# Computer Questions--Floppy Discs **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 19, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964 "2009-03-19T00:44:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/1 "2009-03-19T00:44:32Z")
I have some items (porn) stored on floppies. I will soon buy a new computer (likely, no FDD). My current computer (runs on peat) has no CD/DVD burn capability ( **does have** a Zip drive). How to transfer floppys to new computer? Are there plug in floppy drives that can be rented? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/2 "2009-03-19T00:50:38Z")
It shouldn’t cost more than ten bucks or so to have an internal floppy drive added to the new computer. Or you can buy one that connects via a USB cable for about twenty bucks. I doubt you could rent one for less. ---
**Author:** ![Silophant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Silophant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silophant)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/3 "2009-03-19T01:03:12Z")
Unless your new computer is a laptop, you can install your old floppy drive in it, at least temporarily. It’s as simple as plugging the cords into the only slots they fit into. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/4 "2009-03-19T01:24:29Z")
Just copy the floppies to a folder, zip it and email it to yourself. How many floppies are we talking about, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/5 "2009-03-19T01:36:16Z")
USB flahs drive? Or buy a USB Floppy drive ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/6 "2009-03-19T01:47:21Z")
Or just replace it. Any multimedia (porn) stored on floppies is likely to be very small and poor quality, and it’s not like there’s a shortage of porn available online. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/7 "2009-03-19T02:30:16Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Just copy the floppies to a folder, zip it and email it to yourself. > How many floppies are we talking about, anyway? C’mon, it’s porn, must be thousands of them 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/8 "2009-03-19T02:40:43Z")
Can’t be very good porn if the disks are floppy. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/9 "2009-03-19T02:46:20Z")
Does the old computer have USB? Get a $10 USB drive. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/10 "2009-03-19T03:17:24Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > Can’t be very good porn if the disks are floppy. You would think the porn would turn the floppies into hard disks all on their own accord. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/11 "2009-03-19T14:11:07Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > How to transfer floppys to new computer? How are you going to transfer the other things you have on the old computer to the new computer? Is this porn the only thing you need to save? > [@Silophant](#): > > Unless your new computer is a laptop, you can install your old floppy drive in it, at least temporarily. It’s as simple as plugging the cords into the only slots they fit into. Even better would be to copy the porn to the old hard disk and mount the old hard disk in the new computer. Then you can easily get the porn and anything else that is worth saving. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/12 "2009-03-19T18:30:10Z")
Buy an external hard drive? That’s what I did to get the stuff off of my old computer. (I also keep it because it’s nice for storage, rather than keeping stuff on my lap top) I had a floppy drive on my old computer, which also had a CD drive (I had requested it). May I ask how old this computer is, **Bosda**? ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/13 "2009-03-19T19:01:35Z")
In order: 1. If the current computer has a USB port, buy a USB thumb drive for $10 or whatever. Copy the floppies onto it. (I think you can take it from there) 2. If you’re at all comfortable opening a case and disconnecting/reconnecting hard drives, then do like Gus says and just copy all the floppies onto the old hard drive. When you get the new computer, pull the hard drive out of the old computer, temporarily connect it to the new one (as a second drive) and copy everything off the old drive onto the new one. Assuming the old computer is not a laptop, the hard drive only needs a PATA connection on the new computer. Only super-aggressively-intentionally cutting edge new computers won’t have one of these, in which case for $15 you can get a PATA to USB adapter. 3. Again, if you’re comfortable with plugging things in, you could transfer the floppies to the ZIP drive, then install the ZIP drive in the new computer. This has a little higher risk of not working than moving the hard drive, so the only reason to do it is if you have more ZIP disks you want to save than you have room on the old hard drive. 4. Pull the floppy drive from the old computer, install it in the new one (temporarily or not). Transfer floppies. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/14 "2009-03-19T21:00:57Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Just copy the floppies to a folder, zip it and email it to yourself. This is, hands down, the simplest solution. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/15 "2009-03-19T21:19:13Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Buy an external hard drive? That’s what I did to get the stuff off of my old computer. (I also keep it because it’s nice for storage, rather than keeping stuff on my lap top) > > I had a floppy drive on my old computer, which also had a CD drive (I had requested it). May I ask how old this computer is, **Bosda**? Seconded. I originally bought one to transfer and backup stuff when I move from one old, dusty, cannibalized box to the next, but it’s so convenient as a portable .mp3 drive I just kept it that way. Heck, these days there are USB thumbdrives holding a few gigs you can buy for the cost of a friggin’ Bic lighter 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/16 "2009-03-19T22:53:56Z")
External floppy drives are like 10 bucks on eBay. Total of less than 20 with shipping. All the other ideas are good ones too, but this way you have a way of using other floppy disks if you come across them. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/17 "2009-03-19T23:12:13Z")
No USB on the old one. Did I mention it came with a ZIP drive? That’s how old it is. Extrenal floppy drive for $10? Cool! Problem solved. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/18 "2009-03-19T23:17:58Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > You would think the porn would turn the floppies into hard disks all on their own accord. This is what I’m saying. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/19 "2009-03-19T23:49:39Z")
My first thought was you can fit porn on a floppy drive??? LOL Then I thought maybe it’s \ a self production, and it can’t be redownloaded. 😃 A lot of free email accounts won’t handle attachments with ZIP or RAR in the extention. It used to be easy to just change the extension but now Google and Hotmail etc, have gotten too smart and can still recognize the zip if you change the extension. If they have internet cafes in your area you can easily transfer it to a CD or a DVD. And your set. The best solution for the OP is free online storage. Just Google the term “Free Online Storage,” and you’ll come up with quite a few sites like [Box.Net](http://box.net), [DropBoks](http://www.dropboks.com/), [MegaShares](http://www.megashares.com/) or tons of others where you can get free online store. Just upload the porn from the floppies and download on to the new computer ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964/20 "2009-03-20T01:22:13Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Problem solved. Maybe not. Be aware that external floppy drives are almost always going to be USB floppy drives. Didn’t you just say that the old PC has no USB? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-questions-floppy-discs/489964.md?page=2)