Forgot to update everyone on the thin client DOS project. It's an HP t5740e thin client PC with 2GB of RAM and a 4GB drive. I formatted almost 2GB for th system boot drive and 2GB for the extended DOS partition.Originally, I installed DOS 6.22 on it, but I decided to put FreeDOS on instead. FreeDOS already has most of the drivers needed, so I can install stuff using the USB port. I still have programs on floppies that I bought way back in the early '90s; I was able to just install them from a cheap USB floppy drive.I literal paid like $14 for it, the floppy disks cost more than the drivethese days, $2 for 10 Disks locally! The DOS machine is up and running like a charm. I actually played the original DOOM from way back. Now I am getting back to writing a few batch files. I haven't done that in over 30 years."

That is good news. Glad it is working out. I had not heard of floppy
drives with USB connectors so that is good to know. Is it a 5.25 or 3.5
drive?

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Re: Thin Client Pc To Run Dos
By: MIKE POWELL to DENN on Sun Jan 11 2026 09:34 am

That is good news. Glad it is working out. I had not heard of floppy drives with USB connectors so that is good to know. Is it a 5.25 or 3.5 drive?

I've only seen 3.5" USB floppy drives; I don't think they make 5.25" USB floppy drives, but I suppose I could be wrong.

Nightfox

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Re: Thin Client Pc To Run Dos
By: Nightfox to MIKE POWELL on Sun Jan 11 2026 17:02:06

I've only seen 3.5" USB floppy drives; I don't think they make 5.25" USB floppy drives, but I suppose I could be wrong.

I've been looking for one as well, but so far, no luck. I got some commercial disks from the '80s I'd like to get converted.

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Mortar wrote to Nightfox <=-

Re: Thin Client Pc To Run Dos
By: Nightfox to MIKE POWELL on Sun Jan 11 2026 17:02:06

I've only seen 3.5" USB floppy drives; I don't think they make 5.25" USB floppy drives, but I suppose I could be wrong.

I've been looking for one as well, but so far, no luck. I got some commercial disks from the '80s I'd like to get converted.

I don't think the 5.25" drive is available in USB/external version. I
see none on Amazon or Ebay.



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Re: Re: Thin Client Pc To Run Dos
By: Gamgee to Mortar on Mon Jan 12 2026 08:27:44

I don't think the 5.25" drive is available in USB/external version. I
see none on Amazon or Ebay.

Those were my first stops as well; zip, zero, nadda. However, I did see several external 5 1/4" drives using the Shugart interface. Digging further, I came accross the Device Side Data FC5025 USB 5.25" Floppy Controller. It'll allow you to connect std. PC 5 1/4" floppy drives (as well as many 8-bit computer floppy drives) to your PC. It's not a perfect solution. It's a read-only setup and You still have to provide power to the drive from somewhere.

Here's a link so you can read all the gory details: https://shop.deviceside.com/prod/fc5025

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Re: Thin Client Pc To Run Dos
By: MIKE POWELL to DENN on Sun Jan 11 2026 09:34 am

Forgot to update everyone on the thin client DOS project. It's an HP

That is good news. Glad it is working out. I had not heard of floppy drives with USB connectors so that is good to know. Is it a 5.25 or 3.5 drive?

3.5 floppy, I have not seen any USB 5 1/4 floppies.
a 3.5 USB floppy can be purchased on Amazon for under $15.

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Mortar wrote to Gamgee <=-

Re: Re: Thin Client Pc To Run Dos
By: Gamgee to Mortar on Mon Jan 12 2026 08:27:44

I don't think the 5.25" drive is available in USB/external version. I
see none on Amazon or Ebay.

Those were my first stops as well; zip, zero, nadda. However, I did
see several external 5 1/4" drives using the Shugart interface.
Digging further, I came accross the Device Side Data FC5025 USB 5.25" Floppy Controller. It'll allow you to connect std. PC 5 1/4" floppy drives (as well as many 8-bit computer floppy drives) to your PC. It's not a perfect solution. It's a read-only setup and You still have to provide power to the drive from somewhere.

Here's a link so you can read all the gory details: https://shop.deviceside.com/prod/fc5025

Nice find, and very interesting. Seems like it would work for getting
data from old disks, and storing it safely on modern media. Cool stuff!



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That is good news. Glad it is working out. I had not heard of floppy drives with USB connectors so that is good to know. Is it a 5.25 or 3.5 drive?

I've only seen 3.5" USB floppy drives; I don't think they make 5.25" USB

>floppy drives, but I suppose I could be wrong.

Some of the external USB 'Boxes' have connectors on them that should
work with either size Floppy Drive. I think.. I haven't tried it myself.

I keep an older system running for transferring old Floppy disk
info onto a Flash drive or something.. Actually, I guess I don't
have one that takes 5.25" floppies anymore. I transferred all that
stuff several systems ago.. B)

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3.5 floppy, I have not seen any USB 5 1/4 floppies.
a 3.5 USB floppy can be purchased on Amazon for under $15.

Thanks to everyone who responded. I still have a lot of things on 5.25
from back when that was all I had. Luckily, I do still have a DOS PC with both sizes so, if I ever want to start converting/storing elsewhere, I can start there. ;)

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MIKE POWELL wrote to DENN <=-

3.5 floppy, I have not seen any USB 5 1/4 floppies.
a 3.5 USB floppy can be purchased on Amazon for under $15.

Thanks to everyone who responded. I still have a lot of things on 5.25 from back when that was all I had. Luckily, I do still have a DOS PC
with both sizes so, if I ever want to start converting/storing
elsewhere, I can start there. ;)

You should probably get those 5.25's copied off and archived somewhere
more safe/stable. Those floppies WILL eventually fail and be
unreadable.



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MIKE POWELL wrote to DENN <=-

Thanks to everyone who responded. I still have a lot of things on 5.25 from back when that was all I had. Luckily, I do still have a DOS PC
with both sizes so, if I ever want to start converting/storing
elsewhere, I can start there. ;)

At my last job, fairly recently, the organization had phased out a
server room full of AS/400s. They had one remaining system remaining.

In the server room, they kept a system running to use as a local means
of testing and restoring individual tape backups.

It was an IBM PS/2 model 80, 13" CRT and a Model M keyboard running
OS/2. Connected to it was an IBM 4019 laser printer. IBM "pointing
device", a heavy 2-button mechanical mouse.

That was the exact system I'd used at my first job - in 1991!



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Re: Re: Thin Client Pc To Run Dos
By: poindexter FORTRAN to MIKE POWELL on Wed Jan 14 2026 06:56 am

It was an IBM PS/2 model 80, 13" CRT and a Model M keyboard running OS/2. Connected to it was an IBM 4019 laser printer. IBM "pointing device", a heavy 2-button mechanical mouse.

That was the exact system I'd used at my first job - in 1991!

That sounds like a fairly iconic early-mid 90s computer setup. If I collected retro computers, I wouldn't mind having a setup like that. I've also thought it would be cool to have an old Amiga (maybe a 2000 or a 3000). I'd need to have room for a computer collection first..

Nightfox

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