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Recover Data from a 3.5 Floppy Disc
- Thread starter DJ Jack
- Start date
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Hardware-wise you'll want something like this off eBay or similar ---> http://www.currys.ie/product/dynamode-external-usb-floppy-disc-drive-black/321040/400.4.2#details
Then you'll need a program or app capable of interpreting/converting the data recorded on the floppies. Are they backups recorded by some esoteric 20th-century archiving program or are they simply copies of for example WordPerfect or SuperCalc files copied from an ancient PC?
Then you'll need a program or app capable of interpreting/converting the data recorded on the floppies. Are they backups recorded by some esoteric 20th-century archiving program or are they simply copies of for example WordPerfect or SuperCalc files copied from an ancient PC?
You have "two steps" in front of you.
The first is to find a way to transfer the files from 3.5" floppy media to the Mac.
The second is to read the old files and get them into a modern app.
I just went to ebay and entered "usb 3.5" floppy drive" into the search box.
I found several devices in the $10-15 range.
I will -guess- that this will work -- have never tried accessing old floppies on a modern Mac, not sure if there are drivers to run the floppy drives in the latest iterations of the OS. Perhaps someone else can help with this.
Another way might be to take the old floppies to a PC that still has a floppy drive, and copy the files to a USB flash drive, then take that to the Mac.
Is there a PC repair shop anywhere nearby that might be able to do this?
Once you have the files ON the Mac, you can try using MS Word to read them.
If Word -won't- read them, don't despair.
Try downloading the latest copy of "LibreOffice" (it's free).
Libre has an amazing set of translators built into it, and can read files from "way way back".
Another trick:
Have the icon for Text Edit in your dock.
Then, drag-n-drop the old Word file onto the Text Edit icon.
It may open the file. You'll have to "clean up" the garbage characters, but the text may "be there".
The first is to find a way to transfer the files from 3.5" floppy media to the Mac.
The second is to read the old files and get them into a modern app.
I just went to ebay and entered "usb 3.5" floppy drive" into the search box.
I found several devices in the $10-15 range.
I will -guess- that this will work -- have never tried accessing old floppies on a modern Mac, not sure if there are drivers to run the floppy drives in the latest iterations of the OS. Perhaps someone else can help with this.
Another way might be to take the old floppies to a PC that still has a floppy drive, and copy the files to a USB flash drive, then take that to the Mac.
Is there a PC repair shop anywhere nearby that might be able to do this?
Once you have the files ON the Mac, you can try using MS Word to read them.
If Word -won't- read them, don't despair.
Try downloading the latest copy of "LibreOffice" (it's free).
Libre has an amazing set of translators built into it, and can read files from "way way back".
Another trick:
Have the icon for Text Edit in your dock.
Then, drag-n-drop the old Word file onto the Text Edit icon.
It may open the file. You'll have to "clean up" the garbage characters, but the text may "be there".
best in show (good advice)
alternative method:
contact a friend that works for the federal government. Dosnt have to be anything dramatic all of them still use floppy disks. its the large 8" type right?
Thank you everyone. A friend of mine was able to move the data from the 3.5 Floppy to a drive. And I was able to open the files on my Mac.