Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!lethe!yunexus!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!apple!sun-barr!cs.utexas.edu!bcm!dimacs.rutgers.edu!seismo!hal!stevem From: stevem@hal.CSS.GOV (Steve Masters) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc Subject: Re: Avg lifetime for a 3.5" floppy? Message-ID: <514@hal.CSS.GOV> Date: 8 Feb 91 03:33:41 GMT References: Organization: ENSCO Inc., Melbourne FL Lines: 28 cpc@czaeap.UUCP (Chris Cebelenski) writes: > I have been experiencing some strange problems with some older > 3.5" floppies. I have noticed that for some reason my Amiga floppies > (Ie: 3.5") go bad faster than my old 5.25" C-64 floppies did. The > average lifetime I have noticed for Amiga formatted 3.5" disks seem > to be under 2 years.... I have had similar experiences. I am concerned about data I need to keep several years but can not keep on my hard disk. Many of my 3.5" floppies develop R/W errors after a year or two. Often they will subsequently reformat, but it doesn't give me a warm feeling about the disk, and the data on the disk is now gone. Wish I could afford a tape system...my MS-DOS friends love to brag about their tape backup that uses the small video-tapes, works like a charm, and cost only about $200. But then, they love to brag about a lot of things I can't get for my Amiga until years after they are out for the rest of the computing world (e.g. CD-ROM readers...hard drives under $1000...) sigh... I know I've got a wonderful computer...I love to use it...but it gets tiresome trying to explain its virtues while they are loading up their systems. *** Sorry for this rambling that belogs in comp.sys.amiga.advocacy *** Steve Masters stevem@hal.CSS.GOV ENSCO, Inc. Melbourne, FL USA 32940