[LindaMouse]

Does anyone know how to get files from an IBM formatted floppy onto windows XP? Into Works, preferably, but I'll settle for just getting it on the computer! :unsure

[AuroraDizon]

I don't think you should be having any problems.... if there is a formatting difference, I don't ever remember IBM having there own operating system I've only known them as a hardware company but I could be wrong, I'm not sure about the really old models. If your computer is formatted differently, I don't know if theres anything to help you read the disc, example mac formatted disc won't read on xp (at least I don't know any progams that do I never looked) but if you still have the IBM computer it was from, boot up , network, or email it to yourself. Its probibly easier that way.

[jbking]

Is that an OS/2 formatted floppy or using IBM PC-DOS? If the latter it should work just fine assuming the computer has a floppy. As for converting from OS/2, I don't know that at all. Or is there some other IBM Operating system being used?This does remind me of the "IBM-Compatible" label that used to exist on software many many moons ago...Sorry I can't be of more help at the moment.Regards,JB

[DeadEye]

After you insert the floppy into your floppy drive, can you click on the A drive in Windows Explorer to see the files on the floppy? If so, you can just click on a file or files to drag and drop them into any folder you choose on your C Hard Drive or any other you may have on your PC. If when you click on the A drive and get an error report, then it is either so corrupted that it cannot be accessed or it is formatted in something other than PC Dos. The Works file you want to copy was not on a Mac was it?You can put the diskette in another pc or try to read another floppy you have on your own pc to rule out a bad diskette drive. If you have not used your floppy drive for a long time it may be very dirty or has gone south. Just thinking of possibilities.

[LindaMouse]

Actually, it's from a word processor I had way back before I bought a PC. It had to be formatted before use, and it said it was IBM and compatible formatting. I always assumed it was DOS, but I can't get it to run in DOS on my computer. When I insert it, it just sits there, I can't get it to run, but I'm probably missing a step there!

[DeadEye]

Hi again. If this floppy was formatted on an old dedicated Word Processor machine rather than a PC then that is probably why you cannot read anything on it. What was the Word Processor used to format and created the file(s) on it?

[LindaMouse]

It was a Canon Starwriter 30. I'm thinking it was about a 1995 model. For some reason, I always thought this was compatible with PC's and didn't worry about losing files when I got a computer! :(

[Cosmo]

Try buying a canon starwriter and printing it out.Ten bucks on ebay:http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Canon-Starwriter-30-With-Built-in-Printer_W0QQitemZ150048267783QQihZ005QQcategoryZ25326QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item150048267783(bidding ends on Oct 25 2006 @7 Pacific (-9gmt))

[LindaMouse]

Good idea, and thank you for looking that up on ebay for me. So, anybody got any ideas on how to get the files onto the computer after they're printed? Do I need to scan them in? One by one? Cause there's a lot of pages! :lol: