How Does a Floppy Drive Work?
About Floppy Drives Floppy drives, introduced in the early 1970s, were the most popular form of portable data storage until CD-ROMs became commonly available. The most common size, which uses 3.5-inch floppy disks, holds 1.44 megabytes of data. Despite their name, these floppy disks are enclosed in a hard, plastic and metal case to prevent surface damage. Installation and Usage While floppy drives are not usually available in new computers, you can still buy them through retail computer stores. The installation of an internal floppy drive is the same as the installation of a hard drive, although floppy drives use different types of power and data cables. External floppy drives are much easier to install, and only need an open USB port and driver installation. Floppy disks can only be inserted in the drive one way and are ejected with the push of a button. Data Storage Each floppy disk houses a circular “head,” which spins like a vinyl record when the disk is inserted in the floppy driv
