October 31, 2025
Please insert Disk 2: Drama
Floppy Disk / Diskettes // retrocmp / retro computing
Retro fans swoon over floppies, demand real locks, and rage at a 403 wall
TLDR: A retro guide maps out floppy disk types, rare hard-sectored gems, and a tool that fakes old disk timing. Commenters gush over nostalgia, roast a 403 error, and beg for a real hardware “lock” on modern drives—arguing data safety and durability still matter today.
A retro deep-dive on old-school floppy disks just dropped, and the nerd nostalgia meter went off the charts. The page walks through the greatest hits: giant 8-inch disks, those bendy 5.25-inch squares, and the sturdy 3.5-inch classics. It even explains the quirky stuff—like “soft” vs “hard” sector holes (tiny timing marks), how the “write-protect” notch worked, and why some unicorn 5.25-inch disks had 10 or 16 holes. There’s a collector flex too: a sealed pack of rare hard-sectored disks, plus a shoutout to the Virtual Sector Generator, a gadget that fakes those obscure holes so vintage machines can still boot.
But the comments? That’s where the party is. The top mood is pure longing for a simple hardware “lock” switch—commenters say modern USB sticks can’t be trusted like a physical tab could. Then chaos: one user only got a “403” error and lit a mini firestorm over broken links. The biggest meme moment was a confession that the “HD” label (for high-density) looked like “CH” for years—cue everyone rotating their disks in their minds. Others got wistful, fearing their attic stashes won’t load on an old BBC or Archimedes. It’s equal parts museum tour and group therapy, with retro diehards debating safety, durability, and whether tech moved too fast for its own good.
Key Points
- •The article outlines four floppy disk sizes: 8-inch, 5.25-inch, 3.5-inch, and 3-inch.
- •3.5-inch and 3-inch disks are soft-sectored; hard-sectored disks were not used in IBM-compatible systems.
- •Index hole variations are illustrated with 3M examples, including a type used in DEC systems.
- •Write protection differs by size: 8-inch requires the notch covered to write; 5.25-inch requires the notch uncovered.
- •Hard-sectored 5.25-inch disks (10- and 16-hole) are rare; Mike Douglas’s Virtual Sector Generator provides a workaround.