Floppy Disk Access when you've got an aging Windows computer as well as your brand new Mac running 10.11-Scenario #2

Scenario #2 : You have a box of old Windows/MS-DOS floppies. You own a 10 to 20 year old Windows machine as well as your new Mac. The old machine has a working internal floppy drive.

 

You’re in luck! Take out the old machine, clean off the accumulated dust, boot it up and start copying to the internal hard drive.

 

You may run into trouble trying to get the data you copied onto your old machine’s internal hard drive to an external USB storage device.

 

1. Depending on what version of Windows or DOS you use, you may have to install 3^rd-party drivers for your USB device.

 

2. You could see if the Windows machine has a network connection. Even an old Ethernet card with an RJ-45 connection (they look like big versions of telephone jacks) will work fine. Set up a network connection between your old machine and your new Mac.

 

3. If worst come to worst, partially disassemble the computer to gain access to the hard drive itself. Use a hard drive to USB adaptor to copy the data from the hard drive to your Mac.You can get them at Amazon and at Fry’s Electronics. MacSales has a USB 3.0 version for $28.

 

 

 

 Tom Briant

Editor, MacValley Blog