The floppy disk drive reads data from and writes data to a small disk. The most common type is the 3.5" drive followed by the completely obsolete 5.25" drive, among other sizes.
floppy drive, disk drive, diskette drive, 3.5" drive, 5.25" drive
While still a component of many existing computers, floppy drives are moving slowly into obsolescence as the popularity of flash drives and other portable media drives increase. In fact, the floppy disk drive is no longer standard equipment on many new computer systems today.
Floppy drives that install inside of a computer case are becoming less and less available. Typically, the best option when adding a floppy drive will be to purchase an external one, probably USB based.
A 3.5" floppy drive is about the size and weight of a few decks of cards. Some external USB versions are only slightly larger than floppy disks themselves. The front of the drive has a slot to insert the disk into and a small button to eject it.
The sides of the floppy drive have pre drilled, threaded holes for easy mounting in the 3.5 inch drive bay in the computer case. Mounting is also possible in a larger 5.25 inch drive bay with an adapter available at computer supply stores. The floppy drive is mounted so the end with the connections faces inside the computer and the slot for the disk faces outside.
The back end of the floppy drive contains a port for a standard cable that connects to the motherboard. Also here is a connection for power from the power supply.
