Floppy Drive Virus?

[Coreper]

I have been wondering if this rumor is true:

is it dangerous to have a floppy drive in your computer?

or is there something I am confused with?

just let me know all the proven myths and rumors :)

im looking forward to hear from you guys

thanks

[-pops-]

I've not heard of a floppy drive being anything to worry about in regard to viruses but I do know that the early computer viruses were propagated via floppy disks - long before the Internet became anything like as big and as used as it is now.

I remember getting a virus from a floppy disk (one of those "small" 5 1/4 inch types). What it did was after about fifteen minutes all of the letter "d" would tumble to the bottom to the page and lie there in a heap. No fancy graphics in those days, just white or green text on a black background. This was before the days of Windows and all you did to remove the virus was re-install the operating system which was all of about 25KB - perhaps even less.

In those days a floppy drive would cost about £100 (= €150). Now they're one twentieth of that price, or less.

[Alan2273]

I had a virus back in 1998, from a floppy disk.

It was the first Wolfenstein, and it wiped out my OS.

It was my first computer and I had to get a relative to show me how to sort it out.

As not many people use floppy drives, and the antivirus protection these days is very good, it is unlikely that anyone would waste there time with a floppy virus.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

There is very little need for floppy disks and drives these days, although I still have one on every computer. Naturally, being a media to transfer data between computers, there was a chance that it could have contained a virus, and transferred it to the other computer.

Any such device could do that, and today it's mostly flash memory devices that are used instead of floppy disks. So beware of your flash memory sticks as a potential medium to transfer virus infections.

[Coreper]

yeah, i think that was it: virusses being transferred through floppy discs...

thanks for the help

btw: is it "disc" or "disk"?

[andsome]

yeah, i think that was it: virusses being transferred through floppy discs...

thanks for the help

btw: is it "disc" or "disk"?

Either will pass the spell check.

[-pops-]

From the Free Dictionary:

disk also disc (dsk)

n.

1. A thin, flat, circular object or plate.

2. Something resembling such an object: The moon's disk was reflected in the pond.

3.

a. The disk used in a disc brake.

b. A disk used on a disk harrow.

4. A round, flattened, platelike structure in an animal, such as an intervertebral disk.

5. Botany The enlarged area bearing numerous tiny flowers, as in the flower head of composite plants, such as the daisy. Also called discus.

6. Computer Science

a. A magnetic disk, such as a floppy disk or hard disk.

b. The data stored on such a disk: read the disk that came with the manual.

7. An optical disk, especially a compact disk. See Usage Note at compact disk.

8. A phonograph record.

9. A circular grid in a phototypesetting machine.

tr.v. disked also disced, disk·ing also disc·ing, disks also discs

1. To work (soil) with a disk harrow.

2. To make (a recording) on a phonograph record.

disc (dsk)

n. & v.

Variant of disk.

[Coreper]

XD

Disk

The disk used in a disc brake.

thanks