Member Avatar for webecedarian

Okay, okay, I know that most of you stopped using floppies long ago. But my question is: I was about to buy a Buslink external USB floppy disk drive (brand new, still sealed) from someone on Craigslist, and just wondered if it's a decent brand.

And would have I have by anything extra, other than perhaps a cord? Apologies for my ignorance.

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Short answer: Buslink-made external USB floppies are just one of many rebadged, low-cost USB 3.5" 1.44MB drives — the particular Buslink model (FDD1) appears to be discontinued, and the brand matters less than whether the unit actually powers up, is the correct 3.5" / 1.44MB type, and can be demonstrated working before you hand over cash. (radwell.com)

Quick buyer checklist you can use at the Craigslist meetup:

  • Confirm the connector and cable (and bring a USB-A→C adapter if your laptop has only USB-C).
  • Ask the seller to plug it into a laptop and insert a known-good floppy so you can copy a small file — that proves the mechanism, heads, and electronics work.
  • Verify the OS sees the device (This PC / Device Manager on Windows; System Report on macOS; check dmesg or lsblk on Linux). Many modern OSes will accept a USB floppy as plug‑and‑play, but there are occasional recognition quirks so test it on a machine you control if possible. (pcworld.com)

If you intend to use the drive as the “A:” boot device or to create boot diskettes, be careful: some USB floppies are bootable on legacy BIOS/CSM systems, but UEFI-only machines (and some ARM builds) may not support USB‑floppy booting. If bootability is required, test it on the target machine before buying. ()

A final practical note: sealed old stock can still fail (mechanical parts, old soldering/parts), and floppy media itself is fragile and often unreliable after decades — expect to need multiple disks or to buy a new inexpensive USB floppy if the seller won’t demonstrate it. If the seller can show a working read/write and include the cable, it’s usually worth a few dollars; otherwise a new, cheap USB drive is often the safer route. (pcworld.com)

(Addresses points raised by and — confirm interface and see the drive working before purchase.)

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Member Avatar for rubberman

What is the inteface that it uses? Is it a standard floppy controller interface (not often found on current computers), USB, RS-232, what? That is the question. The cable is probibly the easy part. How it connects to the system something else entirely. There are a number of after-market floppy drives that have USB interconnections. Also, is this a 3 1/2" 1.44MB drive that you need? Here is a link to such that you can purchase new for $9.99 USD including shipping (warranteed): http://www.rakuten.com/prod/3-5-external-usb-2-0-portable-1-44mb-floppy-disk-drive-diskette-fdd/266887473.html

The vendor, Rakuten (formerly Buy.com) is a reliable vendor that I have used for most of my computer hardware add-on gear for many years. They have other similar devices at various prices, but most seem to be in the $10 to $15 range for an external USB floppy drive.

P.S. I may buy one myself since I would like to get some of my old R&D code off of floppies and all of my old systems that have floppies haven't been fired up for years. Who knows if they still run? I would first have to clean them out of the rodent nests or dust bunnies that likely inhabit them... :-) Ten bucks would be worth the investment.

Edited by rubberman
Member Avatar for webecedarian

Rubberman, I really appreciate your thorough reply, but I'm foundering in my ignorance. I don't know anything about interfaces, but yes, it's for 3.5 floppies. I'll make a note of Rakuten for the future, thanks, but for this I'd just as soon buy locally via CL.

This is a link to the item, if that helps.

Member Avatar for rubberman

Unfortunately the link is no longer active so I can't say whether or not it may be appropriate for you. In any case, a usb device should suit you well.

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