Home » Questions » Computers [ Ask a new question ]

Are my 5.25" floppies dead?

Are my 5.25" floppies dead?

I have a number of 5.25" floppies for the BBC Micro which haven't been used since the 90s. I recently got my BBC Micro and Watford Electronics floppy drive down from the loft/attic, set it up and tried the disks. Unfortunately my floppy drive had fallen apart internally and no longer reads any of the disks. I tried fixing it (the drive head had come apart) but to no avail. There was no noticeable mould damage to the disks.

Asked by: Guest | Views: 159
Total answers/comments: 5
Guest [Entry]

How did you store them over the past decade or so? Where they in a cool, not-so-humid area away from direct sunlight? If so, I bet you have a decent chance of recovering the data if you can find a working drive.
Guest [Entry]

"The discs probably aren't bad unless they were moisture or heat damage.

I suggest you head to your local thrift shop and look for a new drive and test it out."
Guest [Entry]

Without testing them on a working drive there is no way to tell that they are dead. You can probably still find drives on eBay.
Guest [Entry]

"My 1980 5.25"" Apple II disks work fine. 160k/ double sided.
These disks are 25-30 years old.
I'd figure the Beeb' disks would be similar.
The bit size on 5.25"" is a lot bigger than on 3.5""; obversely it's almost impossible to kill 8"" floppy disks."
Guest [Entry]

"Roof areas (at least in the US) are designed to be uninsulated and allow outside air to circulate between soffit and roof/gable vents. If you stored your dinosaur in this environment for a long time, it's likely to have some damage from the elements (hot, cold, moisture). Since you're in the UK, I'd bet on moisture.

A dry basement would've worked best."