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I'm trying to install a floppy drive in my new desktop.
I don't know much about IDE connections/cables but it seems there are multiple types. I've seen some with pins in the middle taken out and others with all their pins. I think I have a newer version of IDE on my motherboard.
Do they sell these newer cables with 3.5" drive connections?
Usagi
Posted 2011-02-12T04:39:22.137
Reputation: 189
5
Floppy drives don't use a normal IDE (PATA) connection; they use a special 34-pin connector. If your motherboard does not have this connector then you'll need to get a USB floppy drive instead.
Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams
Posted 2011-02-12T04:39:22.137
Reputation: 100 516
2There were some floppy drives that used IDE cables. I splurged and got one way back when. It was 16 bit (as opposed to the normal 8) and had 2 MB cache built in. It literally cached the entire floppy so reads and writes were instant. Hitting the eject button flushed the cache. SuperDisks also had IDE connectors and read floppies. :) – Keltari – 2011-08-22T08:04:11.320
@Keltari: 1st gen SuperDisk drives were also slower than regular floppy drives with plain floppy discs. 2nd gen drives were much faster. – afrazier – 2012-02-11T21:02:52.130
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I have just received this 34pin floppy connector to USB adapter cable from :
Even though my country was not on the list they posted to a polite query via Ebay solved that problem.
My SAMSUNG 1.44 floppy with four port SD card combo now works perferctly again with the floppy as disk A as in the past. I found I can either power the floppy via a molex floppy power connector or use the USB power via the extra floppy power cable supplied.
Although the post took two weeks the supplier posted immediately the PayPal payment went thru.
Harry
Posted 2011-02-12T04:39:22.137
Reputation: 21
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Floppy drives are not IDE - IDE is a 40 pin connector - Floppy drives use a 34 pin connector. It's possibly your motherboard doesn't have the 34 pin connector since most people no longer use floppy drives. If you get the correct floppy cable it should clearly and easily match up with the connector on the motherboard, assuming the motherboard has one.
Otherwise, try using a USB based floppy drive.
Multiverse IT
Posted 2011-02-12T04:39:22.137
Reputation: 4 228
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Get a USB floppy. It will be the quickest and simplest way to go. Unless you're looking for the aesthetic value, and then you need to look for the floppy drive connector on your motherboard. You should look in your system BIOS for a floppy controller option - that's one clue if your system supports it. Another one is to look in Device Manager in Windows, or the kernel messages Linux.
Anthony Giorgio
Posted 2011-02-12T04:39:22.137
Reputation: 589
0
you could also install a floppy controller card if you have the available space in your desktop. that would provide the 34-pin connector you need to attach the drive
sara
Posted 2011-02-12T04:39:22.137
Reputation: 11
Journeyman Geek// Actually there EXISTS an FDD controller card for PCI slot - http://www.nishtek.com/cw.html But not to mention, this is too much for this issue and a USB one is enough.
– Scott Rhee – 2014-10-07T02:23:51.9032I haven't seen a floppy controller card since my XT - and most of what I can find seem to be ISA based ones that belong in a museum. – Journeyman Geek – 2013-09-16T07:44:11.043
One should also ask why you need a floppy drive in the days of 32GB SD cards :) – Scott Bennett-McLeish – 2011-02-12T09:02:37.643
Thanks everyone, I definitely don't have a floppy connection so I guess I'm going with a USB external. I have some old mac game disks that I'm trying to archive. – Usagi – 2011-02-12T19:43:19.470
1The added advantage is that you can store a USB floppy in a dust-tight box on your shelf when not in use, instead of using an in-case unit as a rather expensive computer case air filter, only to find a year later when you need it, that you need to blow the dust out to make it work. – Fiasco Labs – 2012-02-11T21:42:51.140