From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Dec 28 07:47:06 2004 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 200CD16A4CE for ; Tue, 28 Dec 2004 07:47:06 +0000 (GMT) Received: from mail.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com (mail.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com [65.75.192.90]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A0ACE43D49 for ; Tue, 28 Dec 2004 07:47:05 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from tedm@toybox.placo.com) Received: from tedwin2k (nat-rtr.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com [65.75.197.130]) iBS7kpv82948; Mon, 27 Dec 2004 23:46:51 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from tedm@toybox.placo.com) From: "Ted Mittelstaedt" To: "Joshua Tinnin" , Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2004 23:46:51 -0800 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.6604 (9.0.2911.0) X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1441 Importance: Normal In-Reply-To: <200412272102.29748.krinklyfig@spymac.com> cc: Nikolas Britton cc: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Broder_Mizz=E9rable?= Subject: RE: Need help *fast* X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2004 07:47:06 -0000 > -----Original Message----- > From: Joshua Tinnin [mailto:krinklyfig@spymac.com] > Sent: Monday, December 27, 2004 9:02 PM > To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > Cc: Ted Mittelstaedt; Nikolas Britton; Broder Mizzérable > Subject: Re: Need help *fast* > > > This would be consistent with my experience. I'd estimate that upwards > of 95% of the 5.25" floppies I bought in the '80s (mostly Elephant) > lasted for five years or more, most more than ten, last time I checked, > and they may still be working, though my old Apple IIe was donated to > the public school system in the mid '90s (I still miss it). Contrast > this with my experience buying 3.5" floppies over the last ten years or > so. The failure rate was as high as 20% when I was first buying those > around '95 or so, much higher than the 5.25" floppies I bought in the > past, but the better brands were about as good as I remember the old > ones. But as time went on and home CD burners became a reality then > became cheaper, 3.5" floppies got worse and worse. Even with a good > brand, something like 30-50% of my 3.5" floppies fail within a year (as > many as 10% are bad right out of the box), and 80%+ after a few years. > At least they're cheap enough to where it's not that big of a deal > financially, and if you're using a relatively modern OS then not that > much can be stored on them anymore anyway, but it's frustrating to use > a storage medium with such a high failure rate. All of this is > anecdotal, so my figures don't mean anything but to me, but I know it's > not isolated. > It's consistent with what I am observing too. Ted