I need the help of a pc whiz.

basil

Distinguished Member
About 20 years ago i wrote a childrens story. Initially there was the origional written copy and a disc which had bounced around with me where ever i lived until the origional was lost in a fire but thankfully i still have the disc.
I now have grandchildren and it`s made me think more and more about my book just sitting there on a disc.
The chances of getting it noticed are next to zero but i`d like to have a written copy again but the problem is the disc i think is an apple disc?
This means i haven`t got a clue what i`m doing with the disc or the pc so can anyone help or advise?
Bear in mind, you could reading one of the novels of the decade. :lol:
Thanks.
basil.
 
What kind of disk is it on? Is it a 3.5" or 5 1/4" type floppy disk? Also, what software was used to write/save it?

It should be technically possible to recover the text IF (and this is a big if!) the floppy disk is still readable. I'm sorry to say that floppy disks were never particularly robust for long term storage, so depending on the condition in which it has been stored, damp/dry, proximity to magnetic/electromagnetic fields etc it may or may not be readable. :confused:

Alex
 
Hi Bas

It should open and run on Apple Mac or PC. Most programs these days will happily switch between the two platforms/architectures so you should be able to view, print and save albeit in a newer/up to date program.

What program was it originally constructed in ?

I'm a mac man and have been since 1986. If you want help with a Mac just tell me.

Only drongos run pc's these days :) :) :)

Rocky
 
Hi basil

Sorry if this is a double reply! I use a Linux machine, and have generally been able to access most file types. If you want me to have a look at your files, drop me a pm and I'll send you an e-mail address. If they're on a floppy the file(s) won't be that large!.

HTH

Andrew
 
All i can tell you is that the black bit on the front has MF 2HD maxell on it.
It`s that long ago and me being pc illiterate i haven`t a clue about the disc.
001-10.jpg

002-15.jpg

basil.
 
OK, it's not a 5 1/4 inch floppy, which is good - there's a good chance of reading that disc. If your PC has a 3 1/2 inch drive, can you post a list of the files on the disc?

Andrew
 
That's a 3.5" 1.44mb floppy, all you can do is try it. Floppies are fickle things, they can be unreadable in one drive and ok in another. If you are anywhere near me (Bristol) I'd be glad to try it for you in the 3.5" drives I have. I have software capable of recovering data if it's there to be recovered however, as I said before, floppies were notorious for their short lifespan so there is a fairly high chance it will have degraded over time, especially as we are talking 20 years.

Alex
 
Hi Bas

It's an old 3 1/2 floppy. Not a CD etc. You would need a compatible reader to access the files.

I think this might be Andrew's forte

Rocky
 
Hi Bas

It's an old 3 1/2 floppy. Not a CD etc. You would need a compatible reader to access the files.

I think this might be Andrew's forte

Rocky
 
csl said:
That's a 3.5" 1.44mb floppy, all you can do is try it. Floppies are fickle things, they can be unreadable in one drive and ok in another. If you are anywhere near me (Bristol) I'd be glad to try it for you in the 3.5" drives I have. I have software capable of recovering data if it's there to be recovered however, as I said before, floppies were notorious for their short lifespan so there is a fairly high chance it will have degraded over time, especially as we are talking 20 years.

Alex
Alex, i live in Bridgwater. Can i post it to you for you to have a look please? I`m more than happy to pay for your time and effort, it`ll be worth it for my grandchildren.
basil.
 
Bas

Don't post it ! It's the only copy you have ! Royal Mail..........What !

A lot of local (to you) computer shops would have the necessary 'readers'

The disc does decay over time but not the data contained thereon.

Bit like stalking deer....you have to put the leg work in to get a result

Rocky
 
basil said:
Alex, i live in Bridgwater. Can i post it to you for you to have a look please? I`m more than happy to pay for your time and effort, it`ll be worth it for my grandchildren.
basil.

Hi Basil,

Rockingod is right, don't post it, it would be terrible if it went missing! I'm not far from you, I'm in N. Somerset just off J.19 M5. In fact I'm probably going down your way in a couple of weeks so could possibly call in on the way past if you haven't made alternative arrangements by then?

As I said before though, I don't want to sound too pessimistic but 20 years is pushing it for a floppy disk but we can give it a try!

Alex
 
csl said:
basil said:
Alex, i live in Bridgwater. Can i post it to you for you to have a look please? I`m more than happy to pay for your time and effort, it`ll be worth it for my grandchildren.
basil.

Hi Basil,

Rockingod is right, don't post it, it would be terrible if it went missing! I'm not far from you, I'm in N. Somerset just off J.19 M5. In fact I'm probably going down your way in a couple of weeks so could possibly call in on the way past if you haven't made alternative arrangements by then?

As I said before though, I don't want to sound too pessimistic but 20 years is pushing it for a floppy disk but we can give it a try!

Alex
Fair comment. We`ll see what happens in a couple of weeks. Thanks all for your replies.
basil.
 
pc whiz

Basil ive got some good news and some bad news for you mate

Firstly i took the disc to my I T department but after a good few hours trying they were unfortunately unable to access any recoverable data and were fairly certain that the files had been compromised.
I must stress that these guys know there stuff and certainly dont like to be beaten and said they would have one more try over the weekend but again with no luck.

Not wanting to give you the bad news i had one more option left up my sleeve and that was to give the disc to a chap i had herd about threw a friend.
This guy lives and breathes computers rarely leaving his house and said he would take a look
Firstly he rigged up a system to run the disc on then installed some of his own recovery software by which point i was totally lost
Five minutes later and he had accessed the file tranfered it to a cd and reformated the files into three modern operating systems.

The bad news is the story isnt actualy a bad read and i have just sighned up a book deal with bloomsbery publishing plc


Just joking mate its here awaiting your collection
ATB
RICK O SHEA
 
Good result there, I would have put money on a disk that old being trash!

Glad you got it sorted,


Alex
 
A massive thanks to Rick O`shea.
If it wasn`t for Rick my story would probably have been lost forever.
Right then guys, who is Spikey? Well, he`s a boy and that`s all i`m saying for now. The reason for this is because i`m going to run a printed copy off for Rick and his daughter to read through, hopefully he`ll give you a review of the book. My daughter was very young when she put it on the origional disc so there are a few spelling mistakes i have to iron out.
Then, if i can find a nice kind local business that will run a load of copies off for me i`ll put them up for sale with ALL the proceeds going to the Help for Heroes charity. I`m not going to charge much, say a minimum donation of a fiver plus two first class stamps to help with the postage.
The story is something i`m immensely proud of and now i have grandchildren, it`s stirred me into action and it can be put to good use.
Please let me know your thoughts and ideas.
Thanks. basil.
 
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