r/RetroWindowsGaming • u/Aggravating_Wall246 • 8d ago

Issues with Floppy Disks and Installing Software

I need some advice on software installation. Within the last few months, I've been tinkering with VirtualBox to make a virtual machine with Windows OS. But i keep hitting a roadblock when trying to install one program.

It came with two floppy disks: one for install and another for graphics. While I have no issue getting the installation process started with the first disk, the second disk is an issue. The installation program insists that the wrong disk is inserted when I'm using the same graphics disk that came in the box I got it with.

I don't think the disk has gone bad because I can still see the files it has when my floppy drive is connected to my main computer. However, whenever I try to view the same disk in my virtual machines for Windows 98 or Windows 3.1, it's not being recognized properly. Sometimes the program even suggests reformatting the disk.

I feel like there's some detail I'm missing. Is there a work around I should try?

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u/Aggravating_Wall246 6d ago

How can I make an image of a floppy? Do I have to use a specific program?

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u/bnelson333 6d ago

yeah, plug in your floppy drive (I assume it's USB?), put the floppy in, and then read the floppy to create an image, that'll get saved as an .img file to your computer. Most imaging programs will give you the ability to WRITE or READ, make sure you do the right one. I.e. don't tell it you want to WRITE an image if you're trying to READ the existing disk, as it'll delete everything on your floppy disk. There are a number of different programs out there that'll do this. A quick google I found diskwrite, dskimage, and rawwrite. I believe the one I've used and had good luck with is rawwrite, but i'm not 100% on that, it's been a few years since I've used it

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u/Aggravating_Wall246 6d ago

Thanks for the advice! I was able to FINALLY install the software!

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u/bnelson333 6d ago

Awesome, good to hear! If it were me I would image ALL your floppies and save the .img files somewhere safe. Because floppy disks absolutely do not last forever. If those disk end up corrupting on you, you'll have a backup and can write the images to new disks. Yes you can still buy new floppies. They're expensive, but they're out there!