If you have been using computers for around 20 years, you may have been one of the lucky ones who got to use the famous floppy disks (also called floppy disks in English). These were among the first portable storage media to become popular and their validity was certainly a standard for almost two decades. Still, in Windows 11, and in all previous operating systems, you haven’t lost your compatibility. Why?
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Floppy disks and their longevity
Remember that the floppy disk or diskette format almost completely dominated file portability for two decades. While there were three fairly standard sizes (8 inches, 5 1/4 inches, and 3 1/2 inches), only the last two came to be used primarily in Windows.
YOU CAN SEE: 5 Reasons Why Old Computers Were Better Than Now
Why is Windows still compatible with floppy disks?
Before we continue answering this question, we must first confirm that, today, any version of Windows released to date (including Windows 11) will be compatible with floppy disks. 3 and a half inches.
If your Windows installation appears to be unable to read one of these disks, the reason is likely external to the system, such as a failed configuration on the BIOS of the motherboard.
Floppy disks in Windows
The 3½-inch floppy disks were the last to be standardized, and certainly the most popular to ever exist; however, its immediate predecessors were also widely used in their time and even the latter are still compatible with some of the most recent versions of Windows.
The reason why such an old format (but which was in force for a long time) remains active is precisely the backward compatibility that this allows. A good deal of Windows software history came in the form of floppy disks, and removing support for it in newer versions would make it very difficult for users who want to keep digging through their old files from time to time.
Also, there is plenty of 32-bit software that can still run on Windows 11 (thanks to support for x86 apps). This allows the library of programs to microsoft continue to be the largest in the world.
So now you know. If you thought your new computer had no way of read a floppy disk, you probably have to give it a try. The biggest complication for this today is finding a floppy drive in good condition, as most of those on offer are products of yesteryear that might already be in bad shape. Still, you can also opt for USB adapters with relatively new and reliable hardware.