External 3" Floppy Drive for Laptop Running Windows 10?


  1. Rayzen
    Posts : 28
    Windows 10
       New #1

    External 3" Floppy Drive for Laptop Running Windows 10?


    Is it possible to get an external floppy drive for my HP laptop which is running Windows 10? I have boxes of old 3" floppies sitting around that I haven't looked at in years. It would be nice to be able to view the files on them once more.

    I looked on Amazon, but the only ones I saw were stated as being compatible with earlier versions of Windows, such as Vista, XP, or 7. None were stated as being compatible with Windows 10, specifically. Maybe they actually would be, but I just would like to know, before I spent the money, only to find out that I have wasted time & money.

    Any helpful advice would be much appreciated!
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  3. Berton
    Posts : 14,009
    Win10 Pro and Home, Win11 Pro and Home, Win7, Linux Mint
       New #2

    Should be compatible, I have 3 on hand that work with Win10 connected to USB 2.0 ports, a couple from Dell and one unbranded. Also, I've found it best to Open the write-protect switch on the floppies to prevent an issue that arose with Win7 otherwise data can be screwed up.

    I haven't tried the drives on USB 3.0 ports yet.
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  4. pbcopter
    Posts : 524
    Windows 11 Pro x64, Windows 10 Pro x64
       New #3

    I have an old Panasonic USB external 3.5 inch floppy drive that works fine with Windows 10 in both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports.
    I paid $7.00 USD for it on eBay a few years ago.
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  6. Rayzen
    Posts : 28
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       New #4

    Thanks!


    Well, thanks guys. Those two comments give me the encouragement to go ahead and send off for one and hope for the best. It's not a some kind of a life-or-death issue, and I would be out only $15 or so, at the worst, but every few bucks saved helps, when you're retired.

    Being able to look at a big pile of floppies that I haven't used in over ten years is kinda opening a time capsule. It'll be fun to see just what's in those disks...old pictures, articles...

    Thanks again. You guys are great!
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  7. NavyLCDR
    Posts : 18,432
    Windows 11 Pro
       New #5

    @Rayzen,

    When you plug it in, make sure and click on This PC on the left in file explorer, the floppy drive will show up under Devices and Drives in the right pane:

    External 3" Floppy Drive for Laptop Running Windows 10?-capture.jpg
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  8. Berton
    Posts : 14,009
    Win10 Pro and Home, Win11 Pro and Home, Win7, Linux Mint
       New #6

    You're welcome. I'd suggest you also copy the data to a Folder on your computer then burn to a DVD for archiving then you can toss the floppies.

    I also use WinImage for archiving program install disks, create new ones later if needed.
    What is WinImage
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