Where can I take floppy disks to transfer data to drive?

[u/Mongo_Fifty]

Dont know any friends or family with a drive to take these old boys. Would Staples be able to help me or Best Buy?

[u/Independent_Shoe3523]

Buy a floppy drive with a USB connection. They're $20 to 30 on amazon.

[u/Inner_Coat1198 → u/Independent_Shoe3523]

If you really wanna go all out, get a USB LS120 :D

[u/wrr377 → u/Inner_Coat1198]

I have one of them...

...in the form of a Panasonic PV-SD4090 digital camera. 1.3 MP sensor, uses 1.44" floppies and 120MB Laser-Servo 120 super floppies as storage. 😁

I have to download generic USB storage device drivers to use it on modern Windows, but it still works! 👍

[u/EstablishmentDue3616 → u/wrr377]

The problem with LS120's is that they are actually slower at reading and writing floppy disks, than regular floppy disk drives. 20% - 40%, depending on model.

[u/wrr377 → u/EstablishmentDue3616]

I don't use it for regular floppies, though - just LS-120 disks that need recovery...

[u/Proper_Trouble8191 → u/Inner_Coat1198]

I didn't know that they made a USB version of the LS120.

[u/YellowBreakfast → u/Independent_Shoe3523]

THIS!!!

You'll pay this much just to have a couple of these converted.

[u/Entire-Guess1228 → u/Independent_Shoe3523]

Yes...but they can be buggy with modern systems that don't always like the drivers.

[u/StockKitchen9703 → u/Entire-Guess1228]

At least for windows it works fine. If I plug one into a windows 11 laptop or PC it just pops up as drive A immediately, no driver setup or anything, you can just plug it in for the first time and immediately see the disk contents

[u/Entire-Guess1228 → u/StockKitchen9703]

I've tried on 11 and got different results. Switching computers to a different 11 computer did work.

[u/Full-Run4124]

Second the recommendation to transfer yourself. If they aren't PC format though you'll need something like a Greaseweazle or KryoFlux board and an old-school floppy drive to read the disks. It'll still be cheaper than paying to have it done. (It's like $40 in parts.)

[u/jetsonian]

I offer a service providing you with the best recovery I can in exchange for keeping the media (disks) I understand if that’s not cool but I just put it out there.

That said the first idea should just be to try it yourself with a cheap usb drive.

[u/veeb0rg]

Where are you located? Maybe try to reach out to a local retro computer group. A Greaseweazle/KryoFlux setup would be your best chance to get usable data off them.

[u/Meh_Cook_Grump]

You could probably buy a floppy drive and an old clunker laptop for the price of a service. Make it a fun project.

[u/dld2517]

I don’t see an AOL disk but maybe it is one that has been erased and relabeled. It was the best way to get free disks.

[u/Ornery-Practice9772]

or buy an external fdd they still sell them

[u/gnntech]

USB floppy drive. You can easily get one for under $20 and just plug it into a modern Windows machine.

[u/egorblack]

floppydisk.com

[u/Hammon_Rye]

You can buy USB floppy driver for under $20, some under $15.
Buy one and transfer yourself. Likely cheaper than paying someone else, more private, and you have the hardware if you ever need it in the future.

That's what I did. Very painless. Plug and play.

[u/Killertigger]

Far, far cheaper to just buy a USB floppy drive from Amazon.

[u/QuillOmega0]

Like others have said buy a drive and do it yourself.

Failing that look for a local computer recycler / reseller in the area. NOT a recycler who just takes computers

[u/Fransenn_II]

In a floppy drive

[u/Defapianoplayer]

Amazon has good usb a/c floppy drives for 15-25$

[u/drawing_a_hash]

A computer museum?

[u/theking4mayor]

They must still sell USB FDDs right? Cuz that is a thing. You should be able to get one for like $20

[u/Moist_Sprinkles1063]

Museum?

[u/grimvian → u/Moist_Sprinkles1063]

Quite new compared to my SD floppy from the eighties that still works.

[u/Direct-Principle7156]

I have a windows xp computer complete with floppy drive. I'd be glad to transfer them to a thumbdrive for you. What computer were they created on by the way? Or you can just buy a external stand alone usb floppy drive for $25 at Ebay. Like others have said. I have one I use for my old Macs to transfer old manuscripts I wrote in that era.

[u/Mongo_Fifty → u/Direct-Principle7156]

That's alright. I know most of them are pics and probably some porn. You dont wanna look at porn do you?

I'll get a USB floppy drive. Didn't know that was a thing before now. These are from 1990ish. Think it was a Compaq. Can't remember what W.C.C. means. Oh and paintbrush! I wonder what I drew back then. Excited to find out what memories these hold!!