How to revive old Apple IIc floppy disks

October 25, 2006 10:09 PM

Is there a way to retrieve the old files I have saved on 5.25" Apple IIc floppy disks?

When I was a kid, I used to write stories on the Apple IIc my parents brought home Thanksgiving weekend, 1986. My parents were cleaning out the old garage a few weeks ago and found a box of about 20 of my old floppy disks in relatively pristine condition.

Here's the question -- how do I retrieve those files? It would mean a great deal to me to be able to read all those old stories I wrote. They were all written in AppleWorks (the old version, not the new one derived from ClarisWorks), so I'm assuming they are in some sort of .txt-ish file format.

I'd even pay for a service if it wasn't outrageously expensive, or pay someone to do this for me. Any thoughts?

posted by zooropa to computers & internet (4 comments total)

Retrofloppy.
posted by Jimbob at 10:48 PM on October 25, 2006

Find some local Apple enthusiasts. Someone will probably do it for nothing, just for kicks and to help justify their investment in (and doting over) outdated computing machinery.

Ask the people down at Nabih's ("Nabih's has been an Apple Authorized Reseller and Service Center since 1978.") for help finding the right club or individual. It might be someone right in the store.
posted by pracowity at 2:09 AM on October 26, 2006

It's a shame the Catweasel controller appears to be unavailable. (At least the website hasn't been updated in a year or so.) You see, PC floppy drives are quite capable of reading and writing all the old disks. It's just that the standard controller built into your motherboard isn't very versatile.

With a Catweasel controller, you can use any old PC 5.25" drive with your old floppies, assuming the data survived intact. I assume Retrofloppy has a few of these, and probably a collection of genuine Apple and Commodore hardware too.

You might try to find a local retrocomputing club. There are still users' groups out there, and someone might be able to help you transfer your files, and maybe rediscover your youth. :)
posted by Myself at 3:36 AM on October 26, 2006

This is an excellent question. Although the main CPU is dead (lightning), I believe all of my old Apple ][e equipment works. Now to find a new one and some Appleworks ...
posted by adipocere at 6:41 AM on October 26, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]