Choosing an External Floppy Disk Drive
Since the beginning of computers, storage has always been an issue. No matter how much space you have, eventually you will need to store extra files on an external disk drive. At one time, floppy disks were the way to store data outside the computer's internal memory. Nowadays, computers don't have a built-in floppy disk drive. For those that still have a box full of floppy disks sitting around, now you can access the stored data with an IBM external floppy, zip, and jaz drive.
Why Choose an External Zip Drive?
- Portability - Whether you want to open the floppy disk at the office or home, you only need one external drive. Since it is portable, take it with you when you head to the office or borrow it from the office and take it home to open files. What's more, you can use it on a desktop or laptop computer. To ensure the product is easy to move, it is lightweight.
- Plug-and-play - You can't go wrong with a plug-and-play device. Insert the cable into the USB port, and you are ready to start viewing the information on the floppy disk.
- Easy to use - As far as electronic devices go, a USB floppy drive is straightforward to use. Once you plug the USB cable into the USB port, insert the 3.5 floppy disk into the opening, and you are good to go.
Which Should You Look for on an External Floppy Drive?
- Compatibility - Not only does the 3.5-inch disk need to be compatible with the IBM external drive, but the MB needs to be compatible.
- Performance - The majority of USB floppy disk drives are able to read and write 1.44 MB floppy disk. However, there are a few models that will work with 720 KB disks.
- Design - The design and size of these devices may vary just a bit. Although they all accept 3.5-inch disks, the overall size of the unit can be different.
- Capacity - Floppy, zip, and jaz disks were not made to hold a lot of data. Unlike today where GB is the go-to memory option, 3.5-inch disks were only able to handle MBs of storage.
- Power source - Since the device gets its power directly from the USB port, there is no need for an external power adapter.
Why Don't Computers Come with a Floppy Drive anymore?
As with most things in the technical world, products change. The floppy didn't have the storage capacity of other storage devices such as external hard drives, CDs, and USB thumb drives. In a world of GB and TB, KB and MB storage devices are less necessary.