How to treat a floppy disk


  1. Never leave diskettes in the disk drive, as data can leak out of the disk
    and corrode the inner mechanics of the drive. Diskettes should be rolled up
    and stored in pencil holders
  2. Diskettes should be cleaned and waxed once a week.
    Microscopic metal particles can be removed by waving a powerful magnet over
    the surface of the disk. Any stubborn metallic shavings can be removed with
    scouring powder and soap. When waxing diskettes, make sure application is
    even. This will allow the diskettes to spin faster, resulting in better
    access time
  3. Do not fold diskettes unless they do not fit in the drive. "Big"
    diskettes may be folded and used in "little" disk drives
  4. Never insert a disk into the drive upside down. The data can fall off the
    surface of the disk and jam the intricate mechanics of the
    drive
  5. Diskettes cannot be backed up by running them through the xerox machine.
    If your data is going to need to be backed up, simply insert two diskettes
    together into the drive. Whenever you update a document, the data will be
    recorded on both diskettes
  6. Diskettes should not be inserted into or removed from the drive while the
    red light is flashing. Doing so could result in smeared or possibly
    unreadable text. Occasionally the red light continues to flash in what is
    known as a "hung" or "hooked" state. If your system is "hooking" you, you
    will probably need to insert a few coins before being allowed to access the
    disk drive
  7. If your diskette is full and you need more storage space, remove the disk
    from the drive and shake vigorously for two minutes. This will pack the data
    enough (Data Compression) to allow for more storage. Be sure to cover all
    the openings with scotch tape to prevent loss of data
  8. Data access time can be greatly improved by cutting more holes in the
    diskette jacket. This will provide more simultaneous access points to the disk
  9. Never use scissors and glue to manually edit documents. The data stored
    is much too small to be seen with the naked eye, and you may end up with
    data from some other document stuck in the middle of your document. Razor
    blades and scotch tape may be used, provided the user is equipped with an
    electron microscope
  10. Periodically spray diskettes with insecticide to prevent system bugs
    from spreading

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