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3.5 inch drives. Do cleaning kits exist?

T

tezza

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This relates to a problem I've been having with my SE/30's floppy drive reading disks.

I'm assuming 3.5 drive heads can get dirty/sticky with deposits in old, chemically-degraded 3.5 inch diskettes are used (or even from a dusty environment)? If so, do cleaning disks for 3.5 drives exist, as they do for 5.25 inch drives?

I've asked a technical support guy at work and he seems to think not. Is this true? I've googled but that didn't turn up anything either? If so, how does one clean the heads on these drives, or do they never need cleaning?

Tez
 
Of course they need cleaning and put off nasty deposits! They need to be cleaned when they start acting up like that just like 5.25 drives. I honestly never bother with that as I usually dont have a drive long enough to make it need cleaning, as that takes some serious use to need cleaning. Here is my proof they exist:
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Endust-3-5-...yZ116268QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Only reason I knew as I have waded through them on eBay before looking to buy a new 5.25 cleaner.

--Ryan
 
Druid6900 said:
Pretty much any well stocked computer store or office supply place should have 3.5" floppy cleaning kits.

They do actually still put 3.5" dives in computers.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's what I thought when this guy said he didn't know of such things. I was surprised. In the back of my mind I could remember seeing a reference to 3.5inch cleaning disks on the web. I was further surprised then when a Google search came up blank (Maybe I just didn't use the right Google words?). After googling I browsed through the on-line catalogue of a local electronics store and couldn't find anything there either! THEN I tried a hard copy catalogue, of another (bigger) electronics chain and came up zilch with that too!??

By then I was starting to suspect that maybe he WAS right and I had imagined it all!

Maybe what I really need is an office/stationary place.

Anyway, I'll visit some shops on the weekend and hopefully find what I'm looking for.

Tez
 
Yes they do exist. I have used mine many more times then the recomended amounts. I used to see them at the Hamfest for $1.00. I even seen one for a zip disk.

Here is one on EBay Not a bad price and shipping is cheap.

*NEW* CURTIS 3 1/2 DISK DRIVE CLEANING KIT ~A MUST~
Item number: 170222859731

Here is one from Ebay that no bid on

Floppy Disk Cleaning Kit for 3 1/2" Floppy ~New in pack
Item number: 310049491166

Take Care
 
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