Hacker News Reader

I have a bunch of 3.5" floppy disks from my BBC Master, which date back to late early 90s. Will the data on them still be ok?

If I bought a Kryoflux or similar device would I be able to access and save the data?

View on HN

Maybe, depending on how they were stored. I haven't done an extensive amount of recovery but my Apple II disks from the late 80s, stored in a basement with little temperature fluctuation, ready-out fine in the mid 2010s.

I would encourage you to look at the Greaseweazel[0] in lieu of the Kryoflux. The Kryoflux has an onerous license that only permits personal use. The Greaseweazel has a comparable feature set and doesn't limit user freedom.

[0] https://github.com/keirf/greaseweazle

Thanks for the detailed reply! The Greaseweazle looks good and is inexpensive. I think I’ll get one. :)

Reply on news.ycombinator.com