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5 1/4 in floppy drive dell dimension 3000 help
I am trying to install a 5 1/4 in. floppy drive, specifically the TEAC FD-54B-02-U, inside of a dell dimension 3000 via the floppy interface. The bios recognizes that it's there but thinks its a 3 1/2 in. drive. I tried to change the settings on it, but there isn't a 5 1/4 in. drive option. I need to get it working so i can copy files to and from a Tandy 1000. is there a fix for this?
also, both computers have the same model of drive.
Kflash08
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552 Posts
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June 27th, 2023 14:00
Unlikely. Most systems past the Pentium III / Athlon XP era don't support 5.25" floppy drives, regardless. By that point, 5.25" floppy drives were not in common use, with 3.5" floppies eventually following a few years later.
There is an adapter called the FC5025 USB 5.25" Floppy Controller that will allow you to connect the drive externally through the USB. The downside is that the controller is basically for retrieving data, and will not write to disks. As far as I'm aware, no commercial 5.25" external USB floppy drive unit has ever been made.
Your best bet is to purchase a used late 90s system that's capable of running Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition or Windows Me. Other than that, there really isn't a solution that will work with modern day systems.
retro computer enthusiast
4 Posts
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June 27th, 2023 11:00
would it be possible to patch the bios to support 5 1/4" floppy drives?
Kflash08
3 Apprentice
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552 Posts
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June 27th, 2023 11:00
@retro computer enthusiast
Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that the BIOS supports 5.25" 360 KB double density or 1.2 MB high density floppy drives. I just checked my Dell Dimension 4600, which is a more fully featured Dimension 3000 that uses the same motherboard, and there are no 5.25" options either. You will need to source another system that supports 5.25" floppy drives, particularly one that predates the release of Windows XP (2001), as anything newer, especially from OEMs, are unlikely to support 5.25" floppy drives as well. It also appears that the Dimension 2100 (released in 2001) was one of the last Dimensions to support 5.25" floppy drives.
retro computer enthusiast
4 Posts
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June 27th, 2023 12:00
Also if I have to use an adapter of some sort I can. I don't have access to any older computer that would work.
retro computer enthusiast
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June 27th, 2023 15:00
Is there an open source adapter for this purpose? I have an arduino mega, is there a way to make it an adapter?
Investo_gator
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June 29th, 2023 04:00
Thanks for the information ! fran co