Back
to Support & Downloads
Software & DriversCheck out the
Frequently Asked Questions to take advantage
of out expert troubleshooting, get the latest updates, and learn about tips for using your
Imation products. For more information, including brochures, demos, and spec sheets, visit the Diskette Storage product page.
What does Imation recommend for care & handling of Imation Diskettes? If you have additional questions or comments, please contact our Technical Support.
Attention to the following details can help reduce your exposure to the frustration of data loss.
Imation Diskette Care:
- Format your diskettes prior to writing data on them; this will inform you if the disk has any bad sectors.
- Don't use diskettes to store original copies of your files; use them to transport files to another computer.
- If you have to use diskettes to store original files, also back up those files on your hard drive, or in a more stable data storage format such as CD-R, DVD, or Flash Drive.
- Keep
diskettes away from devices that produce magnetic fields. Airport x-rays
do not pose a threat, however recent airport security revisions may include
a magnetic scan of your checked baggage. Most metal detectors also produce
a weak magnetic field. To avoid problems, include diskettes in your carry-on
baggage and request visual inspection in place of a magnetic search.
The following are some sources of magnetic fields:
- magnets
- your computer monitor
- telephones
- televisions
- speakers
- elevators
- electric motors
- cell phones with a magnetic vibrator
- devices used in machining of metal parts MRI medical equipment
- Store diskettes in a hard plastic container or the original box to protect them from dust. Don't transport them in your briefcase, pocket, purse or backpack without protecting them.
- Never touch the read/write window of the disk, the area covered by the metal shutter. Snapping the shutter back and forth can allow dust to get into the disk.
- Protect diskettes from extreme temperatures; temperatures above 120 degrees Fahrenheit will warp your disk beyond recovery. Diskettes can handle exposure to low temperatures within reason, but should be allowed to acclimate to room temperature before you try to use them.
- Use the write-protect notch, the sliding plastic piece in the corner of the disk, to avoid accidentally formatting the disk or erasing files. If open, the disk is write protected; if closed, the disk is writable.
Imation Diskette Handling:
- Never insert damaged disks (such as diskettes with a faulty shutter) into your computer. This could damage not only the data on the diskette, but also your computer drive. Please note that using paper clips, bulldog clips, or rubber bands on diskettes can damage the shell, preventing proper functioning of the diskette in the drive.
- Avoid static electrical shock to your computer, as it can corrupt data while your computer is writing to your disk.
- Multiple labels on a disk can sometimes cause problems. We recommend that you remove and replace old labels.
- Don't erase information written on a diskette label; the resulting debris could corrupt your data, or even damage your computer drive. Use soft felt tipped pens to write on labels, as ball point pens and pencils can produce debris and result in read errors.
- Allow your computer to finish writing to a disk before ejecting it; never take the disk out of the drive while the drive is being accessed. If the light next to the drive door is on or flashing, your computer is accessing the diskette.
- Remove the disk from the computer before turning it off. Files can become corrupted while the computer is turning itself off.
Our products leave our manufacturing facility virus-free. We manufacture our disks using high-speed duplicators. These standalone systems contain safeguards such as password protection to prevent unauthorized entry. Formatted/duplicated disks are verified on separate systems for integrity. Our packaging includes a factory seal, so you know the product you purchased has not been opened, used, and repackaged.
There is some confusion related to storage capacity on 2MB floppy diskettes.
Out of the box, a blank (unformatted) diskette has a capacity of 2MB. However, when you format the disk, you use some of that space to create a FAT (File Allocation Table) on the diskette. This is the area that is reserved to store file names and also to store information about where on the diskette the information is stored. Without the FAT, you would not be able to retrieve your saved data!
The life expectancy of a 3.5" HD/DD diskette is highly dependent on how the diskette is stored. Under controlled temperatures, humidity and dust conditions the diskette should last forever. Storing data on a diskette for five years in an area where temperatures are fairly constant (60 to 80 degrees F.), humidity that is controlled and diskette being stored in a storage box so dust doesn't collect on them should not be a problem.
You should always have a backup of your data on another diskette or storage device.
Double-density diskettes (DD) are generally used in word processors and older computer systems and have a total formatted capacity of 720KB. High-density diskettes (HD) are used in newer computer systems and hold a total formatted capacity of 1.44MB—double the capacity of a DD diskette.
Imation 3.5" HD diskettes cannot be used in a DD drive.
Imation discontinued the manufacture of the larger sized, color coded diskette label at the end of 2002. Rather than the label being the distinctive visual identifier for organizing types of data, projects, or subjects, the color of the diskette itself can now achieve the same purpose.
The labels included with our diskettes are 2.5 inches wide by 1.0625 inches deep.
Imation does not recommend that any data storage media be put in any luggage that may be scanned in any fashion. All media should be hand inspected for ultimate safeguarding of your data. Due to the proprietary nature of the new x-ray equipment and the multiple varieties of equipment used at airports, we are unable to assure you that these varied technologies will not affect the data written to a diskette.