dell have done away with floppy drives altogether
and do not include them on their new line of computers. I think the floppy
drives time has come.

Alan
Click to expand...

One reason I see to have one is that it is easy to copy something for
someone else, such as someone with a Win98 system and need a boot disk or to
run DOS utilities outside the OS, and some other things that may not come to
mind. I could very easily get by on my own system without one, but then
there are times when I may want to run memtest86 or some other DOS based
utility to test or bench something. My Sony laptop did not come with any
floppy drive, but I can set it to boot from CD or even a memory stick with
the newer ones. For the small cost, I would still put in a floppy, if only
for the times when I want to make a bios flash disk or something along that
order for a friend that may not have other options.

Ed
 
Alan said:
The reason why I chose not to include a floppy drive is because in todays
age of computer technology they're useless and outdated. How many people
actually use them anymore? For storing large file sizes such as digital
photos, mp3's, system backups, etc., the preferred storage of choice is a CD
media. Especially that you can get CD burners so cheap. Many of the large
computer companies such as Dell have done away with floppy drives altogether
and do not include them on their new line of computers. I think the floppy
drives time has come.
Click to expand...

Then again, they cost about $10 which is probably worth it for the odd
occasion when it might be useful. Actually though I'd say USB flash
drives are what will finally kill off the floppy.
 
Ralph Mowery said:
Most systems will boot off the CD just fine and no floppy is needed.

Why is it that people are cutting costs so much ? The floppy and a box of
disk is under $ 20. Some devices need the floppy to install and it is
sometimes handy to have a floppy to save or transfer data.
Click to expand...

That's very true. I have a Promise UltraATA/133 card to which my primary
hard disk is connected. When installing Windows XP, the operating system
*demands* that you press a key to indicate the the OS needs to load a
third-party driver before continuing. Guess what? It will only look at the
floppy drive and won't even let you point to some other drive. If I don't
have the driver on a floppy disk, Windows XP can't install itself on my hard
disk.
 
DaveW said:
Installing XP uses the XP Installation CD to boot from. You don't need a
floppy for it.
Click to expand...

Unless, of course, you have a SCSI or ATA/100 controller... in which case
Windows XP forces you to insert a floppy disk into drive A to get the driver
during installation.
 
BarryNL said:
Then again, they cost about $10 which is probably worth it for the odd
occasion when it might be useful. Actually though I'd say USB flash
drives are what will finally kill off the floppy.
Click to expand...

I agree - USB flash drives are going to replace the floppy, at least
when all mainboards allow to boot from USB drives - and all USB drives
have this capability!
At present, I prefer to have both: the floppy to be on the safe side
(and for BIOS flashing and for HDD testing etc.) and the USB drive for
comfortable data transfer.

Roy
 
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