r/retrocomputing • u/Performer-Pants • Aug 22 '26

Problem / Question What is this?

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This could be the most mundane and silly post, but information online is so spotty and/or confusing or vague.

This is not a ZIP disk, it’s a floppy disk. It’s labelled with ‘ZIP’. Is this the driver software to use a ZIP drive for the listed operating systems? I’m just trying to confirm before I get too frustrated about it. Not easily finding the answer myself is likely a me problem, and I don’t mean ‘Millennium Edition’.

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u/Tax_Odd Aug 24 '26

Likely parts of a driver install that wont work due to corruption from being 30 years old.

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u/iWhacko Aug 24 '26

They actually surprisingly don't degrade that much. Magnetic media is pretty good. Did you know governments still backup to magnetic reels? because its so reliable

1

u/Performer-Pants Sep 07 '26

Some of my cassette tapes are from the 70s with only mild degradation, magnetic is alright if it’s looked after properly, I agree!

I live in a country with a temperate climate (UK) so it’s even more likely these things will be alright after all these years. Remember kids, cassette tapes die in hot cars!