Rescuing Historical Treasures from Old Floppy Disks
Cambridge University archivists are working to extract and conserve valuable information from floppy disks before they become unusable due to iron oxide corrosion or loss of magnetism.
The project began with a box of 5.25-inch floppy disks from physicist Steven Hawking's DOS-formatted computer, highlighting the challenges of preserving data from outdated technology.
The initiative aims to prevent valuable information from being lost to the "Digital Dark Ages".
- Floppy disks are vulnerable to the ravages of time
- Iron oxide corrosion and loss of magnetism can render them unusable
- The project, "Future Nostalgia", seeks to preserve important information before it's too late
Author's summary: Archivists rescue historical data from old floppy disks.