Re: [ARSCLIST] Thanks! Was: *Windows* Floppy Disc Blues--aka data recovery software suggestions?

[Jerry Hartke <jhartke@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Although I have floppies that are 20 years old and quite readable, I have
also experienced failures. The most common reasons are:

1. Disk surface wear generates burnish residue that accumulates at the edge
of the drive heads. The mechanical shock caused by insertion of a new disk
eventually causes this residue to fall onto the surface of a good disk, and
then pass under the head, scratching the disk. Since drives first seek to
track 00, this wipes out the boot record. Files, directories, and file
allocation tables may remain untouched, allowing recovery using appropriate
tools. This problem can be avoided by periodic use of cleaning diskettes.

2. A poorly aligned drive may have been used to write the original
information that was readable in the misaligned drive. A perfectly aligned
drive may be able to recover the information, or another drive with similar
misalignment may be required.

3. Poor quality media may have been used. The initial drive may have been of
high quality and capable of reading the disk, but other drives may not work.

The solution is to backup important archives, and also to check disks for
readability after writing to them. You may be surprised with the results.

Although this may be an opportunity to bad-mouth floppies, they are
reliable, proven means of storage provided that they are used properly. The
same statement applies to hard drives, tape, USB sticks, and CD and DVD
discs. The latter have an advantage in that the pickup head is not in
contact or in close proximity to the surface during read-write operations.

For additional information on specific problems, check our FAQ page:

http://www.mscience.com/faq.html

Jerry
Media Sciences, Inc.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
> [mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of andy kolovos
> Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2007 4:13 PM
> To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [ARSCLIST] Thanks! Was: *Windows* Floppy Disc Blues--aka data
> recovery software suggestions?
> 
> Folks,
> 
> Just wanted to say thanks for all the help!  Ended up giving BadCopy Pro
> a whirl and--for my circumstances and my mix of files at least
> (WordPerfect and MSWord)--it worked like a total charm.
> 
> It's too bad I had to spend the money though.  I never expect to have a
> 3.5" floppy croak on me again.  Ever.  Never Ever.  I'm completely
> convinced that this was a total, freakish fluke. I mean, trouble with a
> 3.5" floppy? Come on!
> 
> Best,
> 
> andy
> 
> 
> 
> --
> 
> Andy Kolovos
> Archivist/Folklorist
> Vermont Folklife Center
> 3 Court Street ; P.O. Box 442
> Middlebury, VT 05753
> (802) 388-4964
> akolovos @ vermontfolklifecenter.org
> http://www.vermontfolklifecenter.org