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Salvaging OS/2 Software

NeXT

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2008
Messages
8,095
Location
Kamloops, BC, Canada
I received a large lot of OS/2 software. Four boxes of red spine Warp 3, two boxes of Communications Manager/2 for 2.x, a box of 2.11, another unboxed copy of red spine Warp 3 and 2.1 and a stack of third party software like HyperACCESS and FastTrack.

CGS_11282.JPG


I ran an inventory and the boxed software is all complete with its documentation and additional paperwork all present. The boxes and paperwork show no signs of moisture or water damage like wrinkling, warping or surface mold but they have all been stored for a period somewhere with a high humidity and that penetrated all of the packaging. Some of the staple bound documentation is showing signs of rust and almost all the floppies I didn't take out of the plastic have a tiny amount of mold developing.
I want to salvage the genuine media if possible but (partly because aside from Warp 3 I don't already own any of this software in any format) I'm not sure how to clean over 100 floppies and I sure as hell ain't gonna put them into drives while knowing they already have contamination. Right now it's been relocated into a room with 12% humidity to pull any remaining moisture out and blast it with ozone.
 
I would pull the cookies from the shells, dry them out, and then put them in a clean shell. Sacrifice an unused disk to hold the cookie until it is read.

If there is that much humidity affecting all the other boxes, I expect that the cleaning pads in each disk are saturated and growing mold.
 
FWIW,

Most if not all of that software has been archived.

IIRC,
The floppy images are on one of the distribution CDs

Oh, I know. I'm not looking to archive the disks. I would like to use them.
You see I've been after Communications Manager/2 for over a decade now and every time I've asked either my request was ignored or people beat around the bush and wouldn't share. So now that I have physical copies I would like to use them, because people suck. For the sake of this thread, lets comply with the forum rules and say that downloadable copies are not available.
 
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If you have access to a 3D printer you can print a frame and knob to help with the cleaning. In the video he uses IPA, although I'd probably start with a weak detergent solution (maybe sugar soap):

 
I think sugar soap is different In USA/Canada to UK/Aus.
 
From my experience at installing OS/2 v3 Warp from floppy disks the install roudine just failed about mid way through the instaalation or two to three disks from the end. Never had that issie with OS/2 v2.X.

Good haul all the same.
 
Let me guess, another Computer Reset find...

Peel the labels off and glue them on non-moldy floppies. Write images. Moldy floppies go in the trash.
 
Let me guess, another Computer Reset find...

Peel the labels off and glue them on non-moldy floppies. Write images. Moldy floppies go in the trash.
No, actually. They're from the coast.
I'm aware of no reliable process for peeling labels off floppies without damaging them.
 
No, actually. They're from the coast.
I'm aware of no reliable process for peeling labels off floppies without damaging them.
I transplanted this label last week, just peeled it off slowly.
hercules.jpg
 
We are talking about 3.5" 1.44mb disks, right?

Examine the disk cookie with a magnifying glass. If you see more than just a couple of tiny specs that can be cleaned with a q-tip, then don't waste your time re-using them. 3.5" disks are a bitch to clean, and if there is a lot of residue/grime the only way to clean it properly is to remove the cookie from the case/jacket.

If you do try and re-format them, you will need to let a full low-level format cycle over it around 5 or so times to eliminate any transient errors from loose dust/grime and help prove reliability so it is less likely to rip itself up later on.

Use a floppy drive that is not mounted inside a system and has an accessible head that can be manually cleaned easily if needed. If they are as bad as I suspect, you will still probably want to run a cleaning disk through it after every single disk.

As far as labels, some just fall off while others require a jackhammer. If a label doesn't come off easily, just slap a new label on top of that.

I would double check to see that the exact software is archived out there somewhere first. If those manuals are in bad condition, then you won't feel too guilty cutting off any spines and running them through a document scanner.
 
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