Computer Question #2

[Bush Tucker Man]

I've got a lot of floppy-discs with documents & letters on that I wrote on the previous PC.
However, this one I'm using now is 'XP Home Edition' & its predeccessor was 'Windows 95'.
I'd presumed there would be a compatability between the 2 systems, but it seems not.

Is there a simple (plain English) method that anyone can tell me about so I can read (copy) them on here?

[matthew]

As far as I know Word should read files saved from older versions of Word.

What wordprocessor software were they saved with?

[matthew]

You could try opening them with Notepad or Write and see if either of them can read the files. What are the file extensions?

[Bush Tucker Man]

I think most of them were wrote on 'Word'

[gordonkerr]

How old was your Win 95 system?

It may have been using double density (720k) floppy discs whereas newer hardware will use high density (1.4Mb) floppies.

You can easily tell the difference as the double density ones have only one square hole on the left hand side at the end that does not go into the computer, high desity ones have two square holes one on each side.

In theory this should not matter, Windows can read  either type BUT many modern floppy drives will only read at high density rendering all your 720k discs useless at a stroke  

[strapping young lad]

the 1.44mb disks look like this..

[datalas]

Dyf...

no they don't

That's not a 1.44, it's a lesser spotted IBM 2.88...

1.44's only have the one hole (oooerrr)

[hobbit]

What program does the file try to open in, right click on the file & check its properties.
Could they have been written in MS Works rather than word?

Kev

[strapping young lad]

erm datalas

i think you will find i am correct boyo!

go find a floppy (sure you have one!)  

then come back and apologise!  8)

[datalas]

it's the chocolate depication I tell you...

no chocolate for fourteen days.............

[Bush Tucker Man]

Thanks guys, I'll figure it out over the next couple of days.